In the weeks since the Trump administration announced a 25% tariff on raw steel imports, it has exempted several countries from the duties. They include the European Union nations as well as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, South Korea and North American Free Trade Agreement partners Canada and Mexico. China has challenged the tariffs through the World Trade Organization. But the biggest impact for the U.S. construction industry will be in the cost of fabricated steel.

The American Institute of Steel Construction is still pushing to have fabricated steel from China and other nonexempt countries added to the products subject to tariffs. The resulting price increase for imports would help U.S. fabricators.

贸易集团董事会主席的AISC总统查尔斯·卡特（Charles Carter）和戴维·扎莱斯（David Zalesne）在致特朗普总统的信中敦促政府在关税所涵盖的产品中纳入制造的结构钢。他们说，如果不包括制造产品，国内价格上涨可能会损害美国的制造商。他们说，这也将在关税中留下一个巨大的漏洞，可以鼓励在其他国家没有履行职责的其他国家制造大型集会。

“通过停止在磨坊一级停止关税，市场仍然可以通过引入其他国家的制造材料来规避这些关税，”也是哥伦比亚州哥伦比亚总裁欧文·斯蒂尔（Owen Steel）的哥伦比亚总裁Zalesne说。

AISC believes the tariffs are disproportionately harming small U.S. fabricators who only buy U.S.-made steel, while fabricators that carry offshore products can absorb price increases more easily. Carter, Zalesne and other U.S.-based fabricators have met with officials in the U.S. Trade Representative’s office and the Commerce Dept., but they do not foresee any immediate change in policy. The Commerce Dept. did not respond to an ENR request for comment.

“美国贸易代表和商业部的办公室里有些人很好地了解了这些问题，但是……这比捏造的钢制关税更容易管理，并且需要花费更多时间来看看它在他们之前如何发挥作用做其他事情。”扎莱斯恩说。