Steel tariffs open ‘can of worms’, drive up prices in Commodity News 02/06/2026 The humble tin can is the latest victim of US steel tariffs as domestic manufacturers say producing cans at home has become more expensive than importing them, despite Washington’s push to bolster steel production and limit imports. A decade ago, United States producers made 60 percent of the tinplate and other packaging steel used nationwide, according to Harbor Intelligence, a steel analysis and research company. Last year, that share fell to less than 20 percent, with imports accounting for the remaining 80 percent, The New York Times reported. In recent years, US steelmakers have deliberately moved away from tinplate production, favoring more lucrative steel products used in cars and buildings. The trend has intensified concerns among can manufacturers, who argue that tariffs are driving up costs while doing little to restore domestic tinplate capacity. The pressure has prompted industry groups to urge President Donald Trump to remove steel tariffs. Scott Breen, president of the Can Manufacturers Institute in Washington, said the administration’s recent tariff measures on steel and aluminum “keep costs high to make metal cans in America”. During his first term, Trump used Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to impose a 25 percent steel tariff and a 10 percent aluminum tariff. On April 2, his administration restructured tariffs on steel, aluminum and copper, lowering some rates while introducing new sourcing rules. David A. Gantz, the Will Clayton fellow for trade and international economics at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, told China Daily that US tariffs on metal and other goods imported from virtually all trading partners have a negative impact on the US economy. The United States imports much of its canned food from Asia, South America and Europe. In the US market, the cost of a can accounts for one-third of the wholesale price of canned fruits an