Trade Cases

Commerce sets initial CVDs of 0-140% in coated steel trade case
Written by Laura Miller
February 4, 2025
The Commerce Department on Tuesday issued preliminary subsidy rates in the corrosion-resistant steel (CORE) trade case.
The agency set minimal countervailing duty (CVD) rates for Brazil and Mexico, mostly high rates for Vietnam, and low rates for Canada, except for one privately held distributor.
Commerce assigned that company, Nova Steel, and a handful of Vietnamese companies higher initial subsidy rates “based on facts available with adverse inferences,” it said in a fact sheet on Tuesday. Basically, these smaller companies were penalized with higher rates for failing to respond to Commerce’s initial questionnaires, veteran international trade attorney Lewis Leibowitz told SMU.
US Customs and Borders Protection (CBP) will immediately begin collecting CVDs on coated steel imports at the rates shown in the table below.
Exporter/producer | Preliminary subsidy rates |
---|---|
* indicates rate based on facts available with adverse inferences. | |
Brazil | |
CSN Usiminas/Ternium Brasil All others | 1.72% 0.33% de minimis 1.72% |
Canada | |
ArcelorMittal group, including Dofasco Stelco Nova Steel All others | 1.21% 1.40% 41.40%* 1.22% |
Mexico | |
Ternium Mexico Galvasid All others | 1.56% 0% 1.56% |
Vietnam | |
Hao San Group Ton Dong A Corporation 190 Steel Pipe Co. Vietnam Germany Steel JSC Vietnam Steel Pipe Co. Vina One Steel Manufacturing Corporation VNSteel All others | 0.13% de minimis 0% 140.05%* 140.05%* 140.05%* 140.05%* 140.05%* 140.05%* 46.73% |
Note that de minimis rates are so low that cash deposits aren’t typically required at those rates.
Updated case timeline
Commerce also announced it would appease petitioners’ request to align the final phases of the subsidy and less-than-fair-value/anti-dumping (AD) investigations.
Thus an updated case timeline is shown below. Note that CBP will only collect CVDs over the next two months, with the collection of AD duties starting in early April.
Upcoming CORE trade case events | Current due date |
---|---|
DOC preliminary AD margin | April 3 |
DOC final AD & CVD margin determination | June 17 |
ITC final AD & CVD final determination | August 1 |
CORE import statistics
Commerce also released statistics on CORE imports from the above countries in recent years, which may be of interest to our readers. These figures include galvanized and Galvalume sheet and all coated products covered in these investigations.
Country | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
---|---|---|---|
Source: US Department of Commerce | |||
Brazil | |||
Volume – short tons Value per short ton | 200,959 $1,301 | 200,991 $1,309 | 209,729 $926 |
Canada | |||
Volume – short tons Value per short ton | 1,075,834 $1,204 | 998,198 $1,397 | 1,025,527 $1,220 |
Mexico | |||
Volume – short tons Value per short ton | 577,556 $1,699 | 558,791 $1,660 | 525,366 $1,355 |
Vietnam | |||
Volume – short tons Value per short ton | 605,045 $1,034 | 638,655 $1,177 | 266,840 $905 |

Laura Miller
Read more from Laura MillerLatest in Trade Cases

Industry piles on new Section 232 steel derivative inclusion requests
The Department of Commerce received 97 submissions from producers, manufacturers, and groups seeking Section 232 tariff coverage for steel and aluminum derivative products.

Price on Trade: New EU steel tariffs don’t mean the US should weaken its stance
Any steel imports into the EU that exceed the new, lower quota level would be subject to a 50% tariff, which represents a major increase from the EU’s current 25% out-of-quota tariff. This move would largely align the EU’s steel tariff rate with Canada and the United States.

Global steel forum sets 2026 framework deadline as US ups pressure on excess capacity
Global steelmakers sounded the alarm Friday over the deepening excess steelmaking capacity crisis. Ministers at the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity (GFSEC) in Gqeberha, South Africa, pledged to...

CRU: China’s indirect steel exports find new destination markets
The boom in China’s direct steel exports has not stopped this year, even with a rise in protectionist measures globally. The increase is driven by...

U.S. Steel sues Algoma over iron pellet shipments
U.S. Steel is suing Algoma over the Canadian flat-rolled producer's rejection of iron pellet shipments, arguing it has breached its contract.