(Yicai) June 13 -- Retail prices of Chinese-made white goods such as refrigerators and dishwashers are expected to rise in the United States following the Donald Trump administration’s latest tariff hikes on steel and aluminum, according to industry insiders.

Appliances with high steel and aluminum content will be hit hardest, Zhou Nan, secretary-general of the home appliances branch of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, said to Yicai after the US commerce department revealed its latest tariff threat yesterday.

That said, the overall impact may be limited. Based on current information, Zhou noted that the US will impose a 50 percent tariff on steel and aluminum components used in home appliances starting June 23. However, these metal parts will be exempt from previously imposed reciprocal tariffs.

Once the new tariffs take effect in 10 days, retail prices for refrigerators and freezers in the US are highly likely to rise, said Wang Juan, a senior analyst at industrial data platform ChinaIOL.Com.

The US remains the top export market for Chinese refrigerators and freezers. However, exports have declined significantly since April due to the combined effects of reciprocal tariffs and fentanyl-related trade measures. The new metal tariffs will further increase costs for Chinese exporters -- but China is not alone, as other countries will also be affected, Wang added.

Ni Zijian, another analyst at ChinaIOL.com, pointed out that also dishwasher prices are expected to climb in the US. America is China’s largest export market for dishwashers, accounting for over 13 percent of total exports. The new tariff hikes will raise export costs for Chinese manufacturers, potentially leading to order delays or cancellations, Ni added.

Editor: Emmi Laine