Triangle businesses brace for possible 50% copper tariff
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Triangle small-business owners are bracing for added costs if a 50% tariff on copper goes into effect Aug. 1.
The material is used in many everyday items such as electronics, cars and appliances.
J.D. Anderson of Cool Change said roughly 25% of an air-conditioning unit is made up of copper.
"All the tubing inside the HVAC system is primarily copper," said Anderson. "This 50% copper tariff is quite a high one. So we're a little anxious to see what's going to happen here in the near future. They will give us a warning; that hasn't happened yet, but they'll give us a warning and then a few days."
Copper is also used in construction.
One contractor told ABC11 that his European supplier has already decided to stop shipping copper to the United States, and he is working to source the material elsewhere.
People at Oak City Homes said there are workarounds to keep costs down, such as using plastic.
"There's always alternatives," said Mike Simon from Oak City Home. "There is, there's not one material for one task. There's five materials for one task."
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