Published
December 02, 2025
Today, tariffs on semi-finished copper remain steady at 50% since being instituted on August 1. That’s a 50% tax levied on a wide range of copper shipments entering the U.S.
The fact is not lost on Tracy Queen, CFO and General Manager of ICC International, which uses copper alloy to make commutators, vital components in large DC motors.
These motors are the backbone of heavy industry—powering electricity-generating stations and used in massive cranes and hoists in shipping and mining, rolling mills in metal production, and conveyor systems in material handling. They also drive critical machinery in transportation and infrastructure projects worldwide. If the DC motor industry falters, the consequences won’t stop at America’s borders. The ripple effect would be global, disrupting energy production, manufacturing, and supply chains across every continent.
'It's just not economical'
In early August, Queen accepted a shipment of specialty copper, which included “a little over $5,000” tariff bill for both American and reciprocal European tariffs. A larger shipment remains at a bonded warehouse because she has refused to accept it, meaning the company did not take possession, and it’s as if it didn’t enter the country. That shipment of copper has a 50% tariff bill of $150,000.
“It doesn’t make sense to pay that, you can’t recoup it,” Queen says. “It’s just not economical. We cannot, as a small business, absorb that expense.”
ICC International, based in Maryville, Tennessee, employs 55 skilled workers and is a leading competitor in the industry, both domestically and globally.
“We have not raised prices yet,” Queen said. “We made some excellent buying decisions. We’re able to ride this longer than most.”
DIG DEEPER: Read more of our work on tariffs
However, that can’t continue forever, and they will have to pass on the cost to customers eventually. Queen believes her customers, in turn, will pass those higher prices on to their customers, and so on.
“It will flow through to the end user,” Queen said. “Just like what’s going to happen with every other manufacturer or wholesaler in this country. Everything is going to get passed to you and to me. At some point we’re paying the bill. We’re all going to feel it and it’s going to hurt.”
For Queen, quality is non-negotiable.
“Our reputation has been built on the fact that we manufacture the best commutators in the world,” she said. “That’s because we build them with the highest-quality material on the market, and we source that from wherever we must. If we build this with a lower-quality material, we are no longer providing the best-quality commutator. We are no longer providing the product we’ve been providing for 42 years.”
Long–term impact of tariffs
Queen estimates that if these copper tariffs continue at their current rate, her business could be forced to close—taking down a well-established American manufacturer and eliminating 55 highly skilled jobs in her community.
“This has taken years off of my life,” Queen said. “It keeps me up at night: Are we going to be here and manufacturing in two years? What are 60 families going to do if we’re not here? Am I doing everything possible to make sure that as a company, we are doing everything we can to mitigate the tariffs? Truly, everything we worked for could be gone.”
Queen says she supports the end goal of bringing manufacturing back to the U.S., but that instead of shock treatment, manufacturers should be given a way to adjust incrementally.
“We’re not asking for something unreasonable. We’re asking to be heard in this situation we’re in, and have some ability to digest it, so we can work through what this looks like,” Queen said. “We agree with the intent of the tariffs: To keep jobs here, to keep manufacturing here. To do everything we are already doing. We are what the administration is trying to accomplish, but with what has happened, we could be gone if something doesn’t change.”
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About the author
Thaddeus Swanek
Thaddeus is a senior writer and editor with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's strategic communications team.
