Despite a clamor from the trade community for guidance on how to calculate metal content value for Section 232 duty purposes, CBP seems hesitant to issue a customs ruling on the subject, according to trade attorney Mollie Sitkowski. The agency already has punted on the issue several times this fall, claiming that Section 232 tariffs are a Department of Commerce issue, she said.
Public comments submitted to the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee's Jan. 14 meeting were supportive of the committee's recommendations calling for CBP to release clearer and additional guidance on how importers can comply with Section 232 tariffs (see 2601120017), particularly when it comes to the valuation of steel and aluminum content.
Members of the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee are urging CBP to provide more clarity on how to comply with Section 232 tariffs, as well as suggesting that CBP enable importers to use publicly available metal commodity pricing for valuation purposes, according to a list of recommendations that the committee is expected to vote on during its quarterly meeting on Jan. 14.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is busy finalizing its list of what products will need an electronic certificate for import entry, according to CPSC staff participating on a Jan. 8 webinar on e-filing.
As CBP shifts its focus from trade facilitation and trade enforcement, conducting reasonable care is no longer enough, and importers must be prepared to do much more, according to the lead analytical content manager for risk management provider Sayari.
Although geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainties abound heading into 2026, it's unlikely that port volumes at the Port of Los Angeles next year will be "falling off a cliff," the port's executive director, Gene Seroka, said during the port's monthly media briefing last week.
CBP has been tightening its enforcement on reporting of steel and aluminum content for Section 232 duty purposes, based on criteria that have yet to be made public in formal guidance, according to customs brokers and trade attorneys interviewed by International Trade Today.
The development of artificial intelligence tools specifically aimed at facilitating trade and improving import and export compliance could potentially halve the global workforce dealing with these matters, said the head of WiseTech Global during the company's Global Investor Day on Dec. 3.
Net revenue recovered from entry summary reviews skyrocketed to nearly $33 billion in fiscal year 2025, while the total number of liquidated damages in U.S. trade doubled, according to recently updated CBP data.
CBP's and data technology provider Altana's foray into developing a technology tool that can provide both regulators and stakeholders with deep visibility into products' supply chains may serve as a foundation for what trade facilitation might look like in the future, Altana's vice president and head of trade compliance Amy Morgan asserted in a Dec. 2 webinar hosted by the American Association of Exporters and Importers.