Vietnam slaps 27.83% duty on Chinese wide-width HRC steel

The measure was introduced under the ministry’s Decision No. 612/QD-BCT dated April 2 and will take effect for 120 days from April 17.

The duty applies to HRC products with widths ranging from 1,880 mm to 2,300 mm, covering 24 HS codes from 7208.25.00 to 7226.91.90.

Certain products are excluded, including steel with a carbon content above 0.3 percent and plates with a thickness of 10 mm or more.

Preliminary findings by the investigating authority found evidence that some imports from China were circumventing existing anti-dumping measures.

The practice involved minor modifications to products already subject to anti-dumping duties under Decision No. 1959/QD-BCT dated July 4, 2025.

Authorities said the changes were minimal but sufficient to bypass the duties.

The ministry said rising imports of such modified products had caused material injury to domestic producers and undermined the effectiveness of existing trade remedy measures.

Following the imposition of the temporary duty, the ministry will continue its verification process and hold public consultations with relevant parties before reaching a final conclusion.

Earlier, steelmakers Hoa Phat and Formosa Ha Tinh submitted petitions urging the ministry to launch an investigation, citing signs of anti-dumping duty circumvention in wide-width HRC imports from China and calling for a broader tariff scope.

The petitions were confirmed as valid in September 2025, and an investigation was launched on October 27, 2025.

In the first half of 2025, Vietnam imported nearly 650,000 tonnes of wide-width HRC from China, about 15 times higher than a year earlier, according to data in the case file.

The Vietnam Steel Association said that in 2025, the domestic HRC market was dominated by Hoa Phat with 61 percent and Formosa Ha Tinh with 39 percent.