U.S. might have to exempt some German steels from tariffs - minister

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier arrives to the weekly cabinet meeting in Berlin, Germany, May 23, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

BERLIN (Reuters) - The United States might have to exempt certain types of steel made in Germany from import tariffs especially if U.S. firms dependent on special metals struggle to find locally-produced alternatives, a German minister said.

Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said in an interview published on Saturday that U.S. companies which rely on special types of German steel would have to raise prices and therefore this would put pressure on the U.S. government to exempt some metals from the 25 percent tariffs.