Marcy’s Musings: Operating Without a Rulebook
It’s Only Common Sense: Hire for Hunger, Train for Skill
Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: ‘The 'NVIDIA Way: Jensen Huang and the Making of a Tech Giant’
Trump Copper Tariffs Spark Concern
July 10, 2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamEstimated reading time: 1 minute
President Donald Trump stated on July 8 that he plans to impose a 50% tariff on copper imports, sparking concern in a global industry whose output is critical to electric vehicles, military hardware, semiconductors, and a wide range of consumer goods. According to Yahoo Finance, copper futures climbed over 2% following tariff confirmation.
Trump did not state when he planned to introduce the new tariffs, but on July 8, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that they would likely implement the duties by the end of July or Aug. 1, Reuters reported.
Trump ordered a probe in February into possible copper tariffs, citing a November deadline as part of efforts to rebuild U.S. production of the metal. However, it was unclear if the investigation into imports of raw mined copper, concentrates, alloys, scrap, and derivatives had finished.
The U.S. produces just over half the refined copper it uses annually, much of which comes from Arizona, where a stalled major mine expansion has lasted for more than a decade. The U.S. imports the rest—just under 1 million metric tons—because it only has two primary smelters compared to China’s dozens.
While the White House framed the new tariffs as a way to counter China's dominance of the global market, the U.S. imports most of its refined copper from the Americas. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in 2023, Chile, Peru, and Canada made up more than 90% of U.S. copper imports.
While China leads in copper refining, it too depends largely on Latin America and Africa for raw materials. Chile and Peru accounted for roughly one-third of global copper mining in 2024.
Share on:
Testimonial
"We’re proud to call I-Connect007 a trusted partner. Their innovative approach and industry insight made our podcast collaboration a success by connecting us with the right audience and delivering real results."
Julia McCaffrey - NCAB GroupSuggested Items
Nortech Systems Launches Power over Fiber Technology Platform for EMI-Sensitive Applications
04/08/2026 | Globe NewswireNortech Systems Incorporated, a leading provider of design and manufacturing solutions for complex electromedical devices and electromechanical systems, has announced the launch of its Power over Fiber technology platform.
Flexible Thinking: Designing Flex Circuits for Dynamic Reliability
04/09/2026 | Joe Fjelstad -- Column: Flexible ThinkingFlex circuits flex. No surprises there. However, they are also very commonly designed into products because they are thin and offer consistent thickness and dielectric properties, attributes highly prized by present-day product designers of personal electronics. This would include smartphones and, increasingly, wearable electronics for medical monitoring and even fashion.
Understanding Tolerances in Flexible Circuit Design
04/01/2026 | Chris Clark, Flexible Circuit TechnologiesThe challenge with cumulative tolerances is meeting the dimensional requirements for items dimensioned on a drawing or specification for a flexible or rigid-flex circuit. It is critical to understand the fabrication processes and how features are defined when creating your tolerance requirements.
Target Condition: An Exploration of Flooding PCB Layers
04/02/2026 | Kelly Dack -- Column: Target ConditionThe concept of flooding PCB layers with copper has been around for so long, you’d think we’d have it mastered. We haven’t. (Oh, and by “we,” I mean design engineers and the software tools we depend on.) Years ago, PCB artwork was created by hand using light tables, with tape applied to Mylar. Signals were slow, traces were relatively wide, and high-current paths were simply “beefed up” with wider copper. Signal integrity wasn’t yet a driving concern. Today, solid return paths are fundamental to robust design. We understand the importance of continuous reference planes for signal integrity and EMI control.
New, Greener Solutions for Etch: Novel Copper Extraction
03/30/2026 | Richard Nichols, GreenSource Engineering“Novel” is a typical marketing phrase that implies new and unique, but often “novel” actually means an established technology being applied to a new field or application. This, in turn, is often driven by newly relevant external motivation. GreenSource has been working on just such a solution: novel copper extraction, offering a better and greener alternative to traditional LLE control systems for cupric chloride etch.