The EU-US deal took effect July 1, 2026: most EU goods now pay a 15% all-inclusive ceiling instead of MFN + 10% Section 122. Re-run your EU landed costs before quoting. Recalculate your EU import duty →
Imports from EU countries now pay a **15% all-inclusive US tariff** under the EU-US trade deal that took effect July 1, 2026. That's the headline — and unlike the last regime, the 15% is a ceiling, not a surcharge: it includes MFN rather than stacking on it, and goods with MFN rates of 15% or higher pay MFN only. Autos dropped from 27.5% to 15%. Steel and aluminum still pay 50% Section 232. And because the deal rate replaced Section 122 for the bloc, EU goods are insulated from the July 24 Section 122 expiry that has every other origin scrambling. Here's what EU imports actually cost US buyers right now, with real math.
Current EU Tariff Structure Under the July 1 Deal
As of July 1, 2026, the 15% all-inclusive ceiling is the baseline for every EU member state — Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Ireland. The Council of the EU adopted the implementing regulations June 25, and the deal replaced the 10% Section 122 rate for the bloc. The mechanics: goods with MFN below 15% pay a total of 15% (MFN included, no stacking); goods with MFN at or above 15% pay MFN only, with no surcharge. The ceiling applies in lieu of Section 232 for autos, pharmaceuticals, and semiconductors. Two carveouts still hit hard: steel and aluminum from EU origin stay at 50% Section 232 (subject to further negotiation, along with alcoholic beverages), and nothing in the deal touches MPF/HMF fees. From September 1, 2026, aircraft and aircraft parts, cork and other unavailable natural resources, and generic pharmaceuticals go to MFN-only treatment.
Worked Example: $25,000 German Machinery Shipment
Take a $25,000 CIF shipment of German CNC machinery under HTS 8458.11.00 (MFN 4.4%). Under the deal, the total tariff is a flat 15% all-inclusive = $3,750 — the 4.4% MFN is folded into the ceiling, not added on top. Add MPF at 0.3464% ($86.60) and HMF at 0.125% ($31.25) for ocean arrivals. Total landed duty: $3,867.85 — 15.5% of shipment value. For comparison: under the February-June Section 122 regime the same container paid $1,100 MFN + $2,500 Section 122 = $3,600 (14.4%), and under the old 20% IEEPA rate it paid roughly $5,225 (20.9%). So low-MFN EU goods ticked slightly up on July 1 — the deal's big wins are elsewhere: autos, the pharma/semiconductor caps, and rate certainty through the July 24 Section 122 expiry. Run your own numbers in the landed cost calculator before committing to a PO.
Steel and Aluminum — The 50% Outlier
EU steel and aluminum never got relief — the deal explicitly leaves metals subject to further negotiation. Section 232 tariffs sit under the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 — national security authority, legally separate from IEEPA — and the administration doubled the rate from 25% to 50% in June 2025. On a $50,000 coil of German hot-rolled steel under HTS 7208: 50% Section 232 = $25,000 total duty (steel is MFN-free, and neither Section 122 nor the deal's 15% ceiling stacks on the metal — an article wholly of steel pays 50%, not more). Derivative steel articles pay the 25% tier on full customs value. It's why most US construction and auto buyers shifted steel sourcing to Canada and Mexico — though USMCA's 0% MFN doesn't exempt Section 232 either. The UK cut a separate deal: 25% under the Economic Prosperity Deal. The EU is still at 50%.
Sector Rates Across the EU
Outside of steel and aluminum, the 15% ceiling does most of the work. Electronics, machinery, aerospace parts (0-2.5% MFN): 15% total. German autos (HTS 8703): the deal's 15% applies in lieu of the 25% Section 232 auto tariff — on a $60,000 BMW 5 Series that's $9,000 per unit, down from $16,500 (27.5%) before July 1. Pharmaceuticals: capped at 15% by the deal — including branded pharma, which shields EU producers from the threatened 100% branded-pharma tariff tied to the July 31 onshoring deadline; generics from the EU go to MFN-only (typically 0%) on September 1. Semiconductors: capped at 15% versus 25% Section 232 for non-EU chips. French still wine and Spanish olive oil: the 15% ceiling governs for now, but note alcoholic beverages remain subject to further negotiation under the deal. Aircraft and parts go MFN-only September 1. Always pull the specific 10-digit HTS before quoting — if your MFN rate is at or above 15%, you pay MFN only.
The EU-US Deal Is Now in Force — Timeline
The deal moved fast in its final stretch. May 20, 2026: the Council and European Parliament struck the agreement implementing the tariff elements of the EU-US Joint Statement. May 27: member states backed it. June 25: the Council of the EU formally adopted the two implementing regulations. July 1: the deal took effect on both sides — the US applying the 15% all-inclusive ceiling, the EU eliminating all duties on US industrial goods (US autos into the EU went from 10% to 0%) and improving access for certain non-sensitive agri-food products. Still open: steel and aluminum (50% Section 232 stands) and alcoholic beverages, both flagged for further negotiation. And sector pressure hasn't stopped — on June 18, 2026, USTR opened a Section 301 investigation against Germany over pharmaceutical pricing, a track that runs inside the deal's 15% pharma cap.
What July 24, 2026 Means for EU Imports: Nothing
Section 122's 150-day clock expires July 24, 2026, and USTR's proposed replacement — 12.5% Section 301 duties on 46 countries — is due by July 20. For most of the world, that's a rate cliff. For EU goods, it's a non-event: the deal rate replaced Section 122 for the bloc on July 1, and the 15% ceiling is all-inclusive under its own framework, so neither the expiry nor the Section 301 reset moves EU rates. That certainty is itself worth money in sourcing decisions this summer — an EU supplier at a known 15% may beat an Asian supplier whose rate is unknowable past July 24. Importers signing 6-month+ contracts should still include duty adjustment clauses for the categories left open (metals, alcohol) and model the September 1 MFN-only carve-outs in the scenario simulator.
Which EU Country Matters Most for Your Sourcing
Germany dominates EU exports to the US — machinery, chemicals, autos, pharma. France ships wine, cosmetics, aerospace parts, and luxury goods. Italy leads on fashion, specialty foods, Ferrari/Lamborghini supercars, and industrial machinery. Spain exports olive oil, wine, and ceramic tiles. Netherlands is mostly a transshipment hub — the 'country of origin' on your commercial invoice often isn't Dutch, it just left from Rotterdam. Ireland is the pharma hub — roughly 30% of US-bound pharmaceutical value comes through Irish operations of Pfizer, J&J, and Eli Lilly. Know the distinction: country of origin drives tariffs, country of export doesn't.
Key Takeaway
EU imports now run on the trade deal, not Section 122: a 15% all-inclusive ceiling on most goods since July 1, 2026, autos down from 27.5% to 15%, pharma and semiconductors capped, and MFN-only treatment for aircraft, cork, and generic pharma from September 1. Steel and aluminum at 50% Section 232 still break the math for heavy industry. The upside nobody should discount: EU rates are now insulated from the July 24 Section 122 expiry and the Section 301 reset hitting everyone else. Use the calculator for your specific HTS and shipment value, and re-check any entry filed since July 1 for the correct rate.
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