US DOC finds dumping on imports of Hot Rolled flat steel from Australia, Brazil, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Turkey and UK
On March 15, 2016, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) announced its affirmative preliminary determinations in the antidumping duty (AD) investigations of certain hot-rolled steel flat products from Australia, Brazil, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
In the Australia investigation, mandatory respondent BlueScope Steel Ltd. received a preliminary dumping margin of 23.25 percent. All other producers/exporters in Australia received a preliminary dumping margin of 23.25 percent.
In the Brazil investigation, mandatory respondents Companhia Siderurgica Nacional and Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais (Usiminas) received preliminary dumping margins of 33.91 percent and 34.28 percent, respectively. All other producers/exporters in Brazil received a preliminary dumping margin of 33.91 percent. The rate for Usiminas was calculated using total adverse facts available because the company did not respond to Commerce’s questionnaire.
In the Japan investigation, mandatory respondents JFE Steel Corporation and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation received preliminary dumping margins of 6.79 percent and 11.29 percent, respectively. The rates for both companies were calculated using partial facts available and adverse facts available, as they did not provide Commerce with certain requested information. All other producers/exporters in Japan received a preliminary dumping margin of 10.24 percent.
In the Korea investigation, mandatory respondents Hyundai Steel Company and POSCO received preliminary dumping margins of 3.97 percent and 7.33 percent, respectively. All other producers/exporters in Korea received a preliminary dumping margin of 5.65 percent.
In the Netherlands investigation, the mandatory respondent Tata Steel IJmuiden B.V. received a preliminary dumping margin of 5.07 percent, which was calculated using partial adverse facts available because the company failed to provide certain requested information. All other producers/exporters in the Netherlands received a preliminary dumping margin of 5.07 percent.
In the Turkey investigation, mandatory respondents Colakoglu Metalurji A.S./Colakoglu Dis Ticaret A.S and Ere?li Demir ve Çelik Fabrikalar? T.A.?./Iskendrun Demir ve Çelik T.A.?. received preliminary dumping margins of 7.07 percent and 5.24 percent, respectively. All other producers/exporters in Turkey received a preliminary dumping margin of 6.82 percent.
In the United Kingdom investigation, the mandatory respondent Tata Steel U.K. Ltd. received a preliminary dumping margin of 49.05 percent. All other producers/exporters in the United Kingdom received a preliminary dumping margin of 49.05 percent.
As a result of the preliminary affirmative determinations, Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to require cash deposits for covered imports of hot-rolled steel flat products based on these preliminary rates.
Critical circumstances were alleged with respect to imports of hot-rolled steel flat products from Australia, Brazil, Japan, and the Netherlands. On December 9, 2015, Commerce preliminarily found that critical circumstances exist with respect to certain exporters from Brazil and Japan. Where critical circumstances were found, CBP will be instructed to retroactively impose provisional measures on entries of hot-rolled steel flat products effective 90 days prior to publication of the preliminary determinations in the Federal Register. Critical circumstances were not found with respect to imports of hot-rolled steel flat products from Australia and the Netherlands.
The petitioners for these investigations are AK Steel Corporation (OH), ArcelorMittal USA LLC (IL), Nucor Corporation (NC), SSAB Enterprises, LLC (IL), Steel Dynamics, Inc. (IN), and United States Steel Corporation (PA).
The products covered by these investigations are certain hot-rolled, flat-rolled steel products, with or without patterns in relief, and whether or not annealed, painted, varnished, or coated with plastics or other non-metallic substances. The products covered do not include those that are clad, plated, or coated with metal. The products covered include coils that have a width or other lateral measurement (“width”) of 12.7 mm or greater, regardless of thickness, and regardless of form of coil (e.g., in successively superimposed layers, spirally oscillating, etc.). The products covered also include products not in coils (e.g., in straight lengths) of a thickness of less than 4.75 mm and a width that is 12.7 mm or greater and that measures at least 10 times the thickness. The products described above may be rectangular, square, circular, or other shape and include products of either rectangular or non- rectangular cross-section where such cross-section is achieved subsequent to the rolling process, i.e., products which have been “worked after rolling” (e.g., products which have been beveled or rounded at the edges). For purposes of the width and thickness requirements referenced above.
Source: Strategic Research Institute