ASSETCASTING

Steel and aluminium tariff complaints: how long until a mutually agreed solution was notified?

2018 US steel and aluminium measures · All 9 WTO complaints

Total 9 · Completed 3 · Ongoing 6 · Excluded 0

Last observed 2018-08-15 · Updated 2026-10-09

Completed cases3 casesOngoing and excluded cases are not included
Duration Median357 daysMean 865 days
Completed outcome range356 days ~ 1,882 daysMinimum ~ maximum

Same conditions, different outcomes

Completed and elapsed durations are distinguished. Cases with unconfirmed endings are excluded from completed statistics. Historical averages do not predict the remaining duration. Open a case to explore its context.

Turkiye → United States · DS564End unconfirmed · 2018-08-15—

Observed 2018-08-15 → End unconfirmed · As of 2026-10-09

Measure at issue
2018 US steel and aluminium Section 232 measures
Request for consultations
2018-08-15
Measured endpoint
Mutually agreed solution notification · Not reached
Latest procedure on the official page
2023-02-20 · Turkiye contested procedural legality after the US appeal notification · Mutually agreed solution notification unconfirmed

No mutually agreed solution notification was confirmed on the official WTO case page when checked on 2026-10-09. Turkiye contested procedural legality after the US appeal notification · Mutually agreed solution notification unconfirmed. An unconfirmed end means this measured endpoint is unconfirmed, not a determination that hearings, negotiations or a trade war currently continue. Neither completed nor elapsed duration is displayed numerically, and the case is excluded from the mean.

Switzerland → United States · DS556End unconfirmed · 2018-07-09—

Observed 2018-07-09 → End unconfirmed · As of 2026-10-09

Measure at issue
2018 US steel and aluminium Section 232 measures
Request for consultations
2018-07-09
Measured endpoint
Mutually agreed solution notification · Not reached
Latest procedure on the official page
2023-01-26 · Appeal notified · Mutually agreed solution notification unconfirmed

No mutually agreed solution notification was confirmed on the official WTO case page when checked on 2026-10-09. Appeal notified · Mutually agreed solution notification unconfirmed. An unconfirmed end means this measured endpoint is unconfirmed, not a determination that hearings, negotiations or a trade war currently continue. Neither completed nor elapsed duration is displayed numerically, and the case is excluded from the mean.

Russia → United States · DS554End unconfirmed · 2018-06-29—

Observed 2018-06-29 → End unconfirmed · As of 2026-10-09

Measure at issue
2018 US steel and aluminium Section 232 measures
Request for consultations
2018-06-29
Measured endpoint
Mutually agreed solution notification · Not reached
Latest procedure on the official page
2024-06-23 · Panel authority lapsed after suspension · Mutually agreed solution unconfirmed

No mutually agreed solution notification was confirmed on the official WTO case page when checked on 2026-10-09. Panel authority lapsed after suspension · Mutually agreed solution unconfirmed. An unconfirmed end means this measured endpoint is unconfirmed, not a determination that hearings, negotiations or a trade war currently continue. Neither completed nor elapsed duration is displayed numerically, and the case is excluded from the mean.

Norway → United States · DS552End unconfirmed · 2018-06-13—

Observed 2018-06-13 → End unconfirmed · As of 2026-10-09

Measure at issue
2018 US steel and aluminium Section 232 measures
Request for consultations
2018-06-13
Measured endpoint
Mutually agreed solution notification · Not reached
Latest procedure on the official page
2023-01-26 · Appeal notified · Mutually agreed solution notification unconfirmed

No mutually agreed solution notification was confirmed on the official WTO case page when checked on 2026-10-09. Appeal notified · Mutually agreed solution notification unconfirmed. An unconfirmed end means this measured endpoint is unconfirmed, not a determination that hearings, negotiations or a trade war currently continue. Neither completed nor elapsed duration is displayed numerically, and the case is excluded from the mean.

Mexico → United States · DS551Completed · 2018-06-05357 days

Observed 2018-06-05 → 2019-05-28 · As of 2026-10-09

Measure at issue
2018 US steel and aluminium Section 232 measures
Request for consultations
2018-06-05
Measured endpoint
Mutually agreed solution notification · 2019-05-28
Latest procedure on the official page
2019-07-11 · Mutually agreed solution notified · Report recording the agreement

From the consultation request on 2018-06-05 to notification of the mutually agreed solution on 2019-05-28 was 357 days. The notification date is used and may differ from the actual agreement or tariff-removal date. This is an observed interval in WTO procedures, not the duration of an entire trade war.

Canada → United States · DS550Completed · 2018-06-01356 days

Observed 2018-06-01 → 2019-05-23 · As of 2026-10-09

Measure at issue
2018 US steel and aluminium Section 232 measures
Request for consultations
2018-06-01
Measured endpoint
Mutually agreed solution notification · 2019-05-23
Latest procedure on the official page
2019-07-11 · Mutually agreed solution notified · Report recording the agreement

From the consultation request on 2018-06-01 to notification of the mutually agreed solution on 2019-05-23 was 356 days. The notification date is used and may differ from the actual agreement or tariff-removal date. This is an observed interval in WTO procedures, not the duration of an entire trade war.

European Union → United States · DS548End unconfirmed · 2018-06-01—

Observed 2018-06-01 → End unconfirmed · As of 2026-10-09

Measure at issue
2018 US steel and aluminium Section 232 measures
Request for consultations
2018-06-01
Measured endpoint
Mutually agreed solution notification · Not reached
Latest procedure on the official page
2022-01-20 · Panel proceedings withdrawn and referred to Article 25 arbitration · Arbitration suspended indefinitely

No mutually agreed solution notification was confirmed on the official WTO case page when checked on 2026-10-09. Panel proceedings withdrawn and referred to Article 25 arbitration · Arbitration suspended indefinitely. An unconfirmed end means this measured endpoint is unconfirmed, not a determination that hearings, negotiations or a trade war currently continue. Neither completed nor elapsed duration is displayed numerically, and the case is excluded from the mean.

India → United States · DS547Completed · 2018-05-181,882 days

Observed 2018-05-18 → 2023-07-13 · As of 2026-10-09

Measure at issue
2018 US steel and aluminium Section 232 measures
Request for consultations
2018-05-18
Measured endpoint
Mutually agreed solution notification · 2023-07-13
Latest procedure on the official page
2023-08-08 · Mutually agreed solution notified · Report recording the agreement

From the consultation request on 2018-05-18 to notification of the mutually agreed solution on 2023-07-13 was 1882 days. The notification date is used and may differ from the actual agreement or tariff-removal date. This is an observed interval in WTO procedures, not the duration of an entire trade war.

China → United States · DS544End unconfirmed · 2018-04-05—

Observed 2018-04-05 → End unconfirmed · As of 2026-10-09

Measure at issue
2018 US steel and aluminium Section 232 measures
Request for consultations
2018-04-05
Measured endpoint
Mutually agreed solution notification · Not reached
Latest procedure on the official page
2023-01-26 · Appeal notified · Mutually agreed solution notification unconfirmed

No mutually agreed solution notification was confirmed on the official WTO case page when checked on 2026-10-09. Appeal notified · Mutually agreed solution notification unconfirmed. An unconfirmed end means this measured endpoint is unconfirmed, not a determination that hearings, negotiations or a trade war currently continue. Neither completed nor elapsed duration is displayed numerically, and the case is excluded from the mean.

How to interpret this

Completed durations summarize only the 3 cases involving Canada, Mexico and India with confirmed mutually agreed solution notifications. The 6 cases without confirmed notifications, including Russia, also remain listed. Even if panel authority has lapsed, mutually agreed resolution is not assumed. The completed sample alone cannot establish the general speed of trade-dispute resolution.

This population consists of the 9 relevant WTO complaints against the 2018 US steel and aluminium measures, not all trade wars worldwide. US counter-complaints concerning retaliatory tariffs, new tariff measures since 2025 and negotiations outside the WTO are excluded. Cases concern the same measures and some shared panels, so they are not independent observations. Report circulation, agreement notification, appeals and tariff removal are distinct events. Completion means the specified procedural endpoint was reached, not that trade conflict was permanently resolved. Cases with unconfirmed endpoints or no reports remain listed and are excluded only from completed-case statistics. Lapse of panel authority alone is not interpreted as termination of the entire dispute or impossibility of a future agreement. Official pages may not have been updated after the latest procedure, so lack of confirmation is not a definitive statement about present or future negotiations. A mean from a small number of completed cases cannot predict future resolution times.

Conditions, methodology and sources

The population was fixed as the 9 cases concerning the same measures listed under Complaint by / See also on WTO DS544, with matching cross-lists verified on the other 8 official pages: DS544·547·548·550·551·552·554·556·564. Cases were not selected by completion status or duration. The consultation-request date in the official case summary is used as the start date, not the request document’s drafting or distribution date. Differences between UTC midnight dates are calculated without adding 1 day to include both endpoints. Original pages were checked on 2026-10-09 and retained with their hashes. Values were extracted from publicly documented procedural facts; source explanations were not translated and reproduced. The endpoint is the DSB notification date of the mutually agreed solution specified in the WTO case summary and may differ from the notification document’s distribution date. Uses Canada 2019-05-23, Mexico 2019-05-28 and India 2023-07-13. The 4 appeal-related cases, 1 suspended EU arbitration case and 1 Russian case with lapsed panel authority all retain unconfirmed mutually agreed solution notifications, with completed and elapsed values both null. Lapse of panel authority does not establish termination of the whole dispute or impossibility of a future agreement. Panel reports, withdrawals, referrals to arbitration and lapses of authority are not substituted for mutually agreed solutions.