Boiler & Furnace Maintenance & Repair
Sourcing Guide & Market Intelligence

Tariffs to negatively impact the building and construction machinery sector

• The Trump Administration’s reciprocal tariffs, which apply general tariff rate increases to most countries the United States trades with, are set to take effect on August 7, after the administration finalized the national rates on August 1. As a result, leading sources of imported construction machinery face significantly higher tariff rates, including Japan (15.0%), Mexico (25.0%), South Korea (15.0%), the European Union (15.0%), the United Kingdom (10.0%), China (54.0%), and Canada (35.0%).
• The increase in tariffs on building and construction machinery imported from tariff-impacted countries will add to the price of imports, which are typically passed on to buyers in the form of higher prices. According to The Budget Lab at Yale, the additional tariffs on imports will increase overall prices for machinery and equipment by 13.3%.
• Additionally, the administration has already implemented 50.0% tariffs on all aluminum and steel imported into the United States, with the sole exception of imports from the United Kingdom. These tariffs will increase input costs even for construction machinery suppliers with domestic manufacturing operations.
• According to an April 2025 survey from Construction Equipment Magazine, around half of the respondents reported that the higher tariffs will increase operating costs by up to 15.0%, and more than half said they plan to pass those increases along to buyers.
• As many building and construction machinery brands source parts and components such as steel, engines, and electronics from foreign countries, higher tariff rates will put upward pressure on prices and lead to greater rental rates as manufacturers and dealers pass on costs. In addition, suppliers that source parts from tariff-affected regions may see supply chain disruptions as they seek alternative suppliers to mitigate tariff impacts.

Increased tariffs on copper imports take effect

• On August 1, the Trump administration implemented 50.0% tariffs on imported copper. Chile and Canada will be most impacted by these tariffs, as they account for a combined 87.0% of all copper imports in the United States.
• However, these tariffs are less sweeping than initially expected, only applying to semi-finished copper products, while excluding high-purity refined copper and copper input materials, such as ore and concentrate. As leading importers, such as Chile and Canada, have both high copper mining and refining capacities, they will likely avoid most of these tariffs by either exporting the copper in its unrefined form or refining the copper before exporting it to the United States
• These copper tariff exemptions limit the impact on the electronics and electrical equipment sectors because these applications require refined copper due to its optimal conductive properties.
• Thus, the prices of metal alloys that include copper, consumer products made from copper, tools, plumbing, corrosion-resistant alloys, and construction materials made from copper are forecast to rise by an average of 39.2%, according to the Yale Budget Lab.

Aluminum and steel tariffs are extended to the metals content of imported appliances

• On June 3rd, the Trump Administration announced an increase of aluminum and steel tariffs to 50.0%, up from the 25.0% rate imposed a few months prior.
• The administration has since introduced plans to apply these tariffs to the aluminum and steel content of imported appliances starting June 23rd.
• Under the new rule, imported appliances and appliance components will face 50.0% tariffs on the value of their aluminum and steel content. Aluminum and Steel account for more than a third of the total value of the average appliance, meaning this rule change will significantly increase the average import fees on appliances.
• In response to this rule change, appliance retailers, such as Home Depot, have indicated they will rely more heavily on domestic manufacturers to avoid the tariffs, creating a risk of shortages and long order backlogs. Alternatively, Walmart’s CEO has indicated the company will raise prices to compensate for the higher appliance costs.
• While differing tariff response strategies will result in varying supply chain and price impacts, the Yale Budget Lab projects machinery and equipment prices to rise by 9.4% on average due to this policy.