If you've been getting quotes on a steel building, you've heard some version of "steel just went up 50%."
So let's deal with your first question straight away.
Kodiak's buildings aren't subject to the tariffs
We build with Canadian steel, sourced through Canadian Metal Buildings.
Canada's counter-tariffs apply to goods of U.S. origin. Ours aren't. There's no tariff to pass along to you, no surcharge appearing on your invoice, and no duty bill waiting at the border with your name on it.
If you're quoting with us, that's the whole story. Your price is your price.
Now here's the part that matters if you're holding more than one quote.
What actually happened September 8
Canada's counter-tariffs on U.S. goods took effect September 8, covering about $27.6 billion in American imports at rates of 15%, 25% or 50%.
Structural steel is on the list. That's the part everyone heard.
Here's the part they didn't: the tariff applies to specific product classifications, not to "steel" in general. Certain structural steel components carry the 50% rate. Complete prefabricated buildings are classified differently, and that classification isn't on the list.
So whether a building costs more depends on how it's classified and where it was actually made, not on whether it's made of steel. Two buildings that look identical can land on opposite sides of that line.
That's not a loophole. That's how customs works. It's also why "don't worry about it" from a salesperson isn't worth much right now.
And you shouldn't take our word for any of this either. Everything we just told you about our own buildings, you should make us put in writing — same as anyone else you're talking to.
Seven questions to ask before you sign
1. What's the exact tariff classification? The full 10-digit number, in writing. This one number decides whether a tariff applies at all.
2. Where was it made, and can you prove it? A company can have a Canadian name and a Canadian address while shipping a building made in a U.S. plant. Ask for the documentation.
3. Who's the importer of record? Somebody is legally on the hook for the duty. Sometimes that somebody is you, and you find out at the border.
4. If a tariff applies, who pays it? Different question from #3, and the one that decides whether your budget holds. Some contracts pass the cost straight to you in a clause nobody reads.
5. Is my price in Canadian dollars, and is it locked through delivery? A U.S.-dollar quote is a moving target. So is a CAD quote with no expiry date.
6. Who pays if the shipment gets held at the border? Storage, rehandling, and a crew standing around a site with nothing to set. Somebody eats that cost.
7. If it shipped before September 8, does it qualify for the in-transit exclusion? Goods already in transit when the measures took effect were excluded — but you need documentation proving when it moved.
And the questions that mattered before any of this
What's actually in the quote; anchor bolts, doors, delivery, stamped drawings for your province? Does it meet snow and wind loads for your specific site, not just "Ontario"? And when something's short or damaged after delivery, does anyone pick up the phone?
If you've got a project in motion
Call your supplier and ask questions 1, 2, 3 and 7. Get it in an email, not a phone call. If the answers are vague, that's information, act on it before your next payment.
Where we land
We're not going to tell you the sky is falling. Plenty of buildings will come through this with no tariff attached, and some suppliers will use the headline to justify a price increase they already wanted.
But this is a bad time to take anyone's word for anything, and a good time to ask for documents.
Send us a quote you've received from another supplier and we'll tell you what we see. Including if it looks fine.
