US introduces additional tariffs, including on car seats and motorbikes

A flyer for Donald Trump with information and a QR code to receive an absentee ballot is seen as workers clear a damaged road in Bat Cave, North Carolina, on October 3, 2024, after the passage of Hurricane Helene. More than 210 people are now confirmed dead after Hurricane Helene carved a path of destruction through several US states, officials said October 3, making it the second deadliest storm to hit the US mainland in more than half a century. Allison Joyce / AFP

The United States Department of Commerce has unexpectedly expanded the list of products subject to additional tariffs on steel and aluminium.

The additional tariffs cover a wide range of goods, from baby car seats to bulldozers and motorcycles.

These items are now covered by an existing 50% tariff on steel and aluminium. Initially, a 25% tariff was introduced, but it was doubled in June.

It remains unclear whether the additional tax applies on top of standard country-specific duties.

The new measures, announced just before the weekend by the Customs and Border Protection agency, caught transport companies off guard. They were uncertain whether the tariffs would apply to goods already en route to the US.