The U.S. Department of Commerce has issued its determinations to expand the Section 232 derivative steel tariffs to include U.S. imports of container chassis. Commerce’s determination comes in response to the U.S. Chassis Manufacturers Coalition’s, comprised of domestic producers Stoughton Trailers LLC and Cheetah Chassis Corporation, May 15, 2025 request to impose Section 232 tariffs on increasing U.S. imports of container chassis. As the Coalition discussed in its steel derivatives inclusion request, rising imports of foreign made container chassis incorporating foreign made steel articles have undermined the Section 232 measures on steel and threaten the vitality of the U.S. container chassis industry, an essential industry for robust domestic supply chains. Although container chassis are essential to U.S. supply chains, U.S. production of this critical piece of transportation equipment has been injured by unfairly traded imports – first from China, and more recently also from Mexico, Thailand, and Vietnam.
“The Coalition welcomes the Administration’s action to address the unfair trade practices impacting the U.S. chassis industry,” said Robert E. DeFrancesco, partner in Wiley’s International Trade Practice and counsel to the Coalition. “Commerce’s decision to impose Section 232 derivative tariffs on these imports is an important step toward restoring fair competition and protecting domestic manufacturing.”
Per the Commerce Department’s Federal Register notice, which was scheduled to be published on August 19, 2025, U.S. imports of chassis and chassis subassemblies under HTS 8716.39.00 will be subject to 50 percent Section 232 tariffs on derivative steel products.
Published August 2025
