Trump’s Aluminum Tariffs Will Send Graphics Card and PC Case Prices Soaring

US President Donald Trump’s recent imposition of a 25 percent tariff on aluminum imports has raised concerns in the computer hardware industry, particularly over the potential for higher prices for graphics cards and desktop PC cases. According to PCMag, industry officials are concerned about the potential impact of the tariffs on manufacturers and consumers.

Aluminum is a key material for PC cases and is also used in various graphics card components. The recently introduced U.S. tariffs on aluminum are expected to increase the cost of these products, leading to higher retail prices. In an already inflation-sensitive market, this could have a negative impact on end consumers.

Reports of the impact of new aluminum tariffs on the final prices of computer hardware first appeared on the Reddit forum, where user Neoescape warned that the additional tariffs were affecting the import of graphics cards. “We recently imported some GPUs for data centers and were stunned by the huge bill due to this additional 25% tariff related to aluminum,” he wrote. However, the thread moderators quickly removed the post.

Kelt Reeves, CEO of PC builder and retailer Falcon Northwest, confirmed to PCMag that they have already felt the impact of the new tariffs. “Yes, we have already been hit hard. We thought the tariff was on raw aluminum and steel, not finished PC cases,” Reeves explained. However, the policy also covers products made from aluminum, including PC components, further increasing costs for manufacturers and consumers.

Similarly, PC case maker SilverStone Technology was hit by a 25 percent tariff on aluminum, in addition to the existing 20 percent tariff on Chinese imports. The company said that because many of its case models are made primarily of steel and aluminum, the tariffs had a significant impact on production costs. InWin, another PC case supplier, said that while it is currently supporting prices by holding existing inventory, it may need to adjust prices in the future as inventory is depleted.

Asus previously announced plans to move production from China to other countries to avoid expected US tariffs. However, the move could also lead to higher prices for products due to the costs associated with setting up new production facilities.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the aluminum tariff is determined by the value of the aluminum in the imported product. However, if suppliers do not disclose the exact aluminum content of products like graphics cards (which is often the case), carriers like UPS and FedEx will default to applying the tariff to the entire shipment, which can result in higher costs for buyers.