Hardwood Floors December 2025/January 2026

By Dana Lee Cole

in persistent threats of closures of wood mills and disruptions of wood product supply chains” and that “wood production in the U.S. remains underdeveloped.” It went on to allege that foreign subsidies and unfair trade practices have eroded U.S. competitiveness and disincentivized investment in domestic production. As a result, a 10 percent tariff on softwood lumber took effect on October 14. Also kicking in as a result of the investigation is a 25 percent tariff on upholstered wooden furniture and kitchen cabinets. On January 1, kitchen cabinets will see an increase to 50 percent. Tariffs on wood products from the UK will be capped at 10 percent, while Japan and the EU face a 15 percent tariff ceiling. Hardwood products are not included specifically in the main finding outlined above; however, it has been noted in the decision annexes (supplemental documents to the main text) some tariff product codes related to the flooring industry previously excluded from tariffs are now subject

One of the president’s favorite, and least understood, methods of addressing his trade concerns are the Section 232 investigations and the actions resulting from them. Created by the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, Section 232 refers to a provision in that statute that empowers the president to impose duties on foreign imports if the Department of Commerce concludes, after officially investigating, that imports impact the national security of the United States. Significant duties have resulted from multiple 232 investigations on a number of commodities ranging from steel and aluminum to copper to pharmaceuticals. In the forest products space, the president signed an executive order in March 2025 kicking off a 232 investigation into imports of “timber, lumber, and their derivative products.” Released in late September, the Department of Commerce’s report to the president regarding lumber and derivatives found that “present quantities and circumstances of wood product imports are resulting