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Tariffs & American Polyurea

Updated October 10, 2026

Tariffs changed more in 2026 than in any year in a generation. Here is what is in force for polyurea and its raw materials, what it means for prices, and why it is opening the door for American manufacturers.

Current as of October 10, 2026 · Sources at the bottom of the page

87–162%
Antidumping duty on MDI from China

Order published June 25, 2026. MDI is the isocyanate behind most polyurea A-sides.

Source: Federal Register
+12.5%
New Section 301 tariff on Chinese goods

In effect since July 24, 2026, stacked on top of the older 25% Section 301 duties on coatings and polyurethanes.

Source: USTR
82.7%
U.S. producers' share of the U.S. MDI market

January to September 2025, up from 76.8% in 2024.

Source: USITC
>55%
Domestic content needed on federal highway work

For manufactured products on FHWA projects obligated on or after October 1, 2026.

Source: Federal Register

Where things stand

On February 20, 2026 the Supreme Court ruled in Learning Resources v. Trump that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not allow tariffs. The IEEPA "reciprocal" and fentanyl duties ended that week, and a temporary 10% Section 122 surcharge filled the gap until it expired on July 24, 2026.

The same day, new Section 301 tariffs took effect on imports from 60 economies, covering about 99% of U.S. imports: 12.5% for China, Vietnam and Brazil, and 10% to 12.5% for most other partners, with Section 232 goods and duty-free USMCA goods exempt. They stack on top of the original China Section 301 tariffs, which USTR confirmed on October 7, 2026 will continue.

For polyurea specifically, the biggest change is the antidumping order on MDI from China, published June 25, 2026. It covers polymeric, monomeric and modified MDI and prepolymers at 10% NCO or more, at rates of 87.25% to 161.61%.

What a China-origin shipment pays now

ProductHTSNormal dutyOriginal 3012026 301Antidumping
Polymeric MDI3909.316.5%25%12.5%87.25%–161.61%
Monomeric MDI2929.10.806.5%None12.5%87.25%–161.61%
Polyurethanes, primary forms3909.50Free–6.3%25%12.5%None
Paints, coatings and varnishes3208 / 32093.2%–5.9%25%12.5%None
Mastics and surfacing preparations32143.7%25%12.5%None

Rates as published in the Federal Register and USTR notices. Exemptions and exclusions apply to some lines, so confirm any shipment with a licensed customs broker.

How tariffs help American manufacturers

Imported systems lose their price edge

A Chinese coating or polyurethane now pays as much as 37.5% in Section 301 tariffs before it reaches a U.S. job site. American-made systems pay none of it at the border, which narrows or erases the gap buyers used to see.

Domestic MDI is winning back share

U.S. producers supplied 82.7% of the U.S. MDI market in the first nine months of 2025, up from 76.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. International Trade Commission. BASF's Geismar, Louisiana expansion doubles that plant to 600,000 metric tons a year.

Public projects favor U.S. content

Under Build America, Buy America, coatings are generally treated as manufactured products that must be made in the U.S. with more than 55% domestic component cost. Federal highway projects obligated from October 1, 2026 must meet that test, and federal agencies buying under the Buy American Act need 65% domestic content.

Honest labels are being enforced

An executive order in March 2026 told the FTC to prioritize Made in USA enforcement, and its April sweep produced the largest settlement yet under the Made in USA Labeling Rule. That protects manufacturers who really do make their products here.

Steadier supply when the world gets rough

After the Strait of Hormuz closed in 2026, global polymeric MDI prices rose sharply, with Chinese export prices up 61% and European prices up 43%, while U.S. export prices rose about 10%, per PricePedia. Buying close to home shortens the supply chain.

The trade-offs

Tariffs are not free for American manufacturers either. Being straight about the costs is part of buying smart:

  • Some raw materials are not made in the United States. The American Coatings Association has warned that tariffs raise costs for domestic coatings makers and their customers.
  • Section 232 duties on steel and aluminum reach into drums, tanks and pumping equipment, which can raise packaging and rig costs for applicators.
  • Most of the 2026 jump in isocyanate prices came from the Hormuz closure and plant outages, not tariffs, and analysts have not separated the two.
  • The rules keep moving: the July Section 301 tariffs face a 25-state legal challenge, and new cases on polyols and amine catalysts are pending.

Timeline

  1. BASF and Dow petition for antidumping duties on MDI from China.

  2. Supreme Court rules in Learning Resources v. Trump that IEEPA does not authorize tariffs. IEEPA duties end and a temporary 10% Section 122 surcharge starts Feb 24.

  3. Section 232 steel and aluminum duties start applying to the full value of covered goods, a list that reaches into drums, tanks and pumping equipment.

  4. Commerce issues its final MDI dumping determination.

  5. The U.S. International Trade Commission votes that Chinese MDI imports injure or threaten U.S. producers.

  6. The MDI antidumping order is published: 87.25% for named exporters, 161.61% China-wide.

  7. The Section 122 surcharge expires and new Section 301 tariffs take effect on 60 economies: 12.5% for China, 10% to 12.5% for most others.

  8. Evonik and Huntsman petition for duties on amine catalysts from China.

  9. Federal highway projects must meet a more-than-55% domestic component test for manufactured products.

  10. USTR confirms the original China Section 301 tariffs continue.

Coming up

  1. Commerce preliminary rates on PTMEG, a polyether polyol, from China, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam.

  2. 178 product exclusions from the China Section 301 tariffs are set to expire.

  3. ITC preliminary vote on amine catalysts from China.

  4. Section 301 "excess capacity" investigations whose sector list includes chemicals and plastics, and a 25-state legal challenge to the July tariffs.

Latest tariff and trade news

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Sources

  1. MDI from China antidumping order, 91 FR 38393 (June 25, 2026)
  2. USITC, MDI from China, Publication 5737 (May 2026)
  3. USTR, forced-labor Section 301 action (July 2026)
  4. Executive Order 14389, Ending Certain Tariff Actions (Feb 2026)
  5. Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump (U.S. Supreme Court, Feb 20, 2026)
  6. Section 232 metals, Proclamation 11021 (April 2026)
  7. OMB Build America, Buy America guidance, 2 CFR part 184
  8. FHWA Buy America rule for manufactured products
  9. FAR 25.101, Buy American domestic content thresholds
  10. FTC, Complying with the Made in USA Standard
  11. American Coatings Association statement on tariffs (Mar 4, 2025)
  12. Prismane Consulting, 2026 MDI price analysis
  13. PricePedia, polymeric MDI prices (Sep 1, 2026)
  14. ICIS, BASF Geismar MDI expansion (Feb 27, 2026)

This page is general information, not legal or customs advice.

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