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Daily Tariff News and Trade Intelligence for August 14, 2026.
Quick Answer: What Changed in Tariffs on August 13 and 14, 2026?
Fifteen tariff and trade developments landed across August 13 and 14, 2026. Three of them reshape how goods move into the country. Five more set new antidumping and countervailing duty rates.
Three terms carry this entire briefing.
CIT is the Court of International Trade, the specialized federal court that hears customs and trade disputes. It is the court that ruled on de minimis below.
Antidumping duty (AD) applies when a foreign company sells goods below fair market value.
Countervailing duty (CVD) applies when a foreign government subsidizes the goods. You will see AD/CVD used as shorthand for both throughout this article. Neither one is the same thing as a Section 301 or Section 232 policy tariff.
The headline developments:
- Drones: a new Section 232 tariff of 100% on larger and thermal-imaging drones, 25% on smaller covered drones, effective September 3, 2026.
- De minimis: the CIT upheld the President's authority under IEEPA (the International Emergency Economic Powers Act) to end duty-free treatment for low-value shipments from China, Mexico, and Canada.
- Quartz countertops: the Section 203 safeguard tariff-rate quota (TRQ) on quartz surface products takes effect August 15, 2026, the nearest deadline in this briefing.
Five new AD determinations, effective August 13 and 14:
- China passenger and light-truck tires: company rates up to 78.33%, 76.46% China-wide fallback.
- Korea large power transformers: split between 0.00% and 4.32% depending on exporter.
- Carbazole violet pigment 23 (China and India): AD and CVD orders revoked entirely.
- Indonesia wind towers: PT. Kenertec Power System finalized at 0.00%.
- Vietnam frozen fish fillets: exporter-specific per-kilogram rates, Vietnam-wide rate unchanged at $2.39/kg.
Also moving:
- The USITC found a Section 337 patent violation involving PVDF resins and opened a public-interest review, a real step toward a possible import exclusion order. No exclusion order is in effect yet.
- Canada's Section 338 tariffs remain the confirmed August 19 baseline even as negotiators signal progress.
- Three more antidumping proceedings, Greece, India, and Korea, moved forward on preliminary rates that are not yet operative.
This page is the detail. Every story below carries the tracker tab it belongs in and the fields to fill, so you know exactly what to log by hand versus what your Career Chronicles tools already automate.
Key Takeaways
- A new Section 232 tariff on drones and drone components takes effect September 3, 2026.
- 100% on larger, thermal-imaging, or docking-station drones
- 25% on smaller covered drones
- A further 25% on additional components, delayed to February 9, 2027
- CIT upheld ending duty-free treatment for low-value shipments from China, Mexico, and Canada, ruling August 13, 2026 that IEEPA authorizes the President to withdraw the de minimis exemption.
- The quartz surface products safeguard takes effect August 15, 2026, the nearest deadline on the board.
- Five new AD/CVD determinations published August 13 and 14, 2026.
- China tires: rates up to 78.33%
- Korea transformers: 0.00% to 4.32%
- Carbazole violet pigment 23: revoked entirely
- Indonesia wind towers: 0.00%
- Vietnam frozen fish fillets: per-kilogram rates
- The USITC found a Section 337 violation in the PVDF resin case and opened a public-interest review, moving the proceeding closer to a possible import-exclusion order. No exclusion order is in effect yet.
- Canada's Section 338 tariffs remain the confirmed August 19 baseline, even as both governments reportedly want a deal before the deadline.
- Three more antidumping proceedings moved on preliminary rates only. None of these change current duty exposure yet.
- Greece welded pipe: 0.00% preliminary
- India organic soybean meal: 26.60% preliminary
- Korea steel wire rod, POSCO: 0.00% preliminary
- The forced-labor Section 301 tariff and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) are two separate legal tests. Paying the Section 301 duty does not make a shipment UFLPA-compliant, and this briefing keeps both trackers distinct.
Deadlines on the Board
| Date | What | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2026, 12:01 a.m. EDT | Quartz Surface Products safeguard TRQ effective | 1 day |
| Aug 19, 2026, 12:01 a.m. EDT | Canada Section 338 tariffs effective, 50% on dairy, motor vehicles, alcohol | 5 days |
| Aug 27, 2026 | Comment deadline, BIS (Bureau of Industry and Security) proposal to add 14 derivative categories to Section 232 metals tariffs (docket BIS-2026-0331) | Open |
| Aug 31, 2026 | House returns from recess, may take up Russia/Iran sanctions bill | Expected |
| Sep 3, 2026, 12:01 a.m. EDT | Section 232 drone/UAS tariffs effective, 100% or 25% by category | Confirmed |
| Sep 22 to 23, 2026 | Germany pharmaceutical Section 301 hearing, USITC, Washington DC | Scheduled |
| Sep 29, 2026 | Section 232 pharmaceutical tariff effective for non-Annex III companies | Confirmed |
| Oct 1, 2026 | FY2027 sugar tariff-rate quota year begins | Confirmed |
| Nov 10, 2026 | 178 China Section 301 exclusions expire unless extended | Confirmed |
| Dec 4, 2026, 12:01 a.m. EDT | Section 232 polysilicon minimum-import-price and derivative tariff effective | Confirmed |
| ~120 days from Aug 13, 2026 | Commerce due to deliver a UAS import-policy monitoring update | Confirmed |
| Feb 9, 2027 | Delayed 25% Section 232 tariff on additional listed UAS components effective | Confirmed |
| Effective Aug 13, 2026 | CIT upholds de minimis suspension for China, Mexico, Canada; Indonesia wind tower AD (0.00%); Vietnam frozen fish fillet AD rates final | In effect |
| Effective Aug 14, 2026 | China tire AD rates (up to 78.33%), Korea transformer AD rates (0.00% to 4.32%), carbazole violet pigment 23 AD/CVD orders revoked | In effect |
| Ongoing | IEEPA universal-refund federal appeal; forced-labor Section 301 litigation; structural excess-capacity investigations (16 economies); Vietnam IP Section 301 investigation | Active litigation / investigation |
How to read the status tags below. Confirmed means the rate or deadline is already in effect or already scheduled by statute or proclamation, and it belongs in your working cost model. Active investigation means nothing is final, and it belongs on a watchlist, not in your model. The procurement action is different for each, which is why it is flagged every time.
Before the Stories: The Vocabulary This Briefing Uses
Three abbreviations carry this briefing, and getting them backwards costs money. Here is what each one actually means, in plain terms, before you hit the stories that depend on them.
CIT, the Court of International Trade, is the specialized federal court, based in New York, that hears customs and trade disputes, including challenges to tariff proclamations. It is not the Supreme Court and not a regulatory agency; it is where importers and the government litigate whether a tariff action was legally authorized. The CIT is the court behind the August 13, 2026 de minimis ruling below, and it is the same court currently hearing the IEEPA refund litigation described later in this article.
Antidumping duty (AD) applies when a foreign company sells goods in the US below the price it charges in its home market or below its cost of production, what trade law calls "fair market value." Commerce calculates the gap and charges it as an extra duty, company by company or country-wide when a company will not cooperate with the investigation.
Countervailing duty (CVD) applies when a foreign government subsidizes an exporter, through cash grants, cheap loans, tax breaks, or discounted inputs, giving that exporter an unfair price advantage. Commerce calculates the value of the subsidy and charges it as a separate extra duty. A single product can carry both an AD rate and a CVD rate at the same time, from the same country, for two different reasons.
Neither AD nor CVD is a Section 301 or Section 232 policy tariff. Those are set by presidential or agency action tied to trade investigations and usually sit in a single lookup tool. AD and CVD rates are set by Commerce and the USITC through a formal, company-specific injury and dumping or subsidy investigation, and they carry their own case numbers, their own effective dates, and their own separate tracker.
The Stories, and Where Each One Gets Logged
The Headline Developments
1. New Section 232 Tariff on Drones: 100% or 25%, Effective September 3
Confirmed, signed August 13, effective September 3, 2026What happened
President Trump signed a Section 232 proclamation August 13, 2026 establishing a new tariff regime for unmanned aircraft systems and their components, after Commerce determined that US reliance on foreign UAS and UAS components threatens national security. Covered UAS over 25 kilograms, UAS with thermal imagers, docking stations, and specified critical components listed in Annex I face a 100% ad valorem duty, stacking on top of other applicable duties unless the proclamation says otherwise. Covered UAS of 25 kilograms or less listed in Annex II face 25%. A further 25% tariff on additional Annex III components is delayed to February 9, 2027, giving manufacturers roughly 180 days to shift sourcing. Qualifying products from the EU, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein are capped at 15% total tariff treatment; qualifying UK products are capped at 10%, but only where substantially all critical components and technology are certified as US or qualifying-partner origin. An onshoring program lets companies building US production import covered products duty-free in volumes tied to their construction timeline, as long as construction starts before January 20, 2029.
Procurement action
Identify every imported drone and UAS system by model, maximum takeoff weight, thermal-imaging capability, docking-station use, HTS classification, supplier, and country of origin, immediately. Flag every shipment expected to enter on or after September 3 and require suppliers to document component sourcing before you approve any tariff pass-through. Do not assume a 10% or 15% rate just because a drone is assembled in an allied country; request bill-of-material and technology-origin documentation for motors, controllers, batteries, and imaging systems before applying a reduced rate.
| Action | Classify all imported UAS and UAS components by weight, thermal-imaging capability, and Annex tier; confirm supplier origin certification |
| Priority | High |
| Due Date | 2026-08-25 |
| Status | Not Started |
| Notes | 100% (Annex I) or 25% (Annex II) effective 9/3/26; Annex III components 25% effective 2/9/27; EU/Japan/Korea/Taiwan/Switzerland/Liechtenstein capped 15%, UK capped 10%, both subject to certification |
Twenty days to classify a whole product category before the September 3 effective date needs an owner and a due date, not a bookmark. Get Tariff Playbook Suite
2. CIT Upholds Removal of Duty-Free Treatment for Low-Value China, Mexico, and Canada Shipments
Confirmed court ruling, August 13, 2026What happened
The Court of International Trade ruled August 13, 2026 that the President had authority under IEEPA to rescind the de minimis exemption for low-value imports, generally shipments valued under $800, from China, Mexico, and Canada. The court distinguished withdrawing an existing trade privilege from using IEEPA to create a new tariff, the theory the Supreme Court rejected in February 2026. The ruling is operationally significant for e-commerce, spare parts, samples, and any direct-to-consumer distribution model built around sub-$800 shipments. Congress separately eliminated the exemption by statute, effective July 2027, but this ruling keeps the earlier presidential removal in force in the meantime.
Procurement action
Review any procurement or fulfillment process that assumes sub-$800 shipments from China, Mexico, or Canada still receive de minimis treatment. Update parcel-cost models now, and challenge any sourcing or shipment-splitting strategy that was built primarily around staying under the old duty-free threshold.
| Event | CIT upholds de minimis suspension for China, Mexico, Canada (IEEPA authority confirmed) |
| Why It Matters | Removes the near-term legal path back to duty-free de minimis treatment; small-parcel and direct-to-consumer importers should not plan around reinstatement |
| Procurement Question | Are we still pricing or sourcing on an assumption that de minimis treatment returns this year? |
| Date Added | 2026-08-13 |
Open your free 90-Day Tariff Risk Calendar and log this before your next low-value parcel ships. Get the free 90-Day Tariff Risk Calendar
3. Quartz Surface Products Safeguard Takes Effect August 15, Tomorrow
Confirmed, effective August 15, 2026, 12:01 a.m. EDTWhat happened
The Section 203 safeguard tariff-rate quota on quartz surface products becomes effective August 15, 2026, opening a four-year safeguard regime under the Trade Act of 1974 after the ITC determined that increased imports were a substantial cause of serious injury to the US industry. Covered HTS lines are 6810.99.0020, 6810.99.0040, and 7020.00.6000. Canada, Mexico, and specified FTA and developing-country suppliers are excluded, subject to the proclamation's conditions.
Procurement action
Treat this as the highest-priority item on the board. Review every shipment entering August 15 forward for HTS classification, actual product composition, legal origin, quota treatment, exclusion eligibility, FTZ status, and any applicable AD/CVD exposure layered on top.
| Action | Confirm quartz surface product imports mapped for in-quota/over-quota status and country exclusions before Aug 15 |
| Priority | High |
| Due Date | 2026-08-14 |
| Status | Open, same-day action required |
| Notes | TRQ effective 8/15; HTS 6810.99.0020 / 6810.99.0040 / 7020.00.6000; Canada/Mexico/specified FTA partners excluded subject to conditions |
Turns a same-day deadline into an owned, dated action instead of a note in an inbox. Get Tariff Playbook Suite
4. Canada Section 338 Tariffs Remain the August 19 Baseline, While Negotiations Improve
Confirmed baseline; active negotiation, no legal relief yetWhat happened
A Canadian government source told Reuters on August 13, 2026 that negotiations were progressing well and that Washington also wants an agreement before the August 19 deadline. Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc met USTR Jamieson Greer for the second time in the days leading up to August 13, and Canada's chief negotiator continues daily engagement with US counterparts. That is a real improvement from the prior day's reporting that Canada was unhappy with the latest US offer. It is not a suspension. The additional 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion of specified Canadian imports, including dairy, motor vehicles, and alcoholic beverages, remain scheduled for August 19, 2026 at 12:01 a.m. Eastern, and covered products can remain subject even where they otherwise qualify under USMCA.
Procurement action
Maintain the Section 338 tariff in your base case through August 19. Build a ready-to-activate relief scenario so your landed-cost model and supplier instructions can change quickly if a formal deal is announced, but do not pause SKU mapping, inventory protection, or broker readiness on headline momentum alone.
| Event | Section 338 Canada tariffs, effective August 19, negotiations advancing |
| Why It Matters | 50% on motor vehicles, alcoholic beverages, dairy; USMCA origin does not exempt covered goods |
| Procurement Question | Is our negotiated-relief scenario ready to activate the moment something is formally announced? |
| Date Added | 2026-08-13 |
Watch this row, not the headlines, for the moment it actually needs to change your plan. Get the free 90-Day Tariff Risk Calendar
Five New Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Determinations, August 13 to 14, 2026
5. China Passenger-Tire Antidumping Rates Finalized as High as 78.33%
Confirmed, effective August 14, 2026What happened
Commerce finalized new antidumping margins on certain passenger-vehicle and light-truck tires from China: Qingdao Transamerica Tire Industrial at 59.15%, Shandong Haohua Tire at 78.33%, and Triangle Tyre at 59.77%. Exporters without separate-rate eligibility remain subject to the 76.46% China-wide rate. These final rates now govern prospective cash deposits for the named exporters and assessment of reviewed entries. Commerce intends to issue CBP assessment instructions no earlier than 35 days after publication.
Procurement action
Screen every China-origin tire supplier against these three named exporters before applying a rate. A supplier matching Shandong Haohua Tire sits at 78.33%, not the 76.46% fallback; confirm which bucket each shipment actually falls into rather than defaulting every entry to the China-wide rate.
| Program Type | AD |
| Country | China |
| Rate | Qingdao Transamerica 59.15%; Shandong Haohua 78.33%; Triangle Tyre 59.77%; 76.46% China-wide fallback |
| Effective | 2026-08-14 |
| Notes | CBP assessment instructions expected no earlier than 35 days after publication |
Three named exporters, three different rates, one fallback. One row per entry keeps that straight through liquidation. Get Tariff Refund Suite
6. Korea Large Power Transformer Rates Split Between 0.00% and 4.32%
Confirmed, effective August 14, 2026What happened
Commerce finalized its antidumping review of large power transformers from South Korea. HD Hyundai Electric and Iljin Electric receive 0.00% margins. LS Electric and Hyosung Heavy Industries receive 4.32%. The existing 22.00% all-others rate continues for exporters without another applicable rate. CBP assessment instructions are expected no earlier than 35 days after publication.
Procurement action
Identify which of the four named exporters supplies your transformers. Two of them just went to zero-duty liquidation treatment; the other two sit at 4.32%. That is a real cost difference on a high-value capital good, worth a supplier conversation either way.
| Program | Large Power Transformers AD, South Korea |
| Rate | HD Hyundai Electric, Iljin Electric: 0.00%; LS Electric, Hyosung Heavy Industries: 4.32%; all-others 22.00% |
| Effective | 2026-08-14 |
| Status | Final; Hyundai/Iljin reviewed entries eligible for zero-duty liquidation |
See the dollar difference between a 0.00% supplier and a 4.32% supplier against your real purchase volume. Get Tariff Impact Automation Suite
7. Carbazole Violet Pigment 23 AD/CVD Orders Revoked, China and India
Confirmed revocation, effective August 7, 2026; USITC notice published August 14What happened
The USITC terminated its five-year sunset reviews after Commerce revoked the countervailing-duty order on carbazole violet pigment 23 from India and the antidumping orders on the same product from China and India, because no domestic interested party filed a timely notice of intent to participate in the sunset proceedings. This is the plainest possible illustration of the countervailing-duty definition above: the order existed because a foreign government subsidy was found and challenged, and it disappeared the moment nobody in the domestic industry showed up to defend it.
Procurement action
Remove these AD/CVD costs from landed-cost models for carbazole violet pigment 23 sourced from China or India immediately. Preserve entry-date records for any shipments that paid the now-revoked duty before the August 7 effective date, since those may carry a live liquidation or refund question.
| Country | China (AD), India (AD and CVD) |
| Product Category | Carbazole Violet Pigment 23 |
| Tariff Rate | 0%, orders revoked |
| Effective | 2026-08-07 (revocation); 2026-08-14 (USITC termination notice published) |
| Notes | Revoked because no domestic interested party filed timely notice of intent to participate |
Model the landed-cost swing from a revoked order against your actual purchase volume instead of guessing at the savings. Get Tariff Scenario Strategy Kit
8. Indonesia Wind Tower Antidumping Rate Finalized at 0.00%
Confirmed, effective August 13, 2026What happened
Commerce finalized a 0.00% antidumping margin for PT. Kenertec Power System on utility-scale wind towers from Indonesia. CBP will liquidate the reviewed Kenertec entries without antidumping duties, and Kenertec's prospective cash-deposit rate is now zero. The 8.53% all-others rate remains in place for other producers and exporters without another applicable rate.
Procurement action
Confirm whether Kenertec is your named supplier. If so, flag reviewed entries for duty-free liquidation and check whether any deposits paid at a higher preliminary rate create a refund opportunity. If your supplier is not Kenertec, the 8.53% all-others rate still applies.
| Program Type | AD |
| Country | Indonesia |
| Rate | PT. Kenertec Power System: 0.00%; all-others 8.53% |
| Effective | 2026-08-13 |
| Notes | Reviewed Kenertec entries flagged for duty-free liquidation and possible refund on prior deposits |
A named exporter dropping to zero is exactly the kind of entry that gets missed without a dedicated refund row. Get Tariff Refund Suite
9. Vietnam Frozen Fish Fillet Antidumping Rates Finalized, Priced Per Kilogram
Confirmed, effective August 13, 2026What happened
Commerce finalized new exporter-specific antidumping rates for certain frozen fish fillets from Vietnam: Bien Dong Seafood at $1.00 per kilogram, NTSF Seafoods at $0.38 per kilogram, and Can Tho Import Export Seafood and Nam Viet Corporation at $0.84 per kilogram. The Vietnam-wide rate remains $2.39 per kilogram for exporters without separate-rate status. Unlike the percentage-based rates elsewhere in this briefing, these are specific duties, a fixed dollar amount per kilogram regardless of the invoice price.
Procurement action
Confirm exporter identity before applying a rate; the difference between $0.38 and $2.39 per kilogram is real money on volume seafood shipments. Because these are per-kilogram, not ad valorem, remember they do not scale down if your negotiated price drops; model landed cost on weight, not invoice value, for this product line.
| Program | Frozen Fish Fillets AD, Vietnam |
| Rate | Bien Dong Seafood $1.00/kg; NTSF Seafoods $0.38/kg; Can Tho/Nam Viet $0.84/kg; Vietnam-wide $2.39/kg |
| Effective | 2026-08-13 |
| Notes | Specific (per-kilogram) duty, not ad valorem; does not scale with invoice price |
Model a per-kilogram duty against real shipment weight instead of a percentage that quietly assumes ad valorem. Get Tariff Impact Automation Suite
Import-Exclusion Risk
10. USITC Finds a Section 337 Violation in the PVDF Resin Case
Active proceeding; no exclusion order in effectWhat happened
An administrative law judge issued an initial determination finding a Section 337 violation involving certain polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) resins, and the USITC has now opened the public-interest phase. Section 337 is a patent and unfair-competition proceeding at the USITC, not a duty rate; the remedy it can produce is an exclusion order that blocks the covered product from entering the country at all. That moves this case materially closer to a possible exclusion order, though no exclusion order is currently in effect, and further Commission review is required before one could become operative.
Procurement action
If PVDF resins sit anywhere in your supply chain, treat this differently than a tariff story: the risk here is a total import block on the covered product, not a cost increase. Identify affected suppliers and begin qualifying an alternate source now, before the Commission's public-interest review concludes.
| Program | Section 337, PVDF Resins |
| Status | Initial violation determination issued Aug 7, 2026; public-interest phase opened, notice published Aug 14, 2026 |
| Risk Type | Potential import-exclusion order, not a duty rate |
| Notes | No exclusion order currently in effect; full Commission review still required |
An import-exclusion risk sits outside a duty-rate tracker entirely; this is the multi-program compliance tool built to hold it. Get Strategic Command Suite
Ongoing Programs Worth Re-Confirming Today
11. Forced-Labor Section 301 Tariffs Remain the 60-Economy Baseline, and It Is Not the Same Thing as UFLPA
Confirmed and effective since July 24, 2026What happened
The forced-labor Section 301 action remains active across 60 investigated economies. USTR's final action sets 10% rates for 17 named economies, including Canada, India, Mexico, and the UK, with separate 12.5% and MFN-net structures for other economies and product exemptions, covering roughly 99.4% of US import value before exclusions. This is a good place to keep a distinction straight that trips up a lot of procurement teams: the Section 301 forced-labor tariff is a duty, calculated and paid like any other tariff. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) is a separate 2021 law that presumes goods from the Xinjiang region of China, or from blacklisted entities, were made with forced labor and bars them from entry entirely unless you prove otherwise with clear and convincing evidence. Paying the Section 301 forced-labor duty does not make a shipment UFLPA-compliant. They are two separate legal tests, reviewed by two different teams, and a shipment can fail one while passing the other.
Procurement action
Keep the forced-labor Section 301 program separate from any UFLPA screening in your own records. Maintain HTS-level fields for origin, MFN duty, Section 301 tier, and product exemption for the Section 301 side, and maintain a separate, current UFLPA entity-list screening for direct and tier-two suppliers with any Xinjiang exposure.
| Program Type | Section 301, forced labor (60 economies) |
| Rate | 10% (17 named economies); 12.5% or MFN-net for remaining investigated economies |
| Effective | 2026-07-24 |
| Notes | Not the same control as UFLPA; keep entity-list screening on a separate tracker |
The Section 301 overlay auto-applies the correct tier by country of origin, so the duty side of this distinction stays current on its own. Get Tariff Auto-Fill Tool
12. BIS Metals Derivative Expansion Stays Open for Comment Through August 27
Active proposal, comment period openWhat happened
BIS stands for the Bureau of Industry and Security, the agency inside the Commerce Department that administers and enforces Section 232 national-security tariff investigations, among other trade-control functions. BIS published a Federal Register notice August 6, 2026 proposing to add 14 derivative product categories to the existing Section 232 aluminum, steel, and copper tariffs: aluminum powder, brass wind instruments and parts, welding machine parts, floor safes, electric conductor cable, fire extinguishers, heat exchanger parts, hydraulic engine and motor parts, mobile lifting frames and cranes, trailers and semi-trailers, agricultural trailers, and filled steel gas containers. Most proposed rates sit at 25%, mobile lifting equipment and agricultural trailers phase in lower through 2027, and filled gas containers sit at 50%. Comments are due August 27, 2026 under docket BIS-2026-0331; no hearing date has been announced. This remains a proposal, not a final rule.
Procurement action
Determine now whether any SKU falls inside the 14 proposed categories, particularly if you buy cranes, trailers, welding equipment, or filled gas cylinders. Decide whether to file a comment before August 27, and start the supplier conversation now rather than waiting for a final rule that would likely land in the fourth quarter.
| Program | Section 232 Metals Derivative Expansion (14 categories), docket BIS-2026-0331 |
| Comment Due | 2026-08-27 |
| Hearing Date | None scheduled |
| Status | Proposed rule, comment period open |
| Notes | Most categories at 25%; mobile lifting equipment and ag trailers phase in lower through 2027; filled gas containers at 50% |
The August 27 comment deadline is already the kind of date this free tracker exists to hold. Get the free 90-Day Tariff Risk Calendar
13. China Section 301 Exclusions Have Less Than Three Months Left
Active exclusions, scheduled expiration November 10What happened
USTR's 178 exclusions from the China technology-transfer Section 301 tariffs expire November 10, 2026, unless another extension is announced. As of August 14, 2026, the exclusions remain in force, but November 10 is close enough on the calendar that sourcing decisions need to account for the possibility that covered goods entering after that date bear the full underlying Section 301 tariff again.
Procurement action
Build a SKU-level expiration report now. For every product using an active exclusion, calculate the post-exclusion tariff, the annual duty exposure if it lapses, current inventory runway, alternate-country lead time, and the last practical date for any legitimate inventory acceleration.
| Program | China Section 301, 178 active exclusions |
| Expiration | 2026-11-10, unless extended |
| Status | Active exclusions, pre-expiration planning window |
| Notes | SKU-level expiration, inventory runway, and alternate-sourcing analysis required |
Model the exclusion-lapse scenario against real SKU volume before November 10 arrives, not after. Get Tariff Scenario Strategy Kit
14. IEEPA Refund Litigation: Federal Circuit Appeal Still Open, Non-Litigant Relief in Question
Active appellate litigation; refund processing continuesWhat happened
The government continues appealing a Court of International Trade ruling that required broader refunds of tariffs invalidated after the Supreme Court's February 2026 IEEPA decision. The dispute centers on whether importers who did not independently sue should automatically receive relief for entries whose administrative recovery rights have otherwise become final. CBP's CAPE portal continues processing refunds in the meantime, but CAPE Phase 3, covering finally liquidated entries outside the standard window, remains limited to plaintiff importers pending the appeal's outcome.
Procurement action
Separate your outstanding IEEPA recovery into unliquidated, recently liquidated, protest-eligible, finally liquidated, and litigated populations. Do not assume every remaining refund arrives automatically while the universal-relief question is on appeal; importers who have not joined CIT litigation should track their own 180-day protest deadline from liquidation rather than waiting on the appeal to resolve.
| Program Type | IEEPA |
| Filing Status | Phase 1/2 eligible entries: proceed. Finally liquidated, non-plaintiff entries: Phase 3, Plaintiff-Only, Not Yet Filed |
| Status | Active appellate litigation; refund processing continues in parallel |
| Notes | Non-litigant importers should track the 180-day protest deadline independently, not wait on the Federal Circuit appeal |
Segmenting your entry population by filing status now is what keeps a real refund from missing its own protest deadline. Get Tariff Refund Suite
Quick Hits: Preliminary Rates, Not Yet Operative
15. Three More Antidumping Proceedings Moved on Preliminary Numbers Only
Preliminary results; current deposit rates unchangedWhat happened
Three additional proceedings published preliminary results on August 13, 2026 that do not yet change current duty exposure. Commerce preliminarily calculated a 0.00% antidumping margin for Corinth Pipeworks Pipe Industry S.A. on large-diameter welded pipe from Greece, with the existing 10.26% all-others rate still applicable elsewhere; hearing requests are due within 30 days. Commerce preliminarily calculated a 26.60% antidumping margin for Ecopure on organic soybean meal from India, a jump worth watching, while also rescinding the review for 145 companies whose entries will generally be assessed at the deposit rates already in effect. And Commerce preliminarily found a 0.00% margin for POSCO and POSCO International on Korean carbon and alloy steel wire rod, with the 41.10% all-others rate still governing other exporters; final results are expected within 120 days unless extended.
Procurement action
Log all three as watchlist items with their final-review milestones. Do not change any cost model yet; none of these preliminary numbers replaces a current prospective cash-deposit rate until Commerce issues final results.
| Greece Welded Pipe | Corinth Pipeworks preliminary 0.00%; all-others 10.26%; hearing requests due within 30 days |
| India Soybean Meal | Ecopure preliminary 26.60%; 145 companies rescinded from review |
| Korea Wire Rod | POSCO/POSCO International preliminary 0.00%; all-others 41.10%; final results expected within 120 days |
| Status | All preliminary; no change to current deposit rates |
Three preliminary results, three final-review dates worth a free row each before they turn into a final rate. Get the free 90-Day Tariff Risk Calendar
Expert Insight: What I'd Actually Do With These 15 Stories
First, sort by which ones are actually dated. Three stories here, drones, de minimis, and quartz, either just got a hard effective date or already have one landing August 15. Everything else this briefing, the five AD/CVD determinations included, is confirmed and current but doesn't carry a near-term deadline the way those three do. Work the dated three first.
Second, the CIT ruling is bigger than it reads. A court upholding the removal of a trade privilege, as opposed to striking down a new tariff, is a legal distinction that is going to get used again. If IEEPA can withdraw an exemption without counting as "imposing a tariff," watch for that same argument to show up somewhere else before the year is out.
Third, I built the vocabulary section at the top of this article on purpose. Five AD/CVD stories and a CIT ruling in one briefing is a lot of acronyms for one day. I'd rather spend three paragraphs making sure CIT, AD, and CVD are unmistakable than have someone misread a 78.33% company rate as a country-wide rate because the terms ran together.
Executive Action for August 14, 2026
Highest priority: add the new drone/UAS Section 232 program to your tracker without delay, the first rates hit September 3 and the classification work alone takes real time. Complete quartz surface products implementation before August 15 arrives. Keep Canada Section 338 at the full 50% base-case exposure despite improving negotiations.
Critical deadlines: Quartz safeguard, August 15. Canada Section 338, August 19. BIS metals derivative comment window, August 27. House returns/Russia sanctions legislation, August 31. Drone Section 232, September 3. Germany pharmaceutical hearing, September 22. Pharmaceutical Section 232 milestone, September 29. China exclusions expire, November 10. Polysilicon Section 232, December 4. Delayed drone component tariffs, February 9, 2027.
Executive decisions: determine whether imported drones, docking systems, and critical UAS components require immediate supplier renegotiation or source qualification ahead of September 3. Decide whether remaining quartz or Canadian-origin inventory should be accelerated before their respective effective dates. Determine whether the PVDF resin Section 337 case warrants an alternate-source conversation before the Commission's public-interest review concludes.
Procurement priorities: map UAS exposure by weight, thermal-imaging capability, component content, and origin. Complete quartz implementation. Finalize Canada Section 338 readiness. Screen tire, transformer, wind tower, and fish fillet suppliers against the five newly finalized AD/CVD rates. Begin China-exclusion expiration planning ahead of November 10.
Finance priorities: create separate forecast buckets for UAS Section 232, Quartz Section 203, Canada Section 338, the five new AD/CVD determinations, and forced-labor Section 301. Keep IEEPA refunds and court-contingent recoveries separate from current payable tariff expense.
Trade compliance priorities: prepare for the new UAS Chapter 99 and certification requirements. Validate quartz HTS, origin, and quota treatment before the safeguard takes effect. Screen tire, transformer, wind tower, and fish fillet suppliers against this briefing's five AD/CVD determinations by exact exporter name, not by country alone. Maintain UFLPA entity-list screening separately from Section 301 forced-labor duty tracking. Review low-value imports following the de minimis ruling. Preserve protest and refund rights across the IEEPA appeal.
Start Here, Free -- 90-Day Tariff Risk Calendar™
Six tabs: Dashboard, Tariff Calendar, Comment & Hearing Tracker, Refund Opportunities, Procurement Action Plan, and Monthly Watchlist. Quartz, Canada Section 338, and the BIS metals comment deadline from this article are already logged on the current rolling three-month window. Add the September 3 drone tariff and the three preliminary-rate review dates yourself; they're new as of this article.
Also Free -- HTS Tariff Rate Lookup
Check any HS code against current general duty, Section 301, and Section 232 status before you commit a number to a landed-cost model. For the five AD/CVD rates in this article, cross-check the exporter name against Commerce's determination directly; those company-specific rates aren't in this lookup's current data set.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the new tariff on drones, and when does it take effect?
A Section 232 proclamation signed August 13, 2026 imposes a 100% tariff on drones over 25 kilograms, drones with thermal imagers, docking stations, and specified critical components, and a 25% tariff on smaller covered drones, effective September 3, 2026 at 12:01 a.m. Eastern. A further 25% tariff on additional listed components is delayed to February 9, 2027. Qualifying products from the EU, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein are capped at 15% total; qualifying UK products are capped at 10%, subject to certification that critical components and technology originate in the US or a qualifying partner country.
Did the courts end duty-free shipping from China, Mexico, and Canada?
The US Court of International Trade ruled August 13, 2026 that the President has authority under IEEPA to suspend the de minimis exemption that let low-value shipments, generally under $800, enter without duty. The ruling upholds the earlier removal of that exemption for China, Mexico, and Canada. The court treated withdrawing an existing trade privilege as legally distinct from using IEEPA to impose a new tariff, which the Supreme Court rejected in February 2026. Underlying customs duties now apply to those low-value shipments without the exemption.
Does the quartz countertop safeguard tariff affect Canada and Mexico?
Generally no. The Section 203 safeguard tariff-rate quota on quartz surface products, effective August 15, 2026, excludes Canada, Mexico, and specified FTA and developing-country suppliers, subject to the conditions in the underlying proclamation. Covered HTS lines are 6810.99.0020, 6810.99.0040, and 7020.00.6000.
What is the highest antidumping rate finalized in this briefing?
A 78.33% antidumping rate for Shandong Haohua Tire on certain passenger-vehicle and light-truck tires from China, one of three company-specific rates Commerce finalized alongside a 76.46% China-wide fallback rate for exporters without separate-rate eligibility, effective August 14, 2026.
Is Canada's 50% Section 338 tariff still scheduled for August 19, 2026?
Yes. As of August 14, 2026, no proclamation, Federal Register notice, or CBP instruction has changed the effective date, even though a Canadian government source described both governments as wanting an agreement before the deadline.
Editorial Note
This briefing is produced for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal, financial, or trade compliance advice. Always consult licensed customs brokers, trade attorneys, and compliance professionals before making tariff-related business decisions.
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