Trump ramps up tariffs on all steel, aluminum imports

President Donald Trump’s 25% tariff increase on all steel and aluminum imports officially took effect on Wednesday, the latest move in the administration’s plans to reshape global trade norms in favor of U.S. manufacturing.  

Trump’s action to bulk up protections for American steel and aluminum producers restores effective global tariffs of 25% on all imports of the metals and extends the duties to hundreds of downstream products made from the metals – everything from nuts and bolts to bulldozer blades and soda cans.

The run-up to the tariff deadline came after Trump threatened Canada with doubling the duty to 50% on its steel and aluminum exports to the U.S. 

He backed off those plans after Ontario Premier Doug Ford agreed to suspend his province’s decision to impose a 25% surcharge on electricity exports to the states of Minnesota, Michigan and New York until earlier U.S. tariffs were removed.

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President Donald Trump on Tuesday called Canada “one of the highest-tariffing nations anywhere in the world.” (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images / Getty Images)

The incident whip-sawed U.S. financial markets already jittery over Trump’s broad tariff offensive, but left unchanged Trump’s original plans to strengthen the Section 232 national security tariffs on steel and aluminum imposed in 2018 during his first term.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency cut off imports qualifying for duty-free entry under quota arrangements well before the midnight deadline, saying in a bulletin to shippers that quota paperwork needed to be processed by 4:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday at U.S. ports of entry or the full tariffs would be charged.

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The countries most affected by the tariffs are Canada, the biggest foreign supplier of steel and aluminum to the U.S., Brazil, Mexico and South Korea, which all have enjoyed some level of exemptions or quotas.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith reacts to the nonstop tariff news between the U.S. and Canada. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Most U.S.-Canada trade remains duty-free under the USMCA trade deal that Trump signed in 2020, but he continues to complain about Canada’s high tariff rates for dairy products.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference about the US tariffs against Canada on March 4, 2025 on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, as Foreign Minister Melanie Joly (L) and Minister of Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs Domin (Getty Images / Getty Images)

Ottawa last week won a month’s reprieve for USMCA-compliant exports from Trump’s general 25% tariffs for Canada threatened over fentanyl trafficking. 

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China remains the number two supplier of aluminum and goods made from aluminum, but already faces high tariffs to counteract alleged dumping and subsidies, as well as a new 20% tariff that Trump has imposed over the past month over fentanyl trafficking. 

Later Wednesday, the European Commission announced it would impose counter tariffs on the equivalent of $28 billion worth of U.S. goods starting next month. 

“We regret the unjustified US 25% tariff on steel and aluminium imports. The EU will protect its consumers and businesses,” the Commission said in a statement. “We are launching swift, proportionate countermeasures worth up to ($28 billion), matching the economic impact of the US tariffs.”

Reuters contributed to this report.