USA imposes import duties on structural steel

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

The US Department of Commerce said yesterday that imports of structural steel made in China received subsidies ranging from 30.3 percent to 177.4 percent, while imports from Mexico received up to 74 percent.

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

It was determined that imports of Canadian prefabricated structural steel to the United States would not be subsidized and would not be subject to duties.

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) determined in March that US steel fabricators were affected by imports and recommended duties of 41% for Canadian goods, 219% for Chinese goods and 31% for Mexican imports.

Products that will be subject to the tariff include structural members such as columns, beams and beams, and other steel products that have been manufactured to be assembled or installed in a structure called manufactured structural steel.

The use of the products is as diverse as in commercial, office and multi-unit residential buildings, parking lots, convention centers, healthcare facilities, and transportation and infrastructure facilities.

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