The White House issued a proclamation this week, invoking Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to impose new tariffs on imports of timber, lumber and derivative products. The move follows an investigation by the Secretary of Commerce, who, according to White House officials, found that the current quantities and circumstances of imported wood products threaten to impair the national security of the United States. The administration points to what it sees as an overreliance on foreign wood, which officials suggest could jeopardize U.S. defense capabilities, economic stability and “industrial resilience.” New duties impose global tariffs across numerous product categories, including softwood timber and lumber, which will be subject to a 10% ad valorem duty.
“The Secretary found that present quantities and circumstances of wood product imports are weakening our economy, resulting in the persistent threats of closures of wood mills and disruptions of wood product supply chains, among other things, and diminishing the utilization of production capacity of our domestic wood industry,” a proclamation by the President says. “Because of the state of the United States wood industry, the United States may be unable to meet demands for wood products that are crucial to the national defense and critical infrastructure.”
According to the proclamation, the Secretary determined that wood products are used in critical military functions, including infrastructure for operational testing, housing and storage for personnel and materials, transportation of munitions, as an ingredient in munitions, and as a component in missile-defense systems and thermal-protection systems “for nuclear-reentry vehicles.”
According to the proclamation, the same report found that the U.S. possesses sufficient raw materials and industrial capacity to meet domestic wood products demand, but domestic wood production “remains underdeveloped.” The U.S. has been a net importer of lumber since 2016, “despite having the practical production capacity to supply 95% of the United States’ 2024 softwood consumption,” a White House fact sheet states. Foreign subsidies and unfair trade practices hurt the competitiveness of the domestic wood products industry, the report suggests. Newly established tariffs will “strengthen supply chains, bolster industrial resilience, create high-quality jobs, and increase domestic capacity utilization” for wood products, the administration says. The U.S. can fully meet domestic consumption demands, while also creating economic benefits through increased exports, officials suggest.
Earlier this year, officials for the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) cautioned Commerce against higher tariffs on softwood lumber, suggesting imports “will always play a role in the marketplace.” NLBMDA officials cite applications where domestically produced lumber are insufficient to serve as a full alternative.
Trading partners willing to negotiate may be able to secure alternatives to tariff increases, the administration says. The United Kingdom, the European Union and Japan “will enjoy more favorable treatment,” reflecting the terms of trade deals established with the U.S., the proclamation says. Wood imports from the United Kingdom will not exceed 10%. The combined Section 232 tariff and most-favored nation tariff for the European Union and Japan will not exceed 15%. With Canadian softwood lumber already facing a 35% tariff, from recently elevated antidumping and countervailing duties, the new tariff of 10% brings the total to 45%.
Officials for the U.S. Lumber Coalition welcomed the new Section 232 tariffs, calling the proclamation a “necessary additional trade law enforcement action.” Harmful trade practices—particularly of Canadian softwood lumber producers, combined with what they label unfair government subsidies—have been extremely harmful to U.S. producers, the coalition argues.
Zoltan van Heyningen, executive director of the U.S. Lumber Coalition, suggests that tariffs are intended to help right size the Canadian softwood lumber industry, allowing the U.S. industry to grow to its “natural size to fully supply the U.S. housing market with lumber made in the USA.”
Van Heyningen says that while imports from Canada declined following antidumping duties, the volume of imports from Europe and other sources increased, citing evidence of subsidy programs in countries like Germany and Sweden.
With Section 232 tariffs on wood products now in place, the administration is turning its attention to other sectors related to the door and window industry. In recent weeks, the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced an investigation into the effects of imports of robotics and industrial machinery on national security. The investigation could bring about tariffs or other import restrictions by early 2026, the global law firm White & Case warns.
Interested stakeholders may submit comments regarding tariffs or other import restrictions on robotics and industrial machinery through October 17, 2025, via a public docket that can be found at regulations.gov.