GE Appliances' U.S. investment and its die-casting implications

The new capacity will be deployed into an environment defined by higher barrier to imported appliances, with recent Section 232 tariff expansions bringing washers, dryers, and refrigerator-freezers firmly under the scope of derivative steel and aluminum products.

For U.S. aluminum suppliers, particularly die casters producing high-strength A380 and A356 alloys for appliance components, the combination of new domestic capacity and import displacement could realign orders flows across the consumer durables sector.

Cycle reset

GE’s expansion is distributed across multiple facilities, but two sites stand out for their potential impact on aluminum demand.

In Louisville, Kentucky, home to GE Appliances’ largest plant as well as their headquarters, $490 million will be invested in laundry production, adding combo washer/dryer and front-load washer lines.

The other being the Decatur, Alabama plant where the company will in-source production of six 22-cubic-foot top-freezer refrigerator models, moving work from offshore to the U.S. plant.

Elsewhere, Camden, South Carolina, will double output by adding electric and hybrid heat-pump water heater production; Selmer, Tennessee, will begin building air conditioner models; and LaFayette, Georgia, will expand gas-range production, shifting some output from Mexico.

These projects are layered onto an already significant domestic footprint. GE Appliances operates 11 manufacturing plants across the country and sources 95% of their steel and aluminum used in its U.S. facilities from domestic suppliers.

Die-cast consumer durables

Washing machines typically use an average of 8 kilograms (kg) of die cast aluminum, dryers about 7.2 kg, and refrigerators about 7.2 kg, depending on make/model, structure, and the weight of each appliance, according to the North American Die Casting Association (NADCA). For context, the die-cast content by weight can range from 4.0 kg-11.5 kg for one category.

U.S. high-pressure aluminum die casting figures were around 244,400 metric tons, according to USGS.

The combined domestic output of washers, dryers, and refrigerators in 2024 would’ve required an average of around 81,400 mt of die-cast aluminum – or about 30%-35% of the high-pressure aluminum die cast figures noted by USGS. This excludes sand- and permanent-mold castings, which includes A356, 319.1, and other versions of castings used in the automotive market as well as others.

For the aluminum market, the most relevant outcome of GE Appliances’ expansion lies in the composition of its products and the alloys they use.

Die-cast aluminum content in major appliances centers on two alloys: A380 and A356. These secondary alloys are used for their strength, machinability, and heat resistance, used in motor housings, fan blades, and structural brackets.

Wrought alloys fill other roles in these home goods. Common alloy like 3003 are used for duct and tubing for corrosion resistance, while 5052 is employed in structural parts requiring corrosion resistance as well.

Louisville to Decatur

Louisville and Decatur represent the bulk of new die-cast aluminum demand in this investment.

In Louisville, the combination of washer and dryer output means, assuming the washers’ and dryers’ die-cast content is treated as two separate units, a combined 100,000 washer/dryer units would create a little more than 1,500 metric tons of incremental demand.

In Decatur, each 100,000 refrigerators shifted from imports to domestic production brings another 720 mt of casting demand into the U.S.

Because 95% of the aluminum GE Appliances consumes in its U.S. plants is already sourced domestically, the increase in finished-unit output translates almost directly into increased domestic orders, rather than greater demand for imported material.

Imports drying up

In June 2025, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security expanded the list of derivative products subject to Section 232 tariffs to include finished household appliances, such as combined refrigerator-freezers, washing machines, and dryers.

The expanded scope closes a gap that had allowed foreign-produced appliances to enter the U.S. without the same tariff load carried by raw materials or semi-finished components. For producers like GE Appliances, the result is a competitive boost for U.S.-made units, whether the additional capacity is meeting new demand or replacing imports.

Heavy load

Before the tariff expansion was finalized, GE Appliances submitted comments urging the BIS not to apply the broadened Section 232 measures to certain components parts used in its U.S. production. The company stressed many of these components, i.e. compressors, wiring harnesses, specific motors, and control boards, are unavailable domestically in the specifications or quantities needed. Reshoring them would require years of engineering and recertification, potentially delaying product development.

The company warned that absorbing 50% tariffs on such inputs would cut into its average annual U.S. reinvestment of $350 million, without leading to greater purchases from U.S. part suppliers.

Despite these objections, BIS moved forward with including finished appliances under the expanded tariffs. While GE Appliances opposed certain applications of the rule, the company’s substantial domestic footprint seemingly positions it to benefit from any import-displacement dynamic.

Parallel moves

In parallel with GE Appliances’ expansion, other major players in the consumer durables space may also increase their U.S. manufacturing base in response to tariffs.

LG Electronics is moving to expand its Clarksville, Tennessee complex, capable of producing one million front- and top-load washing machines per year with a new 560,000-square-foot warehouse, and the potential to add refrigerator production.

Samsung Electronics is weighing a shift of dryer production from Mexico to its Newberry, South Carolina, facility, which can produce one million washing machines per year.

If LG Electronics’ Clarksville plant and Samsung Electronics’ Newberry plant reaches its stated one million-unit capacity, using the industry midpoint estimate of roughly 8 kg of aluminum die castings per washing machine and applying the domestic sourcing share of 55% of total U.S. purchases, the combined volume of aluminum die-castings required would equate to around 15,500 metric tons per year.

It’s difficult to determine the capacity utilization of both plants currently or in the future, but for context, that would represent a little more than 6% of total die-cast alloy production in 2024 across two plants, according to USGS (and excluding sand and permanent-mold casts). Keep in mind those products are competing with end markets like the U.S. automotive market, and there’s other consumer durable plants to consider.