Canada Counter-Tariffs Start September 8: What’s on the List

Canada’s new counter-tariffs take effect at 12:01 a.m. on September 8, 2026. The Department of Finance published the full list on August 25. It covers 874 tariff items and $27.6 billion in U.S. imports, with rates of 15%, 25%, or 50%.

We built the Counter-Tariff Finder to easily find affected items. Search cheese, a refrigerator, plywood, wire, or another product to see whether the list includes the tariff line, which rate applies, and what the surtax adds to $1,000 of goods. Confirm the classification with your customs broker and the latest CBSA customs notices before you file.

How the counter-tariff works

Canada is matching the U.S. rate on the corresponding good. The Finance Canada backgrounder sets three rates: 15%, 25%, and 50%. The surtax applies to the value for duty and sits on top of any regular customs duty that already applies. The Canadian importer of record pays CBSA, then the cost moves through the supply chain according to the purchase contract, Incoterms, and pricing decisions.

Two scope rules matter. The goods must qualify as U.S.-origin under the CUSMA country-of-origin marking rules. A product made elsewhere and shipped through an American warehouse is not automatically a U.S.-origin good. Goods already in transit to Canada on September 8 are also outside this measure, provided the importer can support the shipment timing with the required records.

What’s on the list

Steel and aluminum account for more than 300 of the 874 lines, according to the RV Industry Association’s review. Many raw and semi-finished steel lines, fabricated steel products such as fasteners, and aluminum materials sit at 50%. Plywood, selected furniture, seating, and floor coverings also appear across the higher-rate lines.

The 25% lines include softwood lumber, finished steel articles, air conditioners, refrigerators, insulated wiring, base-metal fittings, and some furniture. The full list is published at the tariff-item level and should be read with the Canadian Customs Tariff schedule.

The consumer categories will attract the most attention. Dairy, clothing, sporting goods, cosmetics, smartphones, and kitchen appliances all appear somewhere in the list. Retail prices will depend on the importer’s margin, inventory, contracts, and ability to switch suppliers. The country of origin and exact HS code determine the tariff, not the logo on the box.

Finished motorhomes, travel trailers, and camping trailers are absent from this September list. The vehicle lines that do appear are motorcycles and certain goods, livestock, and farm trailers, according to the RVIA review. Canada’s pre-existing measures remain separate, including the 25% motor-vehicle surtax and the 2025 steel and aluminum counter-tariffs. Motorized RVs can also involve remission rules, so check the exact tariff item before treating one as exempt.

Why Canada is doing this

On July 20, Donald Trump signed three proclamations under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930. The U.S. imposed an additional 50% duty on specified Canadian dairy, alcoholic beverage, and motor-vehicle goods. The measures took effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern on August 22 after a three-day suspension of the original August 19 date, according to GHY International’s trade update.

The administration’s stated reasons focus on Canada’s cheese tariff-rate quotas, provincial restrictions on U.S. alcohol, and limits on American vehicle exports. GHY reports that the proclamations cite an 81% fall in U.S. alcohol exports to Canada, from about $718 million to $137 million, and a 22% drop in U.S. motor-vehicle exports, from about $25.9 billion to $20.3 billion.

The proclamation titles do not show the full scope. The annexes reach products such as wine, hockey sticks, cement, plywood, furniture, cosmetics, textiles, toys, and stationery. Zonos’ Section 338 guide explains that the goods are identified by eight-digit HTS codes, so a business that only checks whether it sells cars, wine, or cheese can miss a covered product.

USMCA does not erase the U.S. Section 338 duty. A certificate can reduce the ordinary duty, but the 50% Section 338 charge still applies to a covered good. The separate 10% Section 301 forced-labor tariff can depend on whether the good enters duty-free under USMCA. Goods already subject to Section 232 duties sit outside Section 338, and the U.S. materials also list exclusions for energy, potash, civil aircraft, certain derivatives, semiconductors, and patented pharmaceuticals.

How long will the tariffs last?

Zonos reports that the U.S. Section 338 action has no expiry date set. Finance Canada’s September list also gives no sunset date. The formal CUSMA joint review opened on July 1, 2026, which gives both governments a negotiating window, but Canada and the U.S. failed to come to an agreement following late, irrational demands by the U.S. negotiators.

What to do before September 8

• Pull your HS codes. Run each code through the Counter-Tariff Finder and compare the result with the Finance Canada list and the Customs Tariff schedule.
• Check who pays. Review purchase orders, supply agreements, Incoterms, and tariff pass-through clauses to see whether you or your supplier carries the added cost.
• Check shipment timing. If an order will be in transit on September 8, keep the bill of lading, purchase order, shipping confirmation, and other records that establish its status.
• Price the alternatives. Compare a non-U.S. supplier with the landed cost after the surtax. For a large order, that difference can outweigh a small change in the unit price.
• Read the CBSA administration details. Check the latest customs notices for remission, reporting, corrections, and documentation rules before the shipment clears.

The Counter-Tariff Finder is a reading aid, not customs advice. Use it to find the right tariff line faster, then confirm the classification and origin with your broker.

Sources checked August 26, 2026: Finance Canada, RVIA, GHY International, Zonos, Clearit, and the supplied Unsplash photo.