US sets preliminary anti-dumping duties of up to 130.77% on Vietnamese rebar

The decision follows a preliminary finding in an anti-dumping investigation covering reinforcing steel bars imported from Vietnam under 17 tariff codes.

Under the ruling, Hoa Phat Group and its affiliated companies face a preliminary duty rate of 121.97 percent, while all other Vietnamese producers and exporters are subject to a rate of 130.77 percent.

The preliminary rates are higher than those applied to exporters from Bulgaria and Egypt, which are also under investigation.

Bulgaria faces a rate of 52.8 percent, while Egyptian exporters' rates range from 34.2 percent to 52.73 percent.

Vietnam’s exports of reinforcing steel bars to the United States have risen sharply in recent years, increasing from about 43 tonnes worth roughly US$43,000 in 2022 to 27,700 tonnes valued at $16.8 million in 2023 and about 56,400 tonnes worth nearly $30 million in 2024, the Trade Remedies Authority of Vietnam said.

The DOC may issue additional questionnaires and conduct on-site verification of Vietnamese companies before issuing a final determination, expected in July.

In a separate countervailing duty investigation earlier this year, the DOC set a preliminary subsidy rate of 1.08 percent for Hoa Phat and other Vietnamese exporters, compared with 72.94 percent for Algerian exporters and 29.51 percent for Egyptian exporters.