MARIETTA, Ga. — The boost in tariffs on imported steel and aluminum from 25% to 50% has businesses in metro Atlanta warning of higher prices for their products.
Metal Supermarkets, with three locations in the area, sent an email to customers that aluminum “could increase by at least $0.25 a pound, to as much as $0.50 a pound over the course of the next 30 days, depending on the product.”
The U.S. imports roughly 25% of its steel and more than half of its aluminum, with Canada the largest supplier of both commodities by far.
Imported steel and aluminum are used in a range of products from soup cans to refrigerators and cars.
The Trump administration said the tariffs will protect U.S. industries and strengthen domestic production.
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Michael Frank owns the Metal Supermarkets location in Marietta. He said he doesn’t buy metals directly from Canada or any other foreign country but expects customers to pay a little more because of the tariffs, at least in the short run.
“Suppliers are gonna raise prices based on the totality of their business and the market, so if the market prices are higher in general, they’re gonna raise their prices,” Frank said.
Yogi Patel, who owns a car repair and tire shop in Marietta, is one of his customers. He said this new round of tariffs has jacked up the cost of tires by 7% on June 1.
“If it costs us in turn, we have to give it to our customers, right? Pass it on to our customers,” he said. “Some people may cancel their orders.”
Ray Hill, a retired professor of economics and finance at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, said automakers and construction companies are likely to take the biggest hit from these higher tariffs, resulting in higher costs for cars and building projects.
“I mean, it ripples through almost every aspect of anything that gets manufactured downstream,” he said. “There’s some metal component to it. It may not be a great component, but there’s some component to it.”
Bill Anderson, president and chief executive officer of the Georgia Associated Builders and Contractors, said the 50% hike in steel and aluminum tariffs should not hurt the heavy demand for construction in metro Atlanta, saying inflation and interest rates have packed more of a punch.
He said contractors want more robust production of steel and aluminum in the U.S., despite the short-term jump in prices.
“They really, they fully support the ultimate principles behind the tariffs, what it will help accomplish in the country in the long term,” Anderson said.
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