The US Department of Commerce (DOC) has announced the preliminary results of its administrative review of the antidumping duty order on hot rolled steel flat products from Japan.
During the review period between October 1, 2022, and September 30, 2023, Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel was found to have made sales of the given products at less than normal value. The DOC has determined weighted-average dumping margins of 29.03 percent for Nippon Steel and zero percent for Tokyo Steel. Previously, the duty on products imported from Nippon Steel was at 1.39 percent. The final result of the review is expected to be announced within 120 days of publication of the preliminary results.
Meanwhile, on the same day of the publication of this preliminary report, Nippon Steel pledged in a letter to the members of US-based United Steelworkers (USW) union regarding its intention to acquire US Steel that the company will not ship slab from its overseas mills to the US after the acquisition, as SteelOrbis previously reported. Although this pledge is for a different product, USW could use the preliminary decision as a tool against foreign ownership of US Steel.