WASHINGTON — New U.S. tariffs on most imports from 60 trading partners are scheduled to take effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on July 24, using forced-labor enforcement as the basis for maintaining broad import duties as a temporary global tariff expires. The measures set rates of 10% or 12.5%, depending on whether each economy has adopted, partly adopted or committed to establish a ban on imports made with forced labor.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said 17 economies will face a 10% Section 301 duty: Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Kingdom. USTR said those governments either operate some form of forced-labor import restriction or have made commitments through trade agreements.

The structure differs for several partners with negotiated tariff arrangements. Duties on products from the European Union and Taiwan will bring their combined existing most-favored-nation and Section 301 rate to 10%. The equivalent ceiling is 12.5% for Japan, South Korea and Switzerland. Where an existing tariff already meets or exceeds the relevant threshold, no additional Section 301 duty will be charged. Most remaining investigated economies face a 12.5% Section 301 rate.

USTR described the countries and customs territories as the top 60 U.S. trading partners, collectively accounting for 99.4% of American imports. That figure measures trade with the covered partners, not the share of goods that will actually incur the new duty. The final amount collected will depend on the mix of products imported, their existing tariff treatment and whether they qualify for an exemption.

Excluded goods include informational materials, donations, accompanied baggage and products already subject to national-security tariffs under Section 232. USTR also exempted selected raw materials that may not be available domestically, products whose inclusion could cause wider economic disruption, and goods that cannot be produced in sufficient quantities or at reasonable prices in the United States. Additional partner-specific exemptions are intended to encourage governments to carry out promised forced-labor controls.

The duties are scheduled to apply to products entered for U.S. consumption from the effective time. A limited transit exception covers goods loaded on their final mode of transport before 12:01 a.m. on July 24, provided they enter the country before 12:01 a.m. on July 28. Detailed product exclusions and customs instructions appear in USTR’s Federal Register notice.

The administration opened 60 separate Section 301 investigations in March and issued findings in June. USTR said it consulted more than 45 governments, received over 1,600 written submissions on its proposed response and heard testimony from more than 100 witnesses in July. Its central claim is that weak foreign restrictions allow forced-labor goods to circulate through global supply chains, disadvantaging U.S. commerce and undermining American enforcement.

The timing also reflects the Trump administration’s effort to rebuild its tariff system after the Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act did not authorize the president’s earlier country-by-country duties. A temporary 10% global levy imposed under a separate statute is due to expire as the new tariffs begin. Section 301 has a longer history as a trade-enforcement tool, including duties imposed on China during Trump’s first term, but its use against 60 economies at once is unusually expansive.

The commercial effect will vary by importer and product. U.S. importers formally pay the duties, but they can respond by absorbing the cost, negotiating lower supplier prices, changing sourcing or raising prices for customers. The breadth of the exemptions may soften the impact in sensitive sectors. Companies trading in covered goods nevertheless face new compliance work and uncertainty over whether partner governments will change their policies to obtain lower treatment.

Higher consumer prices are therefore a risk rather than a predetermined result. The extent of any pass-through will depend on competition, exchange rates, inventories and the availability of alternative suppliers. The measures may also provoke diplomatic objections, retaliation or negotiated concessions from governments that dispute USTR’s assessment. Conversely, the prospect of lower tariffs could push more countries to enact and enforce import bans targeting goods linked to forced labor.

The policy also raises a question of precision. The duties generally apply across a country’s imports rather than only to individual shipments shown to contain forced-labor inputs. The administration argues that broad pressure creates leverage for systemic reform. Critics are likely to question whether countrywide tariffs are an effective human-rights remedy or primarily a new legal foundation for preserving the administration’s wider trade barriers.

Section 301 provides a more established procedural route than the emergency law rejected by the Supreme Court, but that does not eliminate the possibility of litigation, World Trade Organization disputes or negotiated changes. The regime’s durability and economic impact will depend on how U.S. Customs applies the exemptions, how trading partners respond and whether the administration adjusts rates as governments adopt new forced-labor rules.