U.S. finds dumping of rebar imports from Turkey, Japan

The Commerce Department had determined that imports of steel reinforcement bar, also known as rebar, from Turkey and Japan are being dumped on the U.S. market at unfair prices.    The Commerce Department had determined that imports of steel reinforcement bar, also known as rebar, from Turkey and Japan are being dumped on the U.S. market at unfair prices.
   In addition, the department said the Turkish government is unfairly subsidizing these shipments.
   Dumping occurs when a foreign company sells its products in the United States at unfair prices, while countervailable subsidies are payments by foreign governments to domestic producers based on their export performance or use of domestic inputs over imported goods.
   Based on its investigations, Commerce determined that Japanese exporters have dumped rebar in the United States at 206.43 percent to 209.46 percent less than fair value, while Turkish exporters have sold the same product in the United States at 5.39 percent to 8.17 percent less than fair value and received unfair government subsidies of 16.21 percent.
   Steel rebar imports from Japan have increased from 23,335 metric tons worth $12.3 million in 2013 to 242,336 metric tons in 2015 worth $108.7 million. Similarly, rebar imports from Turkey have increased from 650,049 metric tons worth $381.3 million in 2013 to 1,474,457 metric tons worth $674.4 million in 2015.
   According to the department, imports of steel rebar from Japan in 2016 were estimated at $96.1 million, while these same imports from Turkey were $511.9 million.
   Commerce has now instructed Customs and Border Protection to collect cash deposits from importers of rebar based on these final antidumping and countervailing duty rates.
   The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) is conducting a parallel investigation to determine if the American producers have been harmed by steel rebar imports from Japan and Turkey. The ITC is scheduled to make its final determination by June 29. If the ITC does not find that U.S. producers have been harmed, then the investigations will end, and no duties will be collected.
   The petitioners for these investigations included Byer Steel Group of Cincinnati; Commercial Materials Co. in Irving, Texas; Gerdau Armisteel of Tampa, Fla.; Nucor Corp. in Charlotte, N.C.; and Steel Dynamics of Pittsboro, Ind.
   Since Jan. 20, Commerce has initiated 44 antidumping and countervailing duty investigations. Commerce currently maintains 390 antidumping and countervailing duty orders.