US President's Announcement of Tariffs
Published: 3 April 2025
Philip Law, Director General, British Plastics Federation
“The US President's announcement of 10% tariffs on UK goods exported the to US and 25% tariffs and foreign-made automobiles will have a detrimental impact on the UK plastics industry.
Plastics is a highly international industry with complex supply chains, with some products crossing borders several times before final assembly.
- The US is the UK’s second-largest export market for plastics (raw materials and products combined), worth a total of $1.2bn in 2024, and is also the UK’s largest export market for plastics and rubber equipment, worth a total of $75m.
- The US is the second-largest export market for the UK for vehicles (after the EU), accounting for 16.9% of all car exports. With over half of our members supplying into the automotive sector, these tariffs will be a heavy blow.”
UK/US Trade In Numbers
Table 1: Exports of Plastic and Rubber Machinery from the UK (2024)
Source: UN Commtrade Database, 8477 "Machinery for working rubber or plastics or for the manufacture of products from these materials"
Table 2: Exports of Plastic and Plastic Products from the UK (2024)
Source: UN Commtrade Database, Chapter 39 "Plastics and articles thereof" (2024)
Table 3: Export and Import of Plastic Raw Material from and to the UK. Ranked by overall trade - Exports + Imports. (2024)
Source: UN Commtrade Database, Chapter 3901-3914 (2024)
Table 4: All UK/US Trade for Plastics (Raw Material, Waste, Plastic Products and Plastics and Rubber Machinery) (2024)
Further Reading
- The CBI: Trump's tariffs: what has been announced?
- EU Tariffs on U.S. Polymers Threaten 50,000 European Plastics Companies, warns EuPC
- Statement on EU’s decision to potentially impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods in response to the recent increase in U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminium (PlasticsEurope)
- Tariff Information & Updates for UK Manufacturers (Make UK)
- US Executive Order
- Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Declares National Emergency to Increase our Competitive Edge, Protect our Sovereignty, and Strengthen our National and Economic Security (The Whitehouse)
- Annex-II - Exempt Products by HS Code
Table 5: Extract of Annex - II - Exempt Products by HS Codes (extract of codes under HS 39, Plastics and articles thereof) - full list HERE
Notes on Annex II (source)
(b) The following goods as set forth in Annex II to this order, consistent with law, shall not be subject to the ad valorem rates of duty under this order: (i) all articles that are encompassed by 50 U.S.C. 1702(b); (ii) all articles and derivatives of steel and aluminum subject to the duties imposed pursuant to section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and proclaimed in Proclamation 9704 of March 8, 2018 (Adjusting Imports of Aluminum Into the United States), as amended, Proclamation 9705 of March 8, 2018 (Adjusting Imports of Steel Into the United States), as amended, and Proclamation 9980 of January 24, 2020 (Adjusting Imports of Derivative Aluminum Articles and Derivative Steel Articles Into the United States), as amended, Proclamation 10895 of February 10, 2025 (Adjusting Imports of Aluminum Into the United States), and Proclamation 10896 of February 10, 2025 (Adjusting Imports of Steel into the United States); (iii) all automobiles and automotive parts subject to the additional duties imposed pursuant to section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended, and proclaimed in Proclamation 10908 of March 26, 2025 (Adjusting Imports of Automobiles and Automobile Parts Into the United States); (iv) other products enumerated in Annex II to this order, including copper, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, lumber articles, certain critical minerals, and energy and energy products; (v) all articles from a trading partner subject to the rates set forth in Column 2 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS); and (vi) all articles that may become subject to duties pursuant to future actions under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.
