Construction Materials
US Panel Vote Lets Rebar Dumping Probe Proceed
U.S. trade commission finding applies to imports from Japan, Taiwan, Turkey
The U.S. International Trade Commission has determined there is a “reasonable indication” that steel rebar imports from Japan, Taiwan and Turkey—allegedly sold in the U.S. at less than fair value—have done material harm to domestic steelmakers.
The commission’s unanimous vote on Nov. 3 allows a related Commerce Dept. antidumping and countervailing-duty investigation to continue.
Steel rebar imports from the three countries amounted to $854.1 million in 2015, or 19.9% of the $4.5-billion total U.S. consumption of the product, according to the U.S. ITC.
The Rebar Trade Action Coalition, which includes six U.S. rebar producers, filed complaints at the ITC and Commerce against the foreign imports.
The coalition includes Bayou Steel Group, Vinton, Texas; Byer Steel Corp., Cincinnati; Commercial Metals Co., Irving, Texas; Gerdau Ameristeel U.S. Inc., Tampa, Fla.; Nucor Corp., Charlotte, N.C.; and Steel Dynamics Inc., Fort Wayne, Ind.
Alan H. Price, lead counsel to the coalition, said in a Nov. 3 statement, “This ruling confirms the injurious effects that Japanese, Taiwanese and Turkish imports of rebar are having on the U.S. industry.”
Price, a partner with law firm Wiley Rein LLP, added, “Producers in each of these countries are using unfair pricing practices to steal market share from domestic producers. As a result, the domestic rebar industry has been forced to lower prices and has experienced significant declines in profitability.”
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Commerce on Oct. 11 launched investigations of rebar imports from Japan, Taiwan and Turkey.
Commerce’s preliminary finding on countervailing duties is due by about Dec. 14 and its preliminary antidumping duty determination by about Feb. 27, 2017.
According to the coalition, the volume of U.S. rebar imports from the three countries more than doubled in two years, to more than 1.9 million tons in 2015.
Commerce said the alleged dumping margins are more than 200% for Japanese rebar, about 85% for Taiwanese rebar and 67% for Turkish rebar.
