EU dumping probe pulls down demand for Turkish HDG exports

The European Commission (EC), which announced on June 24 a dumping investigation into hot-dip galvanized coil imports from Turkey and Russia, may announce the preliminary findings of the investigation in the first month of 2022, a Turkish coated coil mill manager told Platts Sept. 16.

Highlighting that they submitted information to the EC in recent weeks, the manager also said that after hearings and the preliminary determination an announcement of definitive measures might not come until mid-2022 or even later.

The probe covers calendar year 2020 and will determine whether the products under investigation are being dumped and if dumped imports have caused injury to EU producers. In addition, the EC said the examination of trends relevant for the assessment of injury will cover the period from Jan. 1 2017 to the end of the investigation period.

Another coated coil producer manager told Platts Sept. 16 that the EC is expected to announce the result of the investigation at the end of December and the provisional measures, if any, will enter into force at the end of January.

“We have submitted the files and we will answer the questionnaires that came from the EC until [Sept. 23]. The result will probably be announced in late-December,” the manager said, adding that EU customers have already begun to ask if they can share any dumping duty amounts to facilitate December sales.

The investigation has already started to affect Turkish mills’ HDG export volumes to the EU in recent months, as it raised European buyers’ cautiousness about a possible duty.

Lower demand from Turkey’s main HDG export destination has also raised the pressure on Turkish mills’ HDG pricing. Some Turkish mills’ 0.50 mm thick HDG offer prices have fallen as low as $1,200-$1,250/mt EXW in recent days, depending on coating thickness, amid slow demand in the domestic market as well. Offers for the same grade HDG were as high as $1,350-$1,400/mt EXW in June.

In April the EC imposed definitive anti-dumping duties of 4.7%-7.3% on imports of hot-rolled coil from Turkey.

A Turkish service center manager said that when an investigation is opened by the EC, it generally results in a dumping duty. “However, the rates of the AD duty are important. I don’t expect Turkish mills will face high rates at the end of the HDG investigation,” he said.

— Cenk Can