April 2026: metals tariffs move from metal content to full value
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Dated entry. This covers 30 April 2026 and has not been updated since. Tariff rules change constantly and some of this will have been superseded — check the official sources before acting on it.
On 6 April 2026 a proclamation titled Strengthening Actions Taken to Adjust Imports of Aluminum, Steel and Copper changed how the metals tariffs are calculated.
Rates of 10% to 50% applied to steel, aluminum and copper articles and derivatives — but assessed on the full value of the article rather than its metal content, with exemptions.
What it meant for freight: for a derivative product containing a small amount of steel, moving the base from metal content to full value can multiply the duty several times over. Landed-cost figures from 2025 were wrong from April 2026 onward.