10月30日更新 US-China Trade Tariffs: What’s in Effect Now

Breaking Down the US-China Trade Tariffs: What’s in Effect Now?

 

US-China tariff rates have become increasingly complex, shaped by years of escalating trade actions and policy shifts. With overlapping measures such as Section 301 tariffs, the recent reciprocal duties, and product-specific controls, understanding what applies in 2025 can be challenging. This article clarifies which US-China tariff rates are currently in effect and how and when they overlap.

 

US tariffs on China 

US tariffs on China date back to the first term of the Trump administration, marking the beginning of one of the most extensive tariff regimes in modern trade history. Many of these tariffs are stacked, meaning multiple duties apply simultaneously on the same goods, significantly increasing the overall cost of imports from China. 

According to the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE), as of May 2025, the US’s average tariff on Chinese goods stands at 51.1 percent, covering all imports. In comparison, China’s average tariff on American goods is 32.6 percent, also applied broadly. PIIE notes that current US tariffs are about 1.5 times higher than when Trump began his second term in January 2025. 

US Tariffs on Chinese Goods (As of August 2025)
Tariff	Tariff rate	Target products	Effective date*	Stacking
“Liberation Day”	34% → 10%	All (some exclusions apply)	April 2, 2025 (reduced rate effective May 14, 2025 – November 9, 2026)	Yes
Fentanyl	20% → 10%	All (some exclusions apply)	March 4, 2025 (reduced 10 percent rate effective date TBC)	Yes
Section 232	50%	Steel and aluminum products, steel and aluminum derivative products, automobiles and automotive parts, and some household appliances containing steel and aluminum	June 4, 2025 (June 23 for some household appliances containing steel and aluminum)	Yes, except with reciprocal tariffs
	25%	Automobiles: passenger vehicles (sedans, sport utility vehicles, crossover utility vehicles, minivans, and cargo vans), light trucks; automobile parts (including tubes, pipes, and hoses of vulcanized rubber, rubber tires, iron or steel springs, base metal parts, centrifuges, ball or roller bearings, etc.)	April 3, 2025 (automobiles) May 3, 2025 (automobile parts)	Yes, except with reciprocal tariffs
	50%	Semi-finished copper products (such as copper pipes, wires, rods, sheets, and tubes) and copper-intensive derivative products (such as pipe fittings, cables, connectors, and electrical components)	August 1, 2025	Yes, except with reciprocal tariffs and other Section 232 tariffs
	10-25% →  10-50% (rises if no deal reached)	Softwood timber and lumber (10%); upholstered wooden products (25%; 30% from January 1, 2026); kitchen cabinets and vanities (25%; 50% from January 1, 2026)	October 14, 2025 (higher rates in effect January 1, 2026, if no deal reached)	Yes, except reciprocal tariffs
Section 301	List 1: 25%	List 1: Inorganic chemicals; organic chemicals; pharmaceutical products; rubber and products thereof; iron and steel and products thereof; aluminum and products thereof; nuclear reactors; electrical machinery and equipment; vehicles and parts; aircraft, spacecraft, and parts; ships and boats; optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; etc.	List 1: July 6, 2018	Yes
	List 2: 25%	List 2: Inorganic chemicals; rubber and articles thereof; nuclear reactors; electrical machinery; vehicles; railway or tramway locomotives, rolling-stock and parts thereof; aircraft, spacecraft, and parts thereof; ships, boats, and floating structures  optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical, or surgical instruments and apparatus	List 2: August 23, 2018
	List 3: 25%	List 3: Animal and vegetable products, animal and vegetable fats, prepared foodstuffs, beverages; mineral products;   inorganic chemicals;   organic chemicals;   fertilizers; and other products of the chemical or allied industries; plastics and rubber; raw hides and skins, leather, furskins;   Wood and wood products; textiles; headgear; prepared feathers and down; articles of stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica; natural or cultured pearls, precious or semiprecious stones, precious metals;  base metals and articles of base metal; machinery and mechanical appliances; vehicles, aircraft, vessels; optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical instruments; miscellaneous manufactured articles.	List 3: May 10, 2019
	List 4A: 7.5%	List 4A: Live animals and animal products; vegetable products; animal or vegetable fats and oils; prepared foodstuffs; beverages, spirits, and vinegar; tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes; mineral products; products of the chemical or allied industries; plastics, rubber and articles thereof; raw hides and skins, leather, furskins and articles thereof;   wood and articles of wood; pulp of wood or of other fibrous cellulosic material;   textile and textile articles;  footwear, headgear, umbrellas, sun umbrellas, walking sticks, etc.; ceramic products; glass and glassware; natural or cultured pearls, precious or semiprecious stones, precious metals,  etc.; base metals and articles of base metal; machinery and mechanical appliances; vehicles, aircraft, vessels and associated transport equipment; optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical instruments, etc.;  arms and ammunition; miscellaneous manufactured articles; works of art, collectors’ pieces, and antiques	List 4A: February 14, 2020
Section 301 (Four-Year Review)	25% – 100%	Battery parts (non-lithium-ion batteries), electric vehicles, facemasks, lithium-ion electrical vehicle batteries, lithium-ion non-electrical vehicle batteries, medical gloves, natural graphite, other critical minerals, permanent magnets, semiconductors,  ship-to-shore cranes, solar cells, steel and aluminum products, syringes and needles	2024 – 2026	Yes
Most-favored-nation	Approx. 3.3%	All imports (baseline rate under WTO rules)	Ongoing	Yes
*Effective date of the latest tariff rate.

Section 232 tariffs 

 

 

• May 2018: US imposes 10% tariff on aluminum imports and 25% tariff on steel imports on all countries.
• March 12, 2025: US raises tariff on aluminum from 10% to 25% for all countries, removes country exemptions to reinstate 25% steel tariff on all countries.
• April 3, 2025: US imposes 25% tariff on automobiles and automobile parts on all countries.
• June 3, 2025: US raises tariff on steel and aluminum, and derivatives, to 50%, effective June 4.
• June 16, 2025: US imposes 50% tariff on certain household appliances containing steel and aluminum, effective June 23.
• July 30, 2025: US imposes 50% tariff on a range of semi-finished copper products and copper-intensive derivative goods, effective August 1, 2025.
• September 29, 2025: US imposes 10% tariff on softwood time and 25% tariff on kitchen cabinets and upholstered wooden furniture, effective October 14.

While the Section 301 garnered the most attention during Trump’s first term in office, the Section 232 tariffs came before the trade war with China. These tariffs are imposed under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which authorizes the US president to impose trade restrictions on goods that “threaten to impair” US national security.

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On March 18, 2018, the Trump administration imposed a 10 percent tariff on all aluminum imports and a 25 percent tariff on all steel imports to the US. The administration later negotiated exemptions for a range of countries. However, the tariffs on China have remained in place ever since. 

On February 10, 2025, Trump signed a proclamation announcing a 25 percent ad valorem tariff on all steel imports into the US and raising tariffs on aluminum imports from 10 to 25 percent. The tariffs are applicable to imports from all countries and regions “without exception”, and took effect on March 12. 

As the prior steel and aluminum tariffs on China were never lifted, the effective tariff rate on Chinese steel products remained unchanged, while the tariff on aluminum products rose by 15 percentage points. Moreover, many steel and aluminum products coming from China have been separately slapped with a 25 percent duty under the Section 301 action. 

On March 26, 2025, Trump announced a 25 percent tariff on imports of automobiles and automobile parts from all trade partners into the US, effective April 3, 2025. Many vehicles and vehicle parts coming from China were already subject to tariffs of up to 25 percent under the Section 301 tariffs.

On May 31, 2025, Trump announced he would raise the tariff rate on steel and aluminum imports from all countries to 50 percent from June 4.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), a part of the US Department of Commerce, published a notice on June 16 extending the 50 percent steel and aluminum tariff to several household appliances containing steel, effective June 23. The new tariff, which will be levied on the proportion of steel contained in the product rather than the entire item, will be levied on the following “steel derivative items”:

1. Combined refrigerator-freezers (HTSUS: 8418.10.00)
2. Small and large dryers (HTSUS: 8451.21.00 and 8451.29.00)
3. Washing machines (HTSUS: 8450.11.00 and 8450.20.00)
4. Dishwashers (HTSUS: 8422.11.00)
5. Chest and upright freezers (HTSUS: 8418.30.00 and 8418.40.00)
6. Cooking stoves, ranges, and ovens (HTSUS: 8516.60.40)
7. Food waste disposals (HTSUS: 8509.80.20)
8. Welded wire rack (HTSUS: 9403.99.9020)

While the above products will be taxed on their steel content, welded wire rack products will also be taxed on their aluminum content.

On July 30, 2025, President Donald Trump signed a presidential proclamation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, imposing a 50 percent tariff on a range of semi-finished copper products and copper-intensive derivative goods, effective August 1, 2025.

• Affected imports include copper pipes, wires, rods, sheets, tubes, fittings, cables, connectors, and electrical components.
• Exempted items include refined copper, ores, concentrates, cathodes, and scrap.

According to the White House fact sheet:

• The tariffs apply only to the copper content of a product; the non-copper portion remains subject to existing duties.
• The copper tariffs do not stack with other Section 232 tariffs, such as those on automobiles—whichever applies first will prevail.
• A product inclusion process will be created to allow for additional copper derivatives to be added to the tariff list.

Section 301 tariffs 

 

 

• July 6, 2018: 25% tariffs on List 1 goods come into effect.
• August 23, 2018: 25% tariffs on List 2 goods come into effect.
• September 24, 2018: 10% tariffs on List 3 goods come into effect.
• May 10, 2019: List 3 tariffs raised to 25%. 
• September 1, 2019: 15% tariffs on List 4A goods come into effect.
• December 13, 2019: List 4B tariffs suspended indefinitely.
• February 14, 2020: List 4A tariffs lowered to 7.5%.
• September 13, 2024: USTR announces additional tariffs ranging from 25% to 100% following statutory four-year review.