At 00:01 on June 23rd, the US customs system automatically switched tax rate parameters, and a batch of newly arrived dishwasher containers were marked with a bright red "steel derivative surtax" label. A customs broker from a foreign trade enterprise in Shenzhen sent 78 refrigerated containers through the customs clearance process in the last hour. "This is the third batch of goods that were rushed within ten days, and every minute of delay could result in losses of hundreds of thousands of dollars," he said.

At this moment, the 50% tariff imposed by the US Department of Commerce on eight types of steel household appliances has officially come into effect, rewriting the rules of global household appliance trade once again.

The implementation of the 01 tariff policy has put pressure on global home appliance companies. The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the US Department of Commerce issued a notice on June 12, adding eight categories of household appliances and related products as "steel derivatives" and uniformly applying a 50% tax rate. These eight categories of products include combination refrigerators and freezers, various dryers, washing machines, dishwashers, horizontal/vertical freezers, cooking stoves and ovens, food waste disposers, and welded metal frames. Unlike previous policies, the tariff collection method this time adopts special calculation rules: - Taxation based on the value of steel: the tax amount is calculated based on the value of the steel components contained in the product (including steel value x 50%), rather than the price of the whole machine - Differentiated country treatment: UK products are subject to a 25% additional tax, while other countries are subject to a uniform 50% - Exemption clause: Products using domestically melted steel raw materials in the United States can be exempted from taxes, even if the processing policy is completed overseas. The effective time of the policy does not leave any room - goods entering or extracted from warehouses after 00:01 Eastern Time on June 23 in the United States will be subject to the new regulations. This is the second time in two months that the Trump administration has expanded the scope of tariff products, following the increase in steel and aluminum tariffs from 25% to 50% in March. It is also the first time that daily consumer goods have been included on a large scale in the list of steel derivatives.

China's home appliance industry urgently breaks through, with top companies showing resilience. As the world's largest exporter of home appliances, China's exports to the United States reached $23.5 billion in 2024, accounting for 38% of the total US home appliance imports. After adding the existing "301 clause" 25% tariff and two 10% tariffs this year, the comprehensive tax rate for products such as refrigerators and freezers has reached a maximum of 67%. A hundred dollar refrigerator with 30% steel content increases the tariff cost by about 50 dollars alone. Faced with the high tariff wall, enterprises of different sizes have obvious differentiation: - Top enterprises calmly layout: Haier North America achieves localized production of 80% of products, GE Appliances contributes 90% of US revenue, perfectly avoiding import tariffs; Midea, TCL, and other companies' exports to the United States account for less than 5%, and overseas bases diversify risks - small and medium-sized enterprises are struggling to survive: a small home appliance enterprise in Guangdong had a profit margin of less than 8%, and tariffs led to a sharp decrease of 70% in orders, putting it on the brink of bankruptcy; Some enterprises in Yiwu are using product innovation (such as printing garbage bags) to increase premiums and digest tax burdens. The industry has urgently launched a three track response mechanism: - export rush: intensive shipment during the 10 day buffer period from June 12th to 22nd, but facing the risk of soaring warehousing costs - capacity migration: transferring production lines to Mexico and Vietnam. Data in May shows that the success rate of overseas factory construction exceeds 65%, and the average profit margin has rebounded by 12% - market diversification: the proportion of exports to the United States will decrease from 20% to 18% in 2024, and the growth rate of Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern markets will exceed 30%.