Trump Revises 50% Tariff List for Canadian Goods Effective Oct. 30

By Daniel Okafor

A revised list of Canadian products will face a 50% Section 338 tariff from Oct. 30, according to White House documents released Friday.

The Oct. 30 changes add seven product codes and remove 10. New coverage includes uncoated kraft paper, composite paper and paperboard, self-adhesive paper, coated printing paper, other coated paper and paperboard, large paper sacks and bags, and unprinted pressure-sensitive labels.

Removed coverage includes selected plastic packaging, corrugated paperboard, molded pulp, bags, and machinery for filling, closing, sealing, capsuling or labeling containers.

The White House described the changes as “related to motor vehicles commerce.” That explanation connects the product revisions to vehicle trade without changing the stated tariff rate.

What changes for packaging and marketing teams?

The revision changes which product codes carry the 50% tariff; the cited update does not set a different rate. Some paper and paperboard categories gain coverage, while selected plastic containers, corrugated cartons and pulp articles leave it. The descriptions separate products by coating, weight, dimensions, material and printed status. That makes code matching the immediate task for procurement teams.

Products added to Section 338

The White House lists seven newly covered codes:

• 4804.31.60: Uncoated, unbleached kraft paper, nesoi, in rolls or sheets, weighing 150 g/m2 or less.
• 4807.00.94: Composite paper and paperboard, nesoi, not surface-coated or impregnated, in rolls or sheets.
• 4811.41.10: Self-adhesive paper and paperboard, in strips or rolls over 15cm wide or rectangular sheets with one side over 36cm and other side over 15cm in the unfolded state.
• 4811.59.20: Bleached or nonbleached printing paper, coated, impregnated or covered with plastics, in strips or rolls over 15cm wide or certain size sheets.
• 4811.59.40: Bleached or nonbleached paper and paperboard, nesoi, coated, impregnated, or covered with plastics, in certain size strip, rolls, or sheets.
• 4819.30.00: Sacks and bags, having a base of a width of 40 cm or more, of paper, paperboard, cellulose wadding or webs of cellulose fibers.
• 4821.90.20: Pressure-sensitive paper and paperboard labels, not printed.

The additions rely on product-level thresholds rather than a blanket paper category. They specify coating or impregnation, weight, roll and sheet dimensions, bag width and printed status. For procurement teams, coating, weight and dimensions can separate a covered product from a similar item outside that code.

Products removed from Section 338

The White House lists 10 codes that no longer fall under Section 338:

• 3920.20.00: Nonadhesive plates, sheets, film, foil and strip, noncellular, not reinforced or combined with other materials, of polymers of propylene.
• 3923.10.90: Other boxes, cases, crates and similar articles for the conveyance or packing of goods, of plastics.
• 3923.21.00: Sacks and bags, including cones, for the conveyance or packing of goods, of polymers of ethylene.
• 4811.51.20: Bleached paper and paperboard, coated, impregnated or covered with plastics, weighing more than 150 g/m2, 0.3mm or more in thickness, in strips or rolls over 15 cm wide or in rectangular sheets exceeding 36 cm on one side and 15 cm on the other.
• 4811.51.40: Bleached paper and paperboard, coated, impregnated or covered with plastics, weighing more than 150 g/m2, less than 0.3 mm in thickness, in strips or rolls over 15 cm wide or in rectangular sheets exceeding 36 cm on one side and 15 cm on the other.
• 4819.10.00: Cartons, boxes and cases of corrugated paper or paperboard.
• 4819.40.00: Sacks and bags, nesoi, including cones, of paper, paperboard, cellulose wadding or webs of cellulose fibers.
• 4823.70.00: Molded or pressed articles of paper pulp.
• 4823.90.10: Articles of paper pulp, nesoi.
• 8422.30.91: Machinery for filling, closing, sealing, capsuling or labeling bottles, cans, boxes or other containers; machinery for aerating beverages; nesoi.

The removals cover both packaging materials and production equipment. The list includes plastic films, boxes and bags; coated paperboard above stated weight and thickness thresholds; corrugated cartons; paper sacks and bags; molded or pressed pulp articles; and machinery for handling containers.

These codes leave the Section 338 schedule under the Oct. 30 adjustment, according to the White House. The action changes product coverage within the 50% tariff mechanism rather than introducing a separate rate.

How the tariff dispute developed

The reported sequence starts in July, when President Donald Trump first ordered the 50% tariffs. Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney introduced retaliatory tariffs in September. Trump then expanded the scope of the levies, with paper and plastics feeling the pinch, before the Oct. 30 revision.

For buyers, Oct. 30 is the date that matters. Teams should re-map affected Canadian paper, label and packaging purchases to the revised codes before the 50% Section 338 treatment applies.