A new survey among industrial experts underlines the disturbing effects of President Trump's tariffs on the building envelope and the associated production.
The results of the survey, which have been widespread so far, offer the knowledge that has so far been widespread by PlantTours, a manufacture for communication devices, carried out at the beginning of this month.
Industry data show that tariffs for steel, aluminum and wood have increased the input prices in double-digit percentages, delayed deliveries on construction sites and around $ 9,000-10,000 at the cost of a typical family home.
At the same time, the stricter enforcement of immigration has the pool of experienced installers reduced-Fast A quarter of construction workers were born abroad, which puts the wages and the project schedules under pressure.
Survey results: tariff effects on construction and roofing
Plant-Tours' April 2025 among 500 managers and managers in production, construction and related sectors showed that 59% of the construction professionals denied product price products as the most important unexpected effects of tariffs, while 52% projects have delayed or canceled due to price safety.
Among all respondents, 75% stated that they rose directly to customers to the tariff costs, 45.2% by increasing prices, and another 41% by temporarily receiving the costs, which led to strenuous customer relationships and customer losses in 16% of the response construction companies.
Almost half (45%) of the companies stated that they had bound a reduction in workers of 5–10% with the tariff pressure, which reduced working capacity because many contractors have difficulty filling their crews.
“We had to negotiate the contracts in the middle of the project,” said a construction professional in southern United States to the survey team. “The steel prices alone painted our estimates from the water.”
Material -specific effects on roof inputs
Steel tariffs
In March 2025, Trump restored 25% tariffs for steel imports from all countries, including Canada and Mexico, compared to the previous 10% rate. Analysts from Rystad Energy estimate that these levies in 2025 are increased to around $ 890 per short ton of hot-intended coils (HRC)-a jump of around 15% compared to the previous year, while the costs for tube goods (OCTG) from ÖLLAND (OCTG) can also increase by 15%.
Roofers that use metal panels and fastening elements are now significantly exposed to higher input costs, which has tightened an increase of 46% material price since 2020, as documented by the National Roofing Contractors Association.
Aluminum tariffs
The US aluminum premiums in the Midwest have risen by almost 60% since the beginning of 2025 and reached more than £ 40 per pound (almost $ 900 per ton of) when 25% tariffs for Canadian aluminum came into force.
The burden can be felt in the repair and installation of metal roof, where aluminum channels, flashing and special representatives arise new surcharges that reluctantly pass on many contractors to property owners.
Wooden tariffs
The softwood made of Canada has combined tasks with almost 40%-imposed an existing 14.54%delivery plus Trump's new 25%surcharge, although some USMCA-compliant programs recorded a short break by April 2.
The National Association of Home Builders estimates that the tariffs on Canadian wood and other imported were increased the costs of building a single-family house by around $ 9,200.
For roofers who rely on plywood, technical wood and wooden shingles, these levies lead directly to thinner edges or higher offers for homeowners.
Broader economic context
The Federal Reserve's beige book in April reports on widespread uncertainty under construction, citing cost-controlled benefits and delayed investments, since companies deal with unpredictable tariff policy.
In March, the Nahb/Wells Fargo real estate market index fell to a low of seven months of 39 years, with the builders expressly on tariffs for steel, aluminum and wood as an important driver of rising costs per allowance showed $ 9,200 and the transport traffic of the buyers.
Despite this headwind, inflation (38%) and labor shortage (16.4%), the tariffs (18.6%) often overturn as the top business concerns in the survey of plant tours, which reflects overlapping pressure on the industry.
Immigration policy and lack of work
The stricter enforcement of immigration as part of the Trump administration has the pool of construction work diligently born abroad accounted for around 26% of the sector, with the estimated 13% without papers, as Axios reported.
The Urban Institute and the associated builders and contractors report that the industry must add around 454,000 new employees in 2025 to keep up with demand.
According to the reporting of Commercial Observer, however, stricter border controls and deportations have extinguished up to 20% of the crews of some companies overnight.
“Stricter immigration policy can deteriorate the shortage of labor in the construction of the building,” warned the Florida Building Materials Association and found that migrants have traditionally occupied many roof positions at the entry level.
Effects on forecasts
Since the rollout and the subsequent withdrawal of the tariffs of the Liberation Day of the White House in mid-April, the long-term forecasts for the US roofer sector have remained unchanged. However, early warning signs indicate that they can be revised downwards when reporting.
The update of Ibisworld April 2025 is still a sales of doofing-conceptor at $ 76.4 billion with only 0.8% growth in 2025, and the 6.17% CAGR from Mordor Intelligence by 2030 is intact.
However, the mood of the contractor, the start and trust of the construction company have weakened the direct response to the new taxes, which means that future prospects could be mitigated as soon as these effects have been fully taken.
Roofing companies report that unpredictable material prices have led to the fact that 52% of them delay or cancel jobs, which reflects more comprehensive building trends, and that, according to systems, projects require an additional week for re -evaluation and supplier negotiations.
Since the work is tight and the material costs are volatile, the profit margins for reroofing and new building roof projects are squeezed, which forces some contractors to pass on surcharges or to undertake unprofitable work.
The Associated Builders and Contractor Confi Dahy Index showed the profit margin expectations from 54.8 in February to 52.7 in March, although they remained over the direction of 50 break-even.
Among the companies surveyed after the tariffs on April 2, less than 26% awaited margins that had to be expanded in the next six months, while over 40% predicted the contractions – a clear signal for growing caution.
In February, the Nahb/Wells Fargo-Immobilienmarkt index fell to 42- and five-month deep call to tariff-controlled cost increases as an important drawing of builder optimism and buyer traffic.
The starts of the US industrial houses fell 14.2% in March on a season-adjusted annual rate of 940,000 units, the lowest since July 2024.
The trade department connected the drop in import tariffs directly with higher material costs and estimated an average increase of $ 10,900 per house.
Short reading: 5 snack bars
- Customs increase the costs: Trumps 2025 tariffs for steel, aluminum and wood have increased the material costs in double digits and each single-family house has added an average of $ 9,200 to $ 10,900.
- Projects delayed or canceled: Over half (52%) of the construction companies have shifted or reduced projects due to price uncertainties and disorders of the supply chain in connection with the tariffs.
- Power margins pressed: Roofers report narrower margins, with 45% of companies reducing their workforce by 5–10% and only 26% expect margin expansion in the next six months.
- Working incorrect deteriorated: The stricter immigration policy has reduced the construction work pool, with some companies lost up to 20% of their crews and composing project delays and wage pressure.
- Market outlook Dimmen: Despite unchanged long -term forecasts, real -time indicators such as the trust of the construction company, the start and mood of the contractor have decreased, which has signaled a possible sector contraction by Q3 2025.
Conclusion
Ranking and growth forth for roofers have not yet been adjusted to reflect the tariffs in April 2025. Publication cycles and data Cutoff data mean that these effects are still “in the pipeline”.
Real-time indicator confidence of the contractor, however, the mood of the construction company and the apartment-have become decisively negative.
If the next wave of industry reports appears (mid -2025 and beyond), you can expect more conservative forecasts that make up higher material costs, delayed jobs and closer margins.
Combine the above with inflation – and a worsened lack of work that is driven by a restrictive immigration policy – and together means that a variety of economists are expected to be a contraction of the US economy in the third quarter of 2025.