🇺🇸📦 Will Tariffs Affect Your Siding Project in 2025?

A Look at Vinyl, LP SmartSide, and James Hardie

As global supply chains remain unpredictable and trade policy continues to evolve, tariffs are once again in the spotlight for homeowners and contractors planning exterior renovation projects. One of the big questions we’re hearing in 2025:

Will tariffs affect siding prices, and if so, which materials are most impacted?

Let’s break it down by three of the most popular siding products on the market: Vinyl, LP SmartSide, and James Hardie fiber cement.

1. Vinyl Siding

Vinyl siding is made through extrusion, the PVC mixture is heated and pushed through molds to form panels with locking edges and textured faces (often made to resemble wood grain).

💡 Good to Know:

  • While PVC is derived from petroleum, most vinyl siding is manufactured domestically, which helps limit tariff exposure, but it’s still impacted by oil prices and petrochemical market volatility.

  • Higher-end vinyl siding may include co-extruded layers for improved weather resistance, especially in harsh climates.

Tariff Impact: Moderate to High (Depending on Source)

✅ Pros:

  • Manufacturers like CertainTeed, Mastic, and Royal Building Products domestically produce most vinyl siding used in U.S. homes.

  • Local production helps reduce exposure to tariffs on raw materials, such as aluminum or steel.

⚠️ Risks:

  • Some vinyl products (particularly budget lines or specialty colors/textures) are imported from Canada, China, or Europe.

  • Tariffs on petrochemical products or polymers (used in vinyl production) can indirectly increase manufacturing costs, even for U.S.-made products.

Estimated 2025 Cost Increase:

🔺 10–20%, especially for darker colors, premium lines, or imported products

Bottom Line:

If your vinyl siding is made in the U.S., you may see price increases. Imported lines, however, could see more noticeable jumps in cost.

2. LP SmartSide (Engineered Wood)

🛠️ Manufacturing Process (LP’s SmartGuard® System):

1. Wood strands are coated with resins, waxes, and zinc borate

2. They’re compressed and heat-bonded into panels

3. A tough, resin-saturated overlay is added on top



📌 Why This Matters:

  • LP SmartSide’s wood-heavy composition makes it strong, impact-resistant, and easy to work with

  • It’s lighter than fiber cement and cuts like real wood, no special tools required

  • Since it’s mostly wood, it’s subject to market shifts in lumber pricing, but it’s engineered to outperform traditional wood siding

Tariff Impact: Low

✅ Pro:

  • LP SmartSide is a wholly American-made product, manufactured by Louisiana-Pacific (LP Building Solutions) in the U.S.

🔍 Considerations:

Like all wood-based products, LP SmartSide can be influenced by domestic lumber market volatility, which is more about supply/demand than tariffs.

Current Status of Canadian Lumber Tariffs

  • Existing Tariff: Approximately 14.54%, comprising countervailing and anti-dumping duties.

  • Proposed Additional Tariff: An extra 25% was announced in early 2025 but has not been applied to lumber.

  • Exemption: On April 2, 2025, Canadian softwood lumber was exempted from the new 25% reciprocal tariffs imposed on other Canadian goods, maintaining the total tariff rate at 14.54%. U.S. Tariffs on Canadian Lumber

A large portion of U.S. lumber production is owned by Canadian companies, even if the wood itself is harvested and milled within the United States.

🪓 Here’s how that works:

🇨🇦 Canadian-Owned Mills in the U.S.

  • Major Canadian lumber companies, such as West Fraser, Canfor, and Interfor, have invested heavily in U.S. sawmills, particularly in the Southeastern states (e.g., Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina).

  • These U.S. mills use American timber, employ American workers, but are owned and operated by Canadian firms.

This strategy has helped these companies:

  • Avoid tariffs on Canadian-imported lumber

  • Stay competitive in the U.S. market

  • Expand their influence across North America

📦 So, what does this mean in the context of tariffs?

  • Tariffs apply to imported Canadian lumber, not to lumber produced in U.S. mills—even if Canadian companies own those mills.

  • Therefore, Canadian firms with U.S. operations are partially shielded from the harshest effects of tariff increases.

  • However, this does not completely insulate the U.S. construction market from price spikes, because supply is still affected by:

    • Tariff uncertainty

    • Domestic production capacity limits

    • Transportation and labor costs

Estimated 2025 Cost Increase:

🔺 5–10%, likely closer to fall if tariffs persist and lumber demand spikes

🧠 Bottom Line:

Yes, Canadian companies control a large portion of U.S. lumber production, but tariffs still significantly impact lumber imported directly from Canada, especially softwood. This dynamic creates a complex market, where ownership doesn’t always reflect origin, and tariff policy still matters a lot.

Would you like this insight incorporated into your blog about siding and tariffs? It would be a great addition under a “What About Lumber Prices?” section.

3. James Hardie Fiber Cement

James Hardie is made up of 🧱 90% Cement + Sand + Cellulose Composition

Sheet Formation (Hatschek Process)

  • The slurry is poured over a series of rollers and screens, forming thin layers of fiber cement.

  • These layers are pressed together to form a solid sheet.

  • Sheets are then cut to specific sizes and shapes, such as planks, panels, and trim.

Tariff Impact: Possible, but Limited

✅ Pros:

  • James Hardie operates manufacturing plants across the U.S., which helps shield it from most global tariff exposure.

  • While it’s heavy and expensive to ship the main ingredients—cement, aggregates (such as sand and gravel), and water—they are usually sourced locally.

Ready-mix concrete plants operate all over the country and often serve projects within a limited radius.

⚠️ Risks:

  • Any imported machinery parts, finishing materials, or additives used in specialty products may be subject to tariffs.

  • Fiber cement is heavier and requires more logistics, so fuel or transport-related tariff effects could be passed on in delivery costs.

Estimated 2025 Cost Increase:

🔺 3–6%, mostly tied to transportation and green compliance, not raw materials

Bottom Line:

James Hardie is insulated mainly from tariffs, but it could still see slight cost shifts if global supply chains tighten.

What can Homeowners & Contractors Do?

  • You can ask your contractor where the materials are sourced. U.S.-made products are less likely to experience significant price spikes due to tariffs.

  • Get quotes early and lock in prices if you’re planning a spring/summer project, especially for vinyl options that might be imported.

  • Consider alternative options, such as engineered wood (LP SmartSide) or fiber cement (James Hardie), if you’re concerned about price fluctuations.

🏁 Final Thoughts

Tariffs aren’t affecting all siding materials equally. While vinyl siding and LP SmartSide may see bigger price increases, especially for imported options, James Hardie products are generally safe bets for those looking to avoid tariff-driven cost hikes.

As always, the best move is to stay informed and work with a trusted contractor who can help you navigate both pricing and product availability. If you’re planning a siding project in 2025, now is a smart time to get moving, before potential supply chain changes kick in.