It is a critical time for the fenestration industry as trade negotiations continue between the U.S. and Canada. The tariffs imposed by both the American Government and the Canadian Government have increased the cost of building supplies, and Canadian industries are feeling the effects. In a recent letter to Chrystia Freeland, Canadian Minister of Foreign […]

With tariffs and trade-war talk in the headlines — and doors and windows among the items facing sanctions — a 2017 report from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA) shows the importance of U.S.-manufactured fenestration products to global markets. The ITA report, “Sector Snapshot: U.S. Window and Door Exports,” says U.S. exporters […]

The beginning of July saw the Canadian government implement new tariffs on U.S.-produced steel, aluminum and other U.S. products. They’re a direct response to the tariffs the U.S. imposed on Canadian imports here earlier in the year. We saw this coming. The new tariffs were made effective as of July 1, and include “doors, windows […]

In physics, we know that for every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction. Now, we’re seeing that Newton’s third law is true in trade, too. The trade conflict between the U.S. and China is heating up daily with each side making new threats – and it’s difficult to tell where we’ll net out, […]

Last week, the White House announced tariffs of 25 percent on more than 800 strategically important imports from China worth about $50 billion. However, lobbying efforts from the Window and Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA) led to the removal of several products used in the production of  doors, windows and skylights. WDMA says it submitted comments […]

Canada, Mexico and the European Union (EU) will be exempt from U.S.-imposed steel and aluminum tariffs for another 30 days. The White House announced on Monday that steel and aluminum imports from these countries will not yet be taxed at 25 percent and 10 percent, respectively. “In all of these negotiations, the administration is focused […]

The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) is calling on Washington, D.C., to exclude from tariffs all countries from which the domestic extrusion industry can import primary aluminum until the administration can guarantee a sufficient domestic supply. The AEC cites a disruption to the primary aluminum supply chain due to the 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum […]

China has requested consultations, or formally initiated a dispute, with the U.S. under the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) dispute settlement mechanism over U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from all countries except Canada, Mexico, the European Union, Australia, Argentina, South Korea and Brazil. The tariff took effect March 23, 2018. The request was made […]

The tariff conflict between China and the U.S. have escalated in the past 36 hours, with the U.S. declaring that it intends to hit 1,300 more Chinese products with 25 percent tariffs. Soon after, China retaliated, announcing plans to impose 25-percent tariffs on 106 U.S. exports, worth $50 billion annually. The U.S.-proposed tariffs on Chinese […]

A lengthy list of U.S. business associations and groups, including several related to the door and window industry, have sent notice to the current administration opposing the imposition of tariffs. These tariffs could potentially harm the U.S. economy and its global competitiveness, according to the letter. “The imposition of sweeping tariffs would trigger a chain […]