Section 232 Tariffs

Section 232 tariffs are additional US import duties imposed when the President, advised by the Department of Commerce, finds that imports of a product threaten US national security. The legal basis is Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Unlike Section 301 (which is China-specific and tied to intellectual-property findings), Section 232 applies by product category to imports from virtually any origin.

Active Section 232 measures in 2026. Steel (25%), aluminum (25%, raised from 10% in 2025), passenger vehicles and light trucks (25%), and a list of "covered auto parts" published by Commerce (25%). The steel and aluminum measures originated in 2018; the auto measure was activated in 2025 under proclamations issued earlier that year. Selected derivative products (steel pipe fittings, aluminum extrusions used in construction) were added to the scope in 2024–2025.

How Section 232 stacks. Section 232 is layered on top of the MFN duty rate listed in the HTS for the product. For Chinese-origin steel, the order is: MFN duty + Section 301 (List 3, 25%) + Section 232 (25%) + any anti-dumping/countervailing duty + IEEPA tariff (where applicable). The combined burden on a single Chinese-origin steel SKU can exceed 80% of customs value before VAT-equivalent fees.

Country exemptions and quotas. Several trading partners have negotiated bilateral arrangements that suspend Section 232 within an annual quota (the EU, UK, Japan, and Korea, with details that have shifted over time). Imports above the quota revert to the standard 25% tariff. The exemptions are administrative and can be revoked.

Verifying current scope. The official source is the proclamation published in the Federal Register and the corresponding Commerce/USTR product list. Dutiable's Section 232 lookup tool surfaces the current scope and effective rate by HS code.