Water Hauling & Vacuum Services
Sourcing Guide & Market Intelligence

Tariffs could negatively impact the cleaning equipment and supplies sector

• The Trump Administration’s reciprocal tariffs, which apply general tariff rate increases to most leading US trade partners, are set to take effect on August 7, after the administration finalized the rates on August 1.
• According to CleanLink, increases in tariffs are expected to impact the cleaning equipment and supplies industry by raising the cost of manufacturing and, thus, the price of products. The tariff increase could also spark supply-chain disruptions, which could further put upward pressure on pricing if goods are in limited supply.
• China, a major exporter to the United States of many products in the cleaning equipment and supplies industry, faces a base tariff of 54.0%. Likewise, Germany, a major exporter of chemicals and cleaning products, and the rest of the European Union face a 15.0% tariff, which will raise the cost of imported cleaning supplies and manufacturers' operating costs, putting upward pressure on market prices.
• Canada and Mexico, major sources for a variety of cleaning equipment and supplies, will now face 35.0% and 25.0% tariff rates, respectively, for exports to the United States. These tariffs will make it more difficult for Mexican and Canadian suppliers to compete in the US market, driving up domestic prices and pressuring supply chains.

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.

Crude oil prices dip, but natural gas and fuel prices remain volatile in 2025

• Oil prices have been falling with the introduction of higher tariffs and the predicted decline in global demand. The OPEC+ group of countries also announced they would be unwinding production cuts and increasing their collective output target for May by 411,000 barrels per day.
• Trade wars, ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel, and general unrest in the Middle East are causing uncertainty surrounding oil prices, which has led to volatility in prices. In the third week of May 2025, crude oil prices hit $63.67 per barrel, but volatility remains as geopolitical concerns remain.
• Natural gas prices rallied early in 2025 with colder-than-usual temperatures in the United States and high demand, topping out at $4.68/MMBtu in March. Prices have since fallen with the onset of trade wars and weakening demand projections to $3.64/MMBtu in the third week of May 2025.
• The national average of gasoline prices has been rising slightly due to refinery maintenance/outages and blending issues, hitting a national average of $3.15 per gallon in the third week of May 2025. However, gasoline futures have been volatile, falling due to fears of oversupply and deepening concerns about weakening demand with tariffs, but rising after trade deals.