U.S. Commerce Department Issues Steel, Aluminum Penalty Rulings

The U.S. Department of Commerce made two announcements in August regarding duties on industrial metals product imports.

First, on August 19, the department said it would keep in place countervailing duty (CVD) orders on certain cold-rolled steel flat products from China and South Korea since the department determined revoking the penalties likely would lead to continuation or recurrence of net countervailable subsidies and material injury to the U.S. industry. The department set the final subsidy rate for China at 256.44 percent while the final rates for South Korea range from 4.04 percent to 51.8 percent. The decision took effect August 19, 2022.

Read the full announcement here.

Then, in late August, the department announced that it would initiate proceedings to determine whether imports of 4017 alloy aluminum sheet from China are circumventing the antidumping (AD) and CVD orders on common alloy sheet. The merchandise covered by the orders is aluminum common alloy sheet (common alloy sheet), which is a flat-rolled aluminum product having a thickness of 6.3 mm or less, but greater than 0.2 mm, in coils or cut-to-length, regardless of width. The department is expected to issue a preliminary determination on this matter in January 2023.

This decision followed a petition filed by the association’s Common Alloy Aluminum Sheet Trade Enforcement Working Group. Read the announcement here.