The new 50% import tariffs on steel and aluminium imposed by United States President Donald Trump came into force just after midnight on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday local time (6:01 Belgian time on Wednesday).
Trump announced the increase in the import tariff on steel, from 25% to 50%, on Friday during a visit to a U.S. Steel plant in the state of Pennsylvania. On his Truth Social network afterwards, he also announced the doubling of the import duty on aluminium.
"Our steel and aluminium industries are coming back like never before," Trump said.
For the United Kingdom, US import tariffs on steel and aluminium remain at 25%, after the two countries signed a trade deal last month.
In 2024, the US was the world's largest steel importer after the European Union. According to the US government, they mainly import steel from Canada, Brazil and Mexico, while they mainly get aluminium from Canada, the United Arab Emirates, China and South Korea.
