Tariffs Are a Moving Target — Here’s What We’re Seeing

At Power Bolt and Tool, we serve a wide range of trades, from concrete crews and steel fabricators to electricians, HVAC techs, and plumbers. And right now, just about everyone is feeling the impacts of tariffs.

However, these impacts aren’t as simple as a one-to-one cost increase. Tariffs can be a bit of a moving target. Nearly every vendor Power Bolt and Tool works with has raised prices… some by as little as 4%, others by as much as 80%. The challenge for Power Bolt is that we have over 200,000 items in our system, many of which are built from components sourced in multiple countries. Vendors are cycling products in and out of production, and in some cases, even leaving shipments sitting at the port because of tariff costs.

Like most other suppliers, the reality is that we’re having to pass some of the price increases along. The reality is prices probably aren’t coming back down. Jobs already in progress can typically adjust through a change order, which aren’t all that unexpected for project developers. But for upcoming projects, the tariffs can cause serious slowdowns. For example, a mechanical contractor who quoted a big job months ago – but assuming that job hasn’t started yet – they might have to go back to totally re-quote the project.

As of now, we’re watching what is happening closely, and trying to make smart decisions for our business and our customers. Everyone’s trying to minimize the impact, but it’s clear this is affecting all corners of the industry.