Building a new home in the U.S. now comes with a hidden price tag: tariffs. These import taxes on materials like lumber, steel, and aluminum are quietly inflating construction costs. On average, they add more than $9,000 to the price of a single-family home. For buyers, that means paying significantly more—not because of upgrades or square footage, but because of trade policies shaping the cost of raw materials. As home affordability remains a pressing issue, these extra costs are hitting at exactly the wrong time.
Understanding Tariffs and Their Impact on Housing
Tariffs on construction materials act like a tax that ultimately gets passed to home buyers. When an importer brings in something like lumber or steel from abroad and a tariff is applied, the importer must pay extra to the U.S. government. In most cases, companies pass along these added costs to their customers rather than absorb them. For homebuilding, this means higher prices for the raw materials used to construct houses. Builders then face higher expenses and often have to raise the home’s sale price to make a profit.
Consider a simplified example: If a builder buys $10,000 worth of imported metal for a new house and there is a 25% tariff on that metal, the builder must pay an additional $2,500 in tariff fees. The builder could try to negotiate with the supplier or accept lower profit, but usually the $2,500 gets added to the price of the home. This principle applies to many items that go into a house. From the wood framing and drywall to nails, pipes, and kitchen appliances, many materials are imported and subject to tariffs.
Tariffs also affect prices indirectly. Even materials made in the USA can become more expensive when similar imported goods have tariffs. For example, if imported Canadian lumber is taxed, American lumber producers face less competition and can charge higher prices. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) describes tariffs as “a tax on American builders, home buyers and consumers” because they inflate building costs and home prices.
Key Tariffs Affecting Homebuilding Since 2017
Beginning in 2017, the U.S. government introduced a series of tariffs aimed at various imported goods. Several of these directly hit construction materials essential for homebuilding. Prior to this period, tariffs on such materials were relatively low or stable, and trade agreements helped keep prices in check.
Softwood Lumber from Canada
In 2017, the U.S. placed tariffs on softwood lumber imported from Canada, America’s primary foreign lumber source. These tariffs initially averaged about 20%. Canada supplies roughly 25–30% of the softwood lumber used in U.S. home construction, so this was significant.
Lumber prices quickly jumped. By mid-2018, lumber costs were so high that they had added about $9,000 to the price of a typical new single-family home. NAHB’s chief economist noted that the 21% lumber tariff was the biggest factor behind those price hikes.
Although lumber prices have fluctuated, tariffs remain. The rate was lowered to around 9% in 2020, but later reviews pushed it back up to 14–15% in 2022–2024. This means Canadian wood – which still makes up about 85% of U.S. softwood lumber imports – costs American builders extra. Even builders who buy domestic lumber feel the ripple effect, since overall wood prices move up with the tariff.
Steel and Aluminum Tariffs
In March 2018, new tariffs of 25% on imported steel and 10% on imported aluminum were enacted by the U.S. government on national security grounds. Steel and aluminum are used in many parts of a house – from nails, screws and tools to structural beams, wiring, siding, and appliances.
The tariffs made metal products more expensive for builders almost overnight. For example, the price of nails, which are made of steel, jumped after the tariff and raised construction costs further. Initially, Canada and Mexico (major metal suppliers) were exempted, but other countries like China were not. Domestically produced steel and aluminum also rose in price because imported options were pricier.
Industry analysts pointed out that while steel and aluminum tariffs didn’t hit homebuilders as hard as lumber tariffs, they still added a noticeable expense per home. Every piece of rebar in a foundation or aluminum gutter now cost more. All together, metal tariffs account for a few thousand dollars of the extra cost in a new house.
Chinese Manufactured Goods and Other Imports
Starting in mid-2018, the U.S. imposed several rounds of tariffs on a wide range of products from China (often referred to as the “trade war” tariffs). China is the largest foreign supplier of overall building materials by value, accounting for about 27% of construction-related imports.
The tariffs on Chinese goods (often 10% to 25%) hit many items used in homebuilding. This includes things like lighting fixtures, plumbing parts, kitchen cabinets, countertops, flooring, and appliances. For instance, more than half of major home appliances sold in the U.S. are imported, and many come from China.
Those now have higher prices due to tariffs. Likewise, tariffs applied to imported quartz countertops or vinyl flooring mean higher costs for new kitchens and bathrooms. Even products from other countries have been affected by newer tariff moves.
In 2025, there was talk of a “reciprocal tariff” plan that could put a baseline 10% tariff on all imports and even higher rates on some countries. Although Canada and Mexico were to be exempt in that plan, countries like China would see extra fees.
Builders reported that suppliers for many categories raised their prices about 6% on average specifically because of recent tariffs. This broad increase translates into several thousand dollars added to building each home.
The $9,200 Added Cost Breakdown
According to the NAHB, builders in 2025 estimate that recent tariff actions have raised construction costs by around $9,200 for an average single-family home. This is an average across the country; the exact amount for any given house can vary based on its size and features, but $9,000+ is a useful benchmark. It represents the cumulative effect of the tariffs on lumber, steel, aluminum, and other goods.
A typical newly built home in the U.S. requires a large quantity of materials – framing lumber, concrete, drywall, roofing, pipes, wires, fixtures, and so on. The materials alone for a new single-family house cost about $174,000 on average (not including land or labor). Of that, roughly $12,700 worth of materials are imported from other countries.
Tariffs make those imported materials more expensive. But the $9,200 figure also reflects indirect price increases. When imports are costlier, domestic suppliers often raise their prices too, which affects the remaining ~$161,000 of domestic materials.
Recent data back this up. By early 2025, the cost of key building materials had climbed 34% since late 2020 – far outpacing general inflation in the economy. Part of this surge was due to pandemic-related supply chain issues, but tariffs have kept prices from dropping back down.
The Impact on Housing Affordability
To put $9,200 in perspective: Every $1,000 uptick in the price of a median new home means many potential buyers can no longer afford it. One study found that a $1,000 price increase “prices out” over 100,000 American households – families who would qualify for a mortgage at the lower price but not at the higher one.
Using that rule of thumb, an extra $9,200 could price out roughly nine times that number. In other words, nearly a million households nationwide might be unable to buy a new home due to the tariff-driven cost increases.
Price Volatility and Pandemic Effects
Homebuilders have certainly felt the squeeze. During 2021, building material costs spiked dramatically (partly due to global supply problems), and new homes became much more expensive. Lumber prices hit record highs in the spring of 2021. At one point, the soaring cost of lumber alone was adding about $36,000 to the price of an average new home.
That spike was temporary and eventually eased, but it left its mark. It showed how vulnerable the construction industry is to supply shocks. Tariffs exacerbated that situation by limiting alternative supply options.
While lumber prices have come down from the peak, they settled at a higher level than before tariffs were in effect. This means new homes never fully regained the lower costs; a tariff-induced premium remains built into prices.
By late 2022 and into 2023, material prices started stabilizing, but at a high plateau. In early 2025, as new tariffs were proposed again, lumber prices began climbing in anticipation. Western spruce-pine-fir lumber, for example, jumped over 60% year-over-year in one period.
Price volatility became a problem, with builders unable to predict costs confidently. This uncertainty gets factored into home prices too – builders may set prices extra high as a precaution in case their costs go up further.
Effects on Homebuyers and the Housing Market
Higher construction costs from tariffs have several ripple effects. First, there’s the direct impact on homebuyers: new homes become more expensive, which can put them out of reach for some families. If a newly built house now costs, say, $309,000 instead of $300,000 due to tariffs, a buyer might need a larger down payment or might no longer qualify for a loan.
Homebuyers who do go forward often face higher mortgage payments because the overall price is higher. Over a 30-year loan, an extra $9,200 adds to the monthly payment and amount of interest paid. Essentially, buyers are financing the tariff costs over the life of their mortgage.
For homebuilders and construction companies, tariffs create a tough business environment. Builders operate on relatively thin profit margins, especially for entry-level homes. When material costs jump, profits shrink unless home prices are raised.
By early 2025, many builders responded by offering incentives or price breaks to attract buyers, effectively eating some of the costs themselves. In one survey, 29% of builders said they cut home prices in a recent month and 59% offered special incentives (like free upgrades or help with closing costs) to bolster sales of new houses.
Impact on Construction Activity
Tariffs have also contributed to builder uncertainty and lower confidence in the market. The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, which measures builder sentiment, dropped significantly when tariffs and material costs were weighing most heavily. In late 2022, builder confidence fell to its lowest levels in over a decade.
Home construction activity has been dampened by these cost issues. The U.S. saw housing starts (the number of new homes beginning construction) drop in periods where tariffs and material costs peaked. For example, in March 2025, single-family housing starts fell to their lowest rate in eight months.
Analysts noted that expensive materials due to tariffs were discouraging builders from launching new homes, even as mortgage interest rates had come down. In normal times, lower interest rates spur more building, but tariffs were counteracting that benefit. This dynamic contributes to a tighter housing supply. Fewer new homes built means fewer choices for buyers, which can push home prices up further in a vicious cycle.
Regional Variations in Tariff Impact
The impact of tariffs on new home costs has been felt nationwide, but not every state is affected in exactly the same way. Local building practices, proximity to supply sources, and the volume of construction all influence how much tariffs add to home prices in different areas.
Border States and Lumber-Dependent Regions
States that are heavily reliant on imported materials for homebuilding tend to feel a bigger impact. For instance, states along the northern U.S. border like Maine, Michigan, and Minnesota traditionally get a lot of their lumber from Canadian forests just across the border.
In Maine, industry experts pointed out that the state imports about $200 million worth of lumber from Canada each year. A tariff on Canadian lumber therefore hits Maine particularly hard, much more than a state that uses mostly locally milled lumber.
The saying in Maine is that a lumber trade war “cuts both ways,” because Maine both grows timber and depends on Canadian mills to process it. The lumber might be harvested in Maine or the Northeast, sent to Canada for milling, and then brought back as finished boards. With a tariff, it comes back with an added cost, which local builders must pay.
Domestic Lumber-Producing Regions
In contrast, states in the Pacific Northwest and the South, which have large domestic lumber industries, are somewhat less dependent on Canadian imports. States like Oregon, Washington, Georgia, and Alabama have many sawmills producing softwood lumber (like pine and fir) used in homebuilding.
These regions saw a boost in business when Canadian lumber got pricier, as U.S. mills ramped up production. The share of U.S. home lumber supply coming from Canadian imports fell from about 35% in 2016 to around 24% by 2023, meaning domestic mills filled more of the need.
However, this doesn’t mean homebuilders in those states were spared higher costs. Domestic lumber prices rose nationwide because demand shifted to U.S. suppliers and overall supply was still tight. A builder in Alabama or Oregon pays the market price for wood, which went up due to the tariffs even if the wood was cut from a local forest.
High-Volume Construction States
States with major homebuilding booms, like Texas and Florida, also illustrate the tariff impact. These states consistently lead the nation in the number of new homes built each year. For example, metropolitan areas in Texas (Houston, Dallas, Austin) issue tens of thousands of building permits annually.
A Texas builder constructing large numbers of homes will cumulatively pay millions more in material costs due to tariffs. Even if the cost per home is an extra $9,000 or so, when you multiply that by say 10,000 homes in a year, that’s about $92 million of additional cost in one state (often passed to consumers).
Price Proportion Differences
Another difference is how much of a home’s price is due to land and labor versus materials. In very high-cost housing markets – for instance, parts of New York or California – the land value and labor costs are extremely high.
A new home in Long Island, NY, costs over $400,000 just in construction (labor and materials), which was the highest in the nation as of a few years ago. In such cases, a $9,200 increase from materials might be only around 2% of the total price.
Meanwhile, in a more affordable region like the Midwest or the South, where constructing a new home might cost $200,000 in materials and labor, that same $9,200 is about 4.6% of the price – a more significant chunk. So tariffs have a relatively larger impact on the final price of homes in cheaper markets.
Future Outlook: What’s Next for Tariffs and Housing
Looking ahead, there is considerable uncertainty about tariffs and how they will continue to affect homebuilding costs. Trade policy has been in flux in recent years, and that means builders, buyers, and manufacturers are often unsure what’s coming next.
As of 2025, the prospect of even higher or additional tariffs looms. For instance, U.S. officials have been reviewing whether to raise the existing lumber tariffs substantially. The Commerce Department signaled it could more than double the tariff on Canadian lumber to around 34% later in 2025 after an administrative review.
If that happens, analysts estimate it would add roughly another $800–$900 to the cost of a typical new home just from the lumber component. There was also talk of a separate “national security” investigation into lumber imports, which raised fears of an additional tariff layer.
Potential Relief and Industry Response
At the same time, there have been calls to reduce or eliminate some tariffs to ease housing costs. The NAHB and other housing industry groups have been lobbying the U.S. government to negotiate a new Softwood Lumber Agreement with Canada and to remove the lumber tariffs entirely.
They argue that doing so would immediately help improve housing affordability by lowering the cost of lumber. So far, these efforts have not resulted in a deal, and the tariff remains in place.
Economic forecasters predict that as long as tariffs remain, the cost of new construction will stay elevated compared to the pre-2017 status quo. Even if material prices fluctuate with market demand, there’s a baseline increase due to the tariffs that will persist.
Some experts also caution that uncertainty around tariffs could lead to greater volatility. The UBS Chief Investment Office noted in 2025 that tariffs were a “major unknown for the housing market”.
Market Adaptation and Innovation
In the meantime, many builders are focusing on efficiency and alternatives to cope with high costs. Some are using alternative materials or methods to reduce dependence on tariffed imports. For instance, there’s interest in engineered wood products or metal framing as substitutes if they become cost-competitive.
Others are looking into domestic production of items previously imported – for example, encouraging U.S. factories to produce more appliances or drywall to reduce reliance on imports subject to tariffs. These shifts could take a long time to scale up, however, and are not guaranteed to fully replace global supply chains.
Conclusion
Homebuyers and builders alike have essentially absorbed the tariff costs into their expectations now. When planning a new development or shopping for a new home, people know that prices are high. The roughly $9,200 tariff impact is baked into the market.
Going forward, that number might change – it could rise if new tariffs are added, or fall if tariffs are lifted. Keeping an eye on policy changes is important. For now, though, it’s clear that tariffs introduced since 2017 have reshaped the economics of homebuilding.
They have contributed significantly to the rising cost of new homes across the United States, making housing a bit less affordable for everyone. Policymakers, industry groups, and consumers will be watching closely to see how this aspect of the housing puzzle evolves in the coming years.
References
- US construction spending beats expectations in February | Reuters
- How Tariffs Impact the Home Building Industry | NAHB
- NAHB: Lumber Tariffs Harm Housing | Builder Magazine
- A Discussion Around Tariffs on Canadian Lumber | Forest Resources Association
- How might tariffs affect housing construction? | UBS United States of America
- In Win for NAHB, Canadian Lumber Exempt from Trump’s Global Reciprocal Tariffs | NAHB
- US single-family housing starts tumble to an eight-month low in March | Reuters
- Report: High Lumber Costs Add $36,000 to Average Price of New Home | Business Insider
- A $9,200 ‘Tax’ on New Houses — Lumber Tariffs Punish Homeowners | Wood Central
- ‘Mills will close down’: Industry experts warn against lumber trade war with Canada | WGME
- Despite Record-High Costs, New Home Construction Showed Modest Growth in the Fourth Quarter, Redfin Finds | Redfin Corporation
- U.S. Nearly Doubles Canadian Lumber Tariffs | NAHB
- How Will Home Builders Be Affected by 2018’s Steel & Aluminum Tariffs | PWSC
