Front-End Loaders
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.

United States announces new tariffs on all imported steel

• In February 2025, the United States announced 25.0% tariffs on all imported steel with no exemptions or exceptions. The tariffs took effect on March 12, 2025. On June 4th, these tariffs were increased further to 50%. These tariffs were not impacted by a recent court decision that temporarily suspended duties on certain goods as they were implemented under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act.
• Previously, countries such as Canada, Mexico, and Brazil, the top exporters of steel to the United States, had exemptions from tariffs. These have now been removed and all imported steel, regardless of origin, will be subject to the 50.0% tariff. However, on May 8th, the US announced an agreement with the United Kingdom to remove all levies on steel exported from the UK.
• When tariffs on steel imports were introduced in March 2018, they contributed to an increase in the price of steel and steel products. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of steel-milled products increased by 10.2% in the year after the tariffs were implemented. This market heavily relies on steel as an input and may be impacted by this policy.