in effect
This is a presidential proclamation issued September 29, 2025, imposing new import tariffs on timber, lumber, and related wood products under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which allows the president to restrict imports that threaten national security. The Commerce Department conducted an investigation and concluded that rising wood product imports, combined with foreign subsidies and unfair trade practices, are weakening domestic mills and manufacturing capacity in ways that could impair the military and critical infrastructure.
Starting October 14, 2025, softwood timber and lumber face a new 10 percent tariff; upholstered wooden furniture and kitchen cabinets/vanities face a 25 percent tariff. On January 1, 2026, the furniture rate rises to 30 percent and the cabinet/vanity rate rises to 50 percent, unless a trade agreement with the exporting country is reached first. The United Kingdom is capped at 10 percent under a separate bilateral deal; imports from the European Union and Japan are capped so that the new tariff plus existing base duties do not exceed 15 percent combined. Hardwood timber and lumber are not tariffed yet — the Commerce Secretary must report back by October 1, 2026, on whether hardwood duties are warranted. These new tariffs replace the prior “reciprocal tariff” treatment that wood products received under earlier executive orders.
U.S. importers, wholesalers, and retailers of covered wood products — softwood lumber, upholstered wood furniture, kitchen cabinets, and vanities — will pay the new duties at the border beginning October 14, 2025. Foreign exporters, particularly Canadian, European, and other suppliers who are not covered by a negotiated exemption, will find their products more expensive in the U.S. market. Domestic wood mills and manufacturers are the intended beneficiaries, as the tariffs are designed to reduce foreign competition and encourage investment in U.S. production capacity.