Trade Cases

Status of Flat Rolled Trade Cases & Important Dates to Remember

Written by John Packard


With the announcement of the Preliminary Determination regarding dumping (AD) of hot rolled steel into the United States by Australia, Korea, Japan, Brazil, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Turkey, the next step in the process is for the US Department of Commerce to travel overseas and verify the information received from the countries involved.

Looking at the cases from a 40,000 foot perspective here are the next key dates leading up to the International Trade Commission (ITC) which has the final say in the process of each flat rolled trade case.

You need to remember there are two cases going on each product – Countervailing Duty (CV or CVD) and Antidumping (AD). There are separate cases for each product group: corrosion resistant (galvanized, Galvalume being the two major products), cold rolled and hot rolled steels. Each product has now been through the Preliminary Determination phase with the next step being the US Department of Commerce Final determination and then the ITC final determination. After that there will be a five year sunset review process for each product.

Latest in Trade Cases

Price on trade: The excess capacity threat moves closer to home

The Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity (GFSEC) reaffirmed on Oct. 8 what domestic steel producers have long known—the threat of excess steel capacity never disappeared and is evolving. China’s steelmakers are boosting capacity and exports, echoing the 2016 global steel crisis. There is no doubt that China is successfully weaponizing excess capacity across many industries, and the fatal damage to domestic production and national security undermines the interests of all market-oriented countries. The question now is: How will GFSEC countries respond?