CBP has released its Aug. 13 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 59, No. 33), which includes the following ruling actions:
Some companies and associations in the solar industry endorsed additional tariffs on Chinese polysilicon, but others expressed concern that allied countries will be hit with overlapping Section 232 tariffs on both imports of polysilicon and solar cells, in public comments to the Bureau of Industry and Security.
The Commerce Department will add 407 Harmonized Tariff Schedule codes to the lists of steel and aluminum derivatives subject to Section 232 tariffs, the agency said in a notice released late Aug. 15. Tariffs on the new additions take effect at 12:01 a.m. ET on Aug. 18, 2025.
Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum derivatives, currently set at 50%, will cover 407 additional Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheadings beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 18, the Commerce Department said in a notice released late on Aug. 15. The notice includes no exception for goods in transit as of the effective date.
The International Trade Commission instituted an investigation on Aug. 12 that will lead to recommendations to modify the Harmonized Tariff Schedule in line with those recommended by the World Customs Organization for the global Harmonized System.
The USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service has set a $350 fee to be charged for each license issued authorizing imports of certain dairy articles according to the 2026 tariff rate quota year, it said in a Federal Register notice. The fee amount, effective Aug. 15, covers calendar year 2026; licenses are issued on a calendar year basis.
De Minimis Phase-Out Potentially Will Divert Resources, Create More Work for Customs, Port Exec Says
The end of de minimis at the end of August (see 2507300046) could not only result in longer transit times, it also could mean the diversion of resources to customs work, the executive director of the Port of Los Angeles said during the port's monthly media briefing on Aug. 13.
The Coalition for Prosperous America is proposing that a Section 232 investigation on polysilicon result in a tariff-rate quota that is limited to "in-quota trusted suppliers" such as South Korea or Germany, and that excludes Chinese products. A "$0.10 per watt tariff" should apply to over-quota imports of solar cells, with a quota volume "tied to U.S. production capacity" and overseen by the Department of Energy, it said in public comments.
Asking other countries to open their markets to more exports from the U.S. is causing significant changes to how countries have historically conducted trade, according to speakers on Gibson Dunn's Aug. 8 webinar "U.S. Trade Policy: Navigating Uncharted Waters."
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged the Group of Seven nations to follow the U.S. in imposing secondary tariffs on countries that continue to buy Russian oil, including possibly China.