Steel Mills

JSW USA Sues Commerce Over Tariffs on Slabs
Written by Tim Triplett
August 6, 2019
JSW Steel (USA), Inc., is seeking relief from the Section 232 tariffs on the steel slabs it must import temporarily to supply its mill in Baytown, Texas. The U.S. arm of the India-based steel producer has filed a complaint against the U.S. alleging that the Commerce Department’s denial of JSW’s request for exclusion from the 25 percent tariff was “arbitrary and capricious” and violated the company’s right to due process.
JSW USA is in the process of installing a new electric arc furnace at its Baytown plant. It is also investing millions in upgrades at its mill in Mingo Junction, Ohio. In the meantime, it is reliant on imported slabs from India and Mexico, which it maintains are not available in a sufficient quantity or quality in the United States. As a result, the company contends it has paid tens of millions in tariffs from which it should have been exempted.
States JSW’s complaint: “The Department of Commerce ignored the record evidence establishing that the steel slab JSW USA imports is not presently available in the U.S. market, and instead issued the same boilerplate denial to each and every one of JSW USA’s exclusion requests. In denying JSW USA’s exclusion requests, the Department yielded to the objections of three competitive domestic steel producers…which filed thousands of objections to their domestic competitors’ exclusion requests. In their objections, the companies claimed, without any evidence, that they could supply at least 85 million metric tons of steel when (a) their total capacity is only 35 million metric tons and (b) they do not and cannot produce many of the types and sizes of products needed. In sustaining the domestic competitors’ objections, the Department undertook no effort to verify their claims, ignored the conclusive evidence that these companies are unable to produce the subject products in the required quality or quantity, and failed even to offer any reasoned basis for its decisions.”
JSW’s complaint seeks declaratory relief from the U.S. Court of International Trade and the refund of any tariffs paid.

Tim Triplett
Read more from Tim TriplettLatest in Steel Mills

Steel Summit: Schneider sees SDI ‘on the edge of a very good run’
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) President and Chief Operating Officer, Barry Schneider, remains bullish about the Fort Wayne, Ind.-based steelmaker’s position in the current market.

Steel Summit: Burritt says USS and Nippon are fast-tracking modern steelmaking
U.S. Steel President and CEO David Burritt told audiences at SMU's Steel Summit 2025 that the iconic American steelmaker’s partnership with Nippon Steel is fast-tracking smarter steel production.

Nucor moves to stop HRC price slide with $10/ton hike
Nucor is attempting to halt the decline in hot-rolled coil prices with the announcement of a $10-per-short-ton increase in its weekly consumer spot price on Monday.

Explosion rocks ArcelorMittal’s DR plant in Mexico
ArcelorMittal reported a "strong" explosion at the direct reduction part of its massive Lazaro Cardenas mill in Mexico.

SDI to acquire remaining stake in New Process Steel
Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) announced that it has agreed to acquire the remaining 55% equity interest in New Process Steel.