US imposes duties for structural steel imports

The US Department of Commerce has ruled that duties should be imposed on fabricated structural steel imports from China and Mexico.

Imports of Chinese fabricated structural steel into the US received subsidies of 30.3pc-177.4pc, while Mexican imports received subsidies up to 74pc, the Commerce Department said yesterday.

The department is instructing the US Customs and Border Protection agency to collect cash deposits from importers of fabricated structural steel from China and Mexico. The final countervailing duty determination will be announced by 19 November.

Imports of Canadian fabricated structural steel into the US were determined to not be subsidized and will not have duties placed on them.

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) in March determined US fabricated structural steel makers were being injured by imports and recommended duties of 41pc for Canadian products, 219pc for Chinese goods and 31pc for Mexican imports.

The products that will be covered by the tariffs include structural components like columns, beams and girders, along with other steel products that have been fabricated for assembly or installation into a structure — referred to as fabricated structural steel.

The use of the products are as varied as for commercial, office, and multi-family residential buildings, parking decks, convention centers, medical facilities, and transportation and infrastructure facilities.

Products that would be excluded from the new tariffs will include certain types of rebar, fabricated structural steel used in bridges, and pre-engineered metal building systems.