Commerce finds dumping of hot-rolled steel imports

The Commerce Department has determined that imports of certain hot-rolled steel flat products from Australia, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands, Turkey, and the United Kingdom are being dumped on the U.S. market.    The United States Commerce Department has made a preliminary determination that imports of certain hot-rolled steel flat products from Australia, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands, Turkey, and the United Kingdom are being dumped on the U.S. market.
   Dumping occurs when a foreign company sells a product in the United States at less than fair market value.
   In its Australia antidumping investigation, Commerce found that BlueScope Steel Ltd. received a preliminary dumping margin of 23.25 percent, while the country’s other producers/exporters received a preliminary dumping margin of 23.25 percent.
   For its Brazil investigation, the department said Companhia Siderurgica Nacional and Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais (Usiminas) received preliminary dumping margins of 33.91 percent and 34.28 percent, respectively, while the country’s other producers/exporters received a preliminary dumping margin of 33.91 percent. 
   In the Japan investigation, Commerce said JFE Steel Corp. and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. received preliminary dumping margins of 6.79 percent and 11.29 percent, respectively, while all other producers/exporters in Japan received a preliminary dumping margin of 10.24 percent.
   For Commerce’s South Korea investigation, it said Hyundai Steel Co. and POSCO received preliminary dumping margins of 3.97 percent and 7.33 percent, respectively, and the country’s other producers/exporters received a preliminary dumping margin of 5.65 percent.
   In the Netherlands investigation, Commerce reported that Tata Steel IJmuiden B.V. received a preliminary dumping margin of 5.07 percent and all other producers/exporters received a preliminary dumping margin of 5.07 percent.
   For its Turkey investigation, the department said Colakoglu Metalurji A.S./Colakoglu Dis Ticaret A.S and Ereğli Demir ve Çelik Fabrikaları T.A.Ş./Iskendrun Demir ve Çelik T.A.Ş. 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, Commerce said Tata Steel U.K. Ltd. received a preliminary dumping margin of 49.05 percent, while all other producers/exporters in the country received a preliminary dumping margin of 49.05 percent.
   As a result of these determinations, Commerce will instruct Customs and Border Protection to require cash deposits for covered imports of hot-rolled steel flat products based on these preliminary rates.
   The petitioners for these antidumping investigations include AK Steel Corp. of Ohio, ArcelorMittal USA in Illinois, Nucor Corp. of North Carolina, SSAB Enterprises in Illinois, Steel Dynamics of Indiana, and U.S. Steel Corp. in Pennsylvania.
   According to the Commerce Department, in 2015, imports of hot-rolled steel flat products from Australia, Brazil, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Turkey were valued at $122.5 million, $252.6 million, $314.7 million, $649.5 million, $208.4 million, $197.1 million, and $181.7 million, respectively.
   Commerce is scheduled to make its final determinations for these antidumping investigations by Aug. 3. If Commerce, along with the U.S. International Trade Commission, finds that these imports from these countries harm domestic industry, then Commerce will issue antidumping orders. If either Commerce’s or the ITC’s final determination are negative, no antidumping orders will be issued. The ITC is scheduled to make its final injury determinations for this investigation in September.