US tariffs on automotive suppliers
Tier-2 and tier-3 Canadian shops sell into US bills of materials that already assume CUSMA. Section 232 on the metal still sits under that assumption.
Working register. Rates on the desk were last checked on 26 August 2026. They are not yet signed off against the governing proclamation or CBP entry practice. Do not treat a rate here as advice to classify, enter, or protest.
CUSMA is the assumption, not the answer
US OEMs and tier-1s already write CUSMA into the bill of materials. A Canadian shop that only says “we are CUSMA” is repeating the PO. The live questions are what share of the part is US-origin metal, and who is the IOR on the entry.
232 on the metal still sits under that CUSMA assumption. Origin on the finished part does not, by itself, take a core metal duty off the steel that went into it.
Who files, who quotes
If the US customer is the importer, you still own the commercial conversation when their duty rises. If you are the IOR, you own the paper. Many tier-2 shops have never pulled the 7501 for a part they have shipped for years.
What to do this week
Pick ten US-bound parts. For each: originating or not, core 232 / derivative / neither, who certifies, who is the IOR. If any of those four is blank, you do not yet have an exposure number.
Factual answers
- Does CUSMA origin wipe 232 on auto parts?
- Not on core metal articles. On listed derivatives, documented origin can change how the 25% is applied, with a 15% floor in the current overlay through 31 December 2027. Confirm the part against the annex.
- The OEM told us to just keep shipping.
- They can. You still need to know whether you are eating the duty. “Keep shipping” is not a rate.
- Should we move a process to the US?
- That is a structure question, not a certificate question. Run the duty and the cash first. Moving a cell to chase a rate you have not sized is how a $20M shop spends a year on the wrong plant.
The register, the calculator, the certificate, the industries, and the mandate sit together. The old standalone calculator is not in this set.
Four columns, then the quote
Origin, metal status, certifier, IOR. Then the calculator. Then the commercial conversation.