Trump may implement copper import tariffs ahead of deadline

copper imports could be coming within several weeks, months earlier than the deadline for a decision, according to people familiar with the matter. Copper traded in New York rose to a record.

US President Donald Trump in February directed the Commerce Department to open an investigation into potential copper tariffs and submit a report within 270 days, though it’s now expected to be resolved sooner, said the people who asked not to be identified because the discussions are confidential.
The investigation already is looking like little more than a formality, some of the people said, with Trump having regularly said he plans to impose the tariffs.

The administration is proceeding expeditiously with the review, and a conclusion could be possible well before the 270-day deadline, an official familiar with the process said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The White House declined to comment. In February, Peter Navarro, a White House trade adviser, said the investigation would proceed quickly.

Live Events

“You will see our new secretary of commerce, Howard Lutnick, will move in what I like to call Trump time, which is quickly as possible to get results of the investigation on the president’s desk for possible action,” Navarro said.

Trump has threatened to impose a duty of as much as a 25% on all copper imports, a move that could roil the global market for one of the world’s most ubiquitous metals, which is used in pipes and electrical cables.

Implementing copper tariffs with such haste would stand in stark contrast to the investigations that preceded steel and aluminum tariffs imposed by Trump during his first administration. They took some 10 months to complete.
Copper in New York rose as much as 3.1% to a record