The Trump administration on Monday released details of tariffs on imported wood, furniture and kitchen cabinets announced by President Trump last week, delaying their implementation until Oct. 14.
The details in a White House proclamation offered a more nuanced and gradual bargaining agreement than the sudden and steep cuts the president predicted in a series of social media posts on Thursday. But they will still impose big new tariffs that could send homebuilders and some homeowners retrenching.
According to the proclamation, tariffs on lumber and lumber imports would be 10 percent. That number is lower than some expected, and companies that pay the 10 percent tariff are not subject to the “reciprocal” tariffs the president has placed on other countries' products, which in some cases are much higher.
The announcement said tariffs for other wood products such as furniture and kitchen cabinets would be higher and increase in the coming months. The tariff for upholstered furniture is 25 percent and increases to 30 percent on January 1st. A tariff of 25 percent on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities will also rise to 50 percent from January 1st.
The proclamation also established special rates for several countries. Tariffs on timber products from Britain are capped at 10 percent, while tariffs on timber products from both the European Union and Japan will not exceed 15 percent.
Mr. Trump's tariffs are based on a national security law that some critics have described as a stretch. The proclamation issued Monday said wood products “were used in critical War Department functions,” including construction infrastructure for personnel and for transporting ammunition.
Tariffs on furniture and kitchen cabinets appear to be of concern to American consumers as well as home buyers and home builders, a part of the economy that the Trump administration has talked about. Vietnam, China and Mexico are major suppliers of furniture and kitchen cabinets.
The relatively low tariff on lumber and lumber imports will spare Canada, which supplies nearly half of America's lumber, followed by China, Brazil and Mexico.