Tarriffs on Imported Aluminum vs Domestic Aluminum

U.S. tariffs on imported aluminum are triggering a rift in the metal’s domestic supply chain. Aluminum customers are getting exclusions from the levies on billions of pounds of imported metal, the WSJ’s Bob Tita reports, prompting protests from operators of U.S. mills who say the actions undermine the domestic market that the duties were supposed to revive. The exclusions granted by the Commerce Department have grown this year as manufacturers of aluminum cans and other packaging have claimed they can’t get products like particular types of rolled sheet metal that they need from domestic suppliers. Aluminum producers say imports are growing, however, and helping drive down their pricing and margins. Both sides are being buffeted by changing consumer tastes, which have prompted new products and packaging, a commercial trend that appears to be outpacing the Commerce Department’s attempt to intercede in aluminum markets.