Effective August 1, a 50% Section 232 tariff will be assessed on imports of semi-finished copper products and certain copper derivative products. This is an expansion of the existing Section 232 tariffs already covering steel, aluminum, automobiles, and automobile parts.
Similar to rules covering the steel and aluminum tariffs, an importer can provide the value and weight of the copper component and have the tariff assessed only on the copper portion. Importers should keep evidence supporting the materials component claim. This evidence can be in the form of bills of material for the production of the goods, invoices for the materials used in production, and accounting documentation to substantiate the reported values. Failure to have the evidentiary documents available could result in a requirement to pay the tariffs on the full value of the product. Customs considers the value of the copper to be the price paid or payable by the importer for the copper content as per the valuation agreement as implemented in 19USC 1401(a). If the item contains no copper, then that needs to be stated, and the tariff is not assessed. As with the steel and aluminum tariffs, if no component breakdown is provided, the tariff is assessed on the full value of the product.
The proclamation, including the annex containing the HTS codes affected by this proclamation, can be viewed at the following link:
Adjusting Imports of Copper into the United States – The White House.
Best Regards,
Sam McClure, LCB
Director of Compliance & Customs Services