Section 232 tariffs on Canadian and Mexican steel and aluminum—25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum—have been lifted according to a joint statement made by Canada and the U.S., and a CSMS message from Customs. This is effective for goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from a warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 am EDT May 20, 2019.
Since these tariffs have been removed, Canada has also lifted its retaliatory tariffs, which impacted American metals, agriculture, and some prepared foods. Stricter customs enforcement will be coordinated between Canada and the U.S. to prevent transshipment.
The joint statement from Canada and the U.S. does have a caveat, if there is a significant surge in imports of aluminum or steel products.
“In the event that imports of aluminum or steel products surge meaningfully beyond historic volumes of trade over a period of time, with consideration of market share, the importing country may request consultations with the exporting country. After such consultations, the importing party may impose duties of 25 percent for steel and 10 percent for aluminum in respect to the individual product(s) where the surge took place (on the basis of the individual product categories set forth in the attached chart). If the importing party takes such action, the exporting country agrees to retaliate only in the affected sector (i.e., aluminum and aluminum-containing products or steel).”
As of now, the steel and aluminum tariffs have been removed from Canada and Mexico, and Canada’s retaliation tariffs have also been lifted. If you have any questions, please reach out to your Mohawk customer service representative.