The US Commerce Department is poised to expand its “steel derivatives” tariff list by approximately 700 items, following a second consultation in three months. The requests, submitted by American companies before an October 21 deadline, cover a vast range of goods from bicycles to commercial baking pans.
This follows an August list of 407 products, which included items from Ikea tables (with metal nuts) to German combine harvesters. The near-100% success rate of those earlier requests has fueled fears that this new, larger list will be approved in its entirety, with a decision expected in December or January.
The push comes from US firms of all sizes. Guardian Bikes of Indiana, for example, pleaded for tariffs, claiming 11 million imported bikes in 2024 have “lost” the US industry. Similarly, American Pan and Chicago Metallic are asking for levies on baking pans, claiming China is “flooding the market” with low-cost cookware.
This policy is causing significant alarm in Europe. Industry leaders fear a “rolling and growing” list of taxed goods. They argue that these new levies, which would be added on top of baseline rates agreed upon in trade deals (10% for UK, 25% for EU), undermine those very agreements.
According to George Riddell of Flint Global, the US has adopted a “liberal, expansive approach” to these requests. This move has only increased the “uncertainty in the relationship” between the US and its key European allies.
