Posted on 31 Jul 2025
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday confirmed universal 50% tariffs on imports of semi-finished copper products and copper-intensive derivative products, Kallanish reports.
The White House says in a statement that the president is authorising the secretary of commerce to “take steps under the Defense Production Act to support the domestic copper industry.” This will include requiring 25% of high-quality copper scrap produced in the US to be sold domestically.
Additionally, Washington is requiring 25% of copper input materials such as copper ores, concentrates, mattes, cathodes and anodes produced in the US to be sold in the country starting in 2027. The threshold will increase to 30% in 2028 and 40% in 2029.
“This will boost US refining capacity by ensuring low-cost inputs while domestic refiners grow their operations,” the White House says, announcing the tariffs will be in place on 1 August.
The copper tariffs, imposed under Section 232 on the premises of national security concerns, will not affect copper input materials and copper scrap. These products are also not subject to reciprocal tariffs and do not stack with the 25% auto tariffs.
“If a product is subject to auto 232 tariffs, then the auto 232 tariffs apply, not the copper 232 tariffs,” a spokesperson explains.
By exempting unrefined copper products from the levies, the Trump administration is ensuring its supply of the critical mineral isn’t disrupted. According to the US Geological Survey, the US mine production declined 3% last year to 1.1 million tonnes, compared to 5.3m t in Chile – its major supplier.
At the time of writing, copper traded at the New York-based COMEX dropped around 18% to $4.60 a pound. The futures had peaked at nearly $6 earlier this month when Trump announced the tariffs, without disclosing specific details on which products they would apply to.
Source:Kallanish
