Earlier this week, NPCA President and CEO Nick Rhoad sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer. The letter raised concerns about proposed 50% tariffs on Canadian cement and cement products, which are scheduled to take effect on August 19, 2026. Rhoad emphasized the potential impact on American precast concrete manufacturers.
Here is the full letter:
“Dear Ambassador Greer:
On behalf of the National Precast Concrete Association (NPCA), I am writing to express our support for the Administration’s efforts to achieve fairer and more balanced trade between the United States and Canada, while respectfully raising concerns about the potential impact of the proposed 50% tariff on cement and articles of cement imported from Canada under Section 338 of the Trade Act of 1930, scheduled to take effect August 19, 2026, on American precast concrete manufacturers.
NPCA represents nearly 700 producer companies involved in the manufacture and supply of precast concrete products across the United States. Our members manufacture essential products used in roads and bridges, water and wastewater systems, stormwater management, utilities, energy infrastructure, transportation, buildings and other critical public works. These products are made in American plants by American workers and are fundamental to building and maintaining the nation’s infrastructure.
We share the Administration’s goal of strengthening American industry and reducing our reliance on foreign supply chains. Cement is an essential raw material for American manufacturing, and the United States does not currently produce enough cement to meet domestic demand. In 2025, approximately 21% of cement consumed in the United States was imported, with Canada supplying approximately 4% to 5% of total U.S. consumption. Developing sufficient new domestic production would require significant investment and years of permitting and construction.
The impact is particularly significant along the East Coast, where precast concrete manufacturers operate in a market heavily dependent on Canadian cement because sufficient domestic production is not available to meet regional demand. Canadian cement is not simply replacing readily available American cement; it is filling a supply need that domestic production currently cannot meet. While the Administration is right to press for fairer trade terms, a sudden 50% tariff risks increasing costs for American manufacturers without providing them an immediate domestic alternative during the transition to greater domestic capacity.
The timing creates an additional concern. Precast manufacturers have significant infrastructure and construction work already bid, awarded, under contract, or in production based on existing material costs. In many cases, manufacturers may have no ability to pass along an unexpected
increase in cement costs and could be forced to absorb some or all of that increase on projects they have already committed to deliver. Future bids would necessarily reflect higher material costs, increasing the cost of roads, bridges, water systems, utilities, housing, energy projects, and other American infrastructure.
NPCA strongly supports the Administration’s policies to strengthen American manufacturing, expand domestic production capacity, and ensure that our trading partners engage with the United States on fair and reciprocal terms. We believe these goals are best achieved through good faith negotiations between the United States and Canada that account for the current realities of American manufacturing supply chains. Until sufficient domestic cement capacity exists, however, a 50% tariff on Canadian cement risks increasing costs for American manufacturers, putting American manufacturing jobs at risk, and raising the cost of the infrastructure our nation is working to build.
We respectfully urge the Administration to use its strong negotiating position to work with the Canadian government toward a resolution that achieves fairer trade while ensuring American precast manufacturers retain access to the materials necessary to keep their plants operating, their employees working, and America building. We are confident that good faith negotiations between the two countries can address these trade imbalances without unintended harm to the American manufacturers the Administration seeks to protect.
Sincerly,
“