US President Donald Trump increased tariffs this week on imports from 20 countries with duties of 25 to 40 per cent, making waves in Asia where most of the target countries are located. While those country-by-country outcomes have captured much of Trump’s trade spotlight, the US has also raised tariffs on a series of product sectors – in some cases, made anywhere in the world – affecting producers from China to Canada. Copper was the latest target this week. The US now levies tariffs on the following imports, or is studying whether to add them: Steel and aluminium Washington imposed 50 per cent tariff on imports of the two metals in early June, doubling an earlier rate. Steel and aluminium derivatives are also on the list. US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick had advised Trump that “steel articles are being imported into the United States in such quantities and under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security of the United States”, the White House said in a June 3 statement. Britain received an exemption from the 50 per cent rate on May 8, paying 25 per cent instead, as part of a preliminary trade deal between London and Washington. The 50 per cent rate could kick in if Britain and the US fail to reach a final deal by this week. Automobiles, auto parts The tariff is set at 25 per cent with a discount through April 2027 on parts for autos assembled in the US, all effective since April 3. Lutnick again found that automobiles and certain parts were being imported “in such quantities and under such circumstances” as to hamper national security. Duties came down to 10 per cent for Britain on the first 100,000 imported vehicles, per another clause in the May 8 bilateral trade deal. Canadian potash and energy Potash, which refers to certain minerals and salts for use in fertilisers, and energy such as oil and natural gas, are levied at 10 per cent, part of Trump’s global raft of “reciprocal” tariffs that were announced on April 2. The US targeted Canada as a bargaining chip for talks on stopping illegal drugs from crossing their shared border, according to the Canadian law firm Stikeman Elliott. During a cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday, according to video footage, Trump said he would place a 50 per cent tariff on imports of copper, a metal commonly used to make electrical wiring. He did not say when the tariff would take effect. The White House had said in a February statement that copper plays a “vital role” in defence, infrastructure, clean energy and advanced electronics but that the US faced “significant vulnerabilities in the copper supply chain” with reliance on foreign sources. Pharmaceuticals Also on Tuesday, Trump reportedly threatened that pharmaceutical imports would eventually face tariffs of up to 200 per cent. Video footage from the cabinet meeting quoted Trump saying those levies would not go into effect immediately, saying he would give manufacturers “about a year, year and a half” to prepare. He has said the duties would give drug companies an incentive to base their manufacturing in the US. Commercial aircraft, critical minerals, energy, heavy trucks, timber, semiconductors The US has not added tariffs on these items in 2025, but it is investigating whether to impose duties as a way to strengthen American industry. Separate investigations are exploring service fees linked to Chinese-made ships and ship-to-shore cranes. The US Federal Register said on June 12 that China had “largely achieved its dominance goals”, disadvantaging American companies and workers. Chinese shipbuilders have signed some 70 per cent of new vessel orders globally over the past two years, according to the China Institute of Marine Technology and Economy, part of the China State Shipbuilding Corp.