In Broad Victory for U.S. Rebar Industry, ITC Extends Antidumping Duty Orders on Rebar from Belarus, China, Indonesia, Latvia, Moldova, Poland and Ukraine

Today, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) voted to extend the antidumping duty orders covering steel concrete reinforcing bar (rebar) from Belarus, China, Indonesia, Latvia, Moldova, Poland and Ukraine for an additional five years. The ITC made its decision in the second “sunset review” covering these products.

In such reviews, which are held every five years, the ITC determines whether or not the termination of antidumping and/or countervailing duty orders would likely lead to the continuation or recurrence of material injury to the domestic industry. After conducting a full investigation on the orders on rebar from Belarus, China, Indonesia, Latvia, Moldova, Poland and Ukraine, the ITC determined that revocation of the orders on all seven countries would likely result in injury to domestic rebar producers. This is the broadest win for a primary steel product in a sunset review in several years.

“We are pleased by the ITC’s affirmative determinations with regard to all seven countries,” said Alan H. Price, chair of Wiley Rein’s International Trade Practice and counsel to the Rebar Trade Action Coalition (RTAC), a coalition of U.S. rebar producers. “Given the nature of the rebar market, imports are made entirely at the expense of the domestic industry. In this case, global demand for rebar has collapsed, and all seven countries involved are export platforms that would ship significant volumes to the U.S. market in the absence of antidumping duty orders.”

Prior to today’s vote, the U.S. Department of Commerce determined in a separate proceeding that producers in Belarus, China, Indonesia, Latvia, Moldova, Poland and Ukraine would resume selling rebar at less than its fair value if the orders were revoked. By voting to extend the trade relief covering rebar from the seven subject countries, the ITC will help prevent unfairly priced rebar imports from entering the U.S. market and forestalling or reversing the domestic industry’s recovery.