The April 2026 restructuring of Section 232 shifted tariffs onto the full customs value of imported derivative products rather than just the metal content. Because HVAC equipment — compressors, coils, cabinets, heat exchangers, line sets — is metal-intensive, the effective rate rose sharply: goods made almost entirely of steel, aluminum or copper now face 50%, and 'substantially made' derivatives 25% (ACHR News / HARDI).
It tilts the repair-versus-replace math
Industry estimates put the added cost at $2,000+ per unit for some equipment, with wholesale prices already running 15–30% above 2024 and roughly 6–10% flowing through to homeowners. A separate Section 122 15% surcharge on other HVACR goods sunsets July 23, 2026, adding a near-term pricing-uncertainty window. This sits directly upstream of our HVAC invoice benchmarks ($284/call Northeast, $197 all-trades Midwest across 2.2M Property Meld work orders): replacement decisions get more expensive, tilting the calculus further toward preventive maintenance and repair-over-replace.