The U.S. Section 232 tariffs are extra duties imposed on certain imports that contain steel or aluminum to protect domestic industries. By default, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) assumes that any product classified under certain HTSUS (Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States) codes is 100% metal—unless the importer specifies otherwise.
What’s New in Shopify
Previously, Shopify’s duties and import tax calculations also assumed 100% metal content for any products falling under Section 232 tariff codes.
Now, you can customize the percentage of your product’s value that is subject to these tariffs. For example, if your product is only 30% metal, you can set it accordingly.
How to Set It Up
- Go to your Shopify Admin
→ Settings > Duties and Import Taxes - Find the U.S. Section 232 setting
→ Look for “United States Section 232 percentage” - Enter your product’s metal content percentage
Example: If your product is 25% steel and 0% aluminum, you’d enter 25%. - Save changes
Important for Shipping & Customs
To make sure CBP also applies the reduced tariff rate in reality:
- Update your commercial invoices to show the correct metal composition percentage of your products.
- This ensures customs doesn’t apply the default 100% tariff rate when your shipment arrives.
Learn More
You can find Shopify’s official guidance on this feature and general duties/import tax setup in the Shopify Help Center, under “Collecting duties and import taxes at checkout.”
Source: Shopify
