On March 19, 2018, the U.S. Department of Commerce began accepting exclusion requests from U.S. industry for the recently announced tariffs on steel and aluminum product imports. According to the notice published in the Federal Register, “individuals or organizations using steel or aluminum articles identified in presidential proclamations 9704 and 9705 and engaged in business activities in the United States may submit exclusion requests.” 

The forms for submitting steel and aluminum exclusion requests and additional information on the exclusion process are available online. Exclusion requests will be available for public review for 30 days, and an additional 60 days will be required to complete the review. 

The White House also issued a proclamation formalizing additional country exceptions from steel and aluminum tariffs. The proclamation suspends the 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum imports of products from identified countries until 12:01 eastern daylight time on May 1, 2018. The temporary suspension applies to imports of products from Canada, Mexico, Australia, Argentina, South Korea, Brazil and the member countries of the European Union.