ITC Rules Against Duties on Imported Steel

A U.S. trade agency rejected a complaint by domestic steelmakers that imports from China, Indonesia, Slovakia and Taiwan are harming the U.S. industry, handing a victory to foreign steel producers. With a 5-1 vote, the International Trade Commission found that the imported cold-rolled steel, used in automobiles and home appliances, isn’t harming U.S. producers. The decision blocked the Commerce Department from imposing duties of up to 163% on sales by such companies as China Steel Corp. and Indonesia’s PT Krakatau Steel. “It was very difficult to show that the imports were having any effect on the prices in the market,” said William Barringer, a trade lawyer who represents foreign steelmakers. The decision marks only the third time the ITC, an autonomous government agency, has ruled against duties on steel since U.S. manufacturers began a campaign to block low-priced imports in 1998, Barringer said. The U.S. producers who lost the case are already appealing the previous ITC ruling on cold-rolled steel and will appeal this decision to the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York.

*

Guide to Our Staff: Need to reach Business section reporters or editors? A guide to the section’s staff can be found at: https://www.latimes.com/bizstaff.