US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, with whom Australia was negotiating in the days before the tariffs were finalised, singled out Australia for criticism.

The United States accounts for about A$1 billion (S$837 million) of purchases of Australian steel and aluminium each year, or about 10 per cent of total Australian exports. The US is the largest export destination of Australian steel and the third-largest of aluminium.

Australia will not impose reciprocal tariffs on the United States, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday, after President Donald Trump ruled out exemptions or exceptions for all countries on steel and aluminium tariffs.