Canada Confirms Duties on Plate from Germany, Taiwan; Turkey Escapes

The decision–released late last week by the CITT–means that AD duties calculated in January by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will be applied.

The CBSA last month slapped German steelmaker AG der Dillinger Hüttenwerke with a dumping margin of 6.3% on its exports of heavy plate to Canada. All other German exporters face a dumping margin of 68.6%.

China Steel Corporation, the largest integrated steelmaker in Taiwan, was hit with a dumping margin of 7%. All other Taiwanese exporters of heavy plate could see dumping margins of 80.6%.

The trade case process in Canada is like that in the U.S. The CBSA, like the U.S. Commerce Department, calculates duty margins. The CITT, like the U.S. International Trade Commission, decides whether domestic mills have been injured by imports. In Canada, as in the U.S., duties are not imposed unless imports are determined to have injured domestic mills.

The trade case covered hot-rolled carbon steel plate and high strength low-alloy steel plate. Coiled plate and floor plate were not included in the investigation.

“The Tribunal finds that the dumping of the above‑mentioned goods, originating in or exported from Chinese Taipei and Germany, has caused material injury to the domestic industry,” CITT said. The agency will release the reasoning behind that finding withing 15 days.

Canada has only one domestic plate producer, Algoma. And the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario-based steelmaker is taking July orders for plate, market participants have told Steel Market Update. Lead times for Canadian plate, in other words, are already into the second half of 2021.

SMU does not officially track Canadian plate prices. But steel prices in Canada tend to trend with prices in the U.S. once currency exchange rates are considered. And prices have been high.

SMU’s average plate price, fob mill, stands at $1,015 per ton ($50.75/cwt), up 15.3% from $880 per ton at the beginning of the year and up 72% from a summer low of $590 per ton.

By Michael Cowden, Michael@SteelMarketUpdate.com