Saturday’s 50% U.S. tariff: what Canadian exporters actually need to know
The 50% U.S. tariff did not start Wednesday. It starts Saturday.
If you ship to the United States, the clock is now 12:01 a.m. Eastern on Saturday, August 22, 2026.
Washington delayed the extra 50% duty by three days. It did not cancel it. Same product lists. Same 50%. CUSMA still does not get you out of it.
Talks are still going. Until a new White House proclamation actually changes the date again, plan as if Saturday holds.
What this is
On July 20, the U.S. used Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 to put an extra 50% duty on a long list of Canadian goods. That extra 50% sits on top of whatever duty already applies.
The three proclamations are titled dairy, motor vehicles, and alcoholic beverages. The lists are much wider than those names. Cheese is not on the dairy list. Finished cars and auto parts are not on the motor vehicles list. Hockey equipment, wood, paper, cement, and electronics are mixed in. The only way to know if your SKU is in is to match the 8-digit U.S. tariff number to the official annex.
The date that counts
The duty applies to goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from a U.S. warehouse, on or after 12:01 a.m. Eastern on August 22.
Not the order date. Not the day the truck left Canada.
A shipment that enters the U.S. before Saturday morning is out. One that enters on or after 12:01 a.m. Saturday is in.
If U.S. Customs collected the extra 50% on a Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday entry, that was a mistake. The U.S. importer can claim a refund through their broker.
What to do
Tell your U.S. customer and their U.S. broker the start date is Saturday, not Wednesday.
If a shipment can honestly enter before 12:01 a.m. Eastern on Saturday, that is still the only timing play.
This is a U.S. import duty. Your Canadian customs entry does not collect it.
If you want us to check whether a U.S. tariff number sits on the annex, send the number and a plain description of the goods.
Updated August 19, 2026. The start date is 12:01 a.m. Eastern, August 22, 2026, unless the White House changes it again.
Official sources
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