Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Practical guidance on using the WTO security exception to raise tariffs: bound commitments, US steel and aluminium, and WTO panel findings

Published by a LexisNexis International Trade expert

Practice notes

This Practice Note sets out practical guidance on invoking the security exception in the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade 1994 (GATT) for a World Trade Organisation (WTO) Member State to raise tariffs unilaterally. It explains the principles governing bound tariffs and the security exception, illustrated by the United States of America (US) unilateral duties on steel and aluminium.

Introduction

In February 2025, the President of the United States of America announced that the US will:

reinstate the full 25% tariff on steel imports. This follows the 2018 imposition of a 25% duty on steel, although exemptions were then available for Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, the EU, Ukraine and the UK. The reinstatement applies to all steel products, regardless of origin.
increase the tariffs on aluminium imports to 25%. This follows the 2018 introduction of a 10% duty on aluminium, when exemptions were likewise possible and indeed Argentina, Australia,...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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