Steel Mills

Mexico Initiating HRC Antidumping Investigation on France, Germany & China

October 4, 2014

Hot-rolled coil steel from Germany, China and France may soon be subjected to antidumping duties from Mexico.

Mexico’s Ministry of economy has launched an investigation following a complaint by Ternium Mexico and Altos Hornos de Mexico (AHMSA) that imports of HRC from the three countries between 2011 and 2013 lowered prices and harmed Mexican producers.

The product in question is carbon steel or steel alloy, non-stripped and not coated, clad or plated, with a width of 600mm or greater.

Ternium and AHMSA are two of the largest steel producers in Mexico at 1.4 million tons and 955,326 tons of production, respectively, in the second quarter of 2013.

Antidumping duties on steel tube from Spain, India and US has also been called for by Mexican producers.

Imports of tubes used for oil and gas pipelines have increased 2,191 percent in the three years to Q1 2014. The pipes in question have an external diameter of 406.4mm or greater.

Mexican companies are asking for duties of 40-120 percent and are planning an additional complaint against imports of the product from China, according to Mexican steel industry association Canacero.

It has been suggested that the inclusion of the United States in the complaint is in response to antidumping duties imposed by the US on rebar imports from Mexico.