8th November 2025 – (Washington) Businesses worldwide are preparing for a fresh wave of U.S. import duties targeting goods with steel components, from bicycles to baking trays, as American industry presses Washington to widen the scope of products subject to tariffs.
The U.S. Department of Commerce closed its second consultation in three months on 21st October, inviting submissions to expand an August roster of 407 “steel derivative” items already facing additional levies. Companies both large and small have urged officials to add roughly 700 further products, intensifying concern among European manufacturers that a rolling list of steel‑containing goods will be captured.
European industry leaders, who had grudgingly adjusted to revamped trade frameworks with the Trump administration, warn the derivative measures could undercut those deals. The U.K.’s agreement set a 10% baseline tariff on all goods and 25% on steel, while the EU accepted bands of 25% and 50% respectively. Exporters argue the derivative approach risks double charging: a higher rate on the steel content layered atop the general tariff on the finished product.
Applications lodged ahead of the October deadline follow a precedent that alarms foreign suppliers. Trade specialists say requests to include items in the first tranche announced in August were approved at close to a 100% rate, prompting expectations that most of the latest proposals will be cleared and begin to bite in December or January.
Petitions filed to Commerce include submissions from Guardian Bikes of Indiana; Red Gold, a tomato canner sourcing from 43 farms across Indiana, Ohio and Michigan; manufacturers of truck steel wheels; a mattress spring producer; and makers of some 200 industrial machines used in sectors such as tunnelling, printing and flooring. Two US bakeware firms, American Pan and Chicago Metallic, have also sought coverage, alleging Chinese commercial cookware is flooding the market at unfairly low prices.
In an 11‑page plea to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Guardian Bikes argued that the domestic bicycle sector has been hollowed out, citing 11 million imports in 2024 and attributing severe competition to China. If bicycles were added to the steel derivatives schedule, a global duty would apply, potentially affecting UK brand Brompton and high‑end European makers including Pinarello and Bianchi.
Red Gold, in a 12‑page submission, said it faces 25% tariffs on tinplate steel imported from the U.K. and 50% on steel from other origins used in its can production, yet finished tin‑plated cans shipped directly to the US by foreign suppliers bear no comparable duty. The company urged the imposition of a derivative levy to level the playing field for domestic can makers.
The sharpened U.S. stance appears to validate European anxieties about an expansionist tariff policy. George Riddell, senior adviser at consultancy Flint Global, said Washington had taken a liberal approach to approvals with almost no rejections in the previous round, underscoring continuing uncertainty in trade relations with both the UK and the EU despite the headline agreements.
A decision on which products make the next list is expected in December, 60 days after the request deadline, leaving exporters with little time to reprice, reroute or hedge shipments before the new charges potentially take effect.