Construction Trump is considering the introduction of tariffs on timber imports
US President Donald Trump is considering the introduction of tariffs on timber imports. He instructed Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick by decree on Saturday (local time) to launch an investigation to determine the impact of timber imports on national security.
02.03.2025, 05:56
SDA
This could lead to the imposition of new tariffs on top of existing duties. The investigation is targeting exporters such as Germany, Canada and Brazil.
White House officials have previously accused these countries of dumping lumber on the US market at dumped prices, jeopardizing the economic prosperity and national security of the United States.
Trump also signed a decree on Saturday aimed at increasing US timber production in order to reduce construction and housing costs. Industry representatives have warned that the introduction of new tariffs on timber imports could have the opposite effect and affect the affordability of housing.
Copper also in his sights
It was only on Tuesday that Trump instructed Lutnick to investigate unfair trade practices in connection with the import of copper. In mid-February, Trump imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports into the US, which amount to "25 percent without exemptions or exceptions" and are due to take effect on March 12.
At the beginning of February, Trump had already imposed tariffs of up to 25% on all imports from Mexico and Canada, but suspended them shortly afterwards, initially for 30 days. The simultaneously announced increase in US tariffs by ten percentage points on products from China came into force as announced.
