Steel tariff expansion to benefit Pittsburgh manufacturers, boost Cleveland-Cliffs’ Butler plant

BUTLER, Pa. — A decision by the U.S. Commerce Department to add hundreds of steel derivatives including locomotive axles and electrical steel to expanded tariffs will directly benefit the Pittsburgh region, including Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.’s massive steelmaking plant in Butler County.

The 407 product codes added to the tariff list as of this week is a large expansion to the program that will help domestic manufacturers by adding 50% tariffs to the parts that have either imported steel or aluminum. The nonsteel/nonaluminum content will still be subject to reciprocal tariffs. That will help close a loophole that some domestic manufacturers say has been hurting business as well as harming national security.

That includes Cleveland-Cliffs (NYSE: CLF), one of the largest manufacturers in Butler County with its plant in Lyndora, which it acquired from AK Steel in 2020. Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves thanked President Donald J. Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick for the protections, which he said would keep out foreign-poured steel sent through Canada and Mexico and allows Cliffs to continue to invest in the Butler Works as well as other electrical steel and stainless steel plants.