South Africa slaps provisional AD duties on Chinese color-coated steel

The investigation was launched in December 2025 following petitions from ArcelorMittal South Africa Ltd and Safal Steel (Pty) Ltd, the two producers of the product within the Southern African Customs Union.

The provisional duties range from 8.79% for Zhejiang Huapu Eco-Friendly Materials Co., Ltd to 28.11% for all other Chinese producers and exporters. Hefei HBIS New Material Technology Co., Ltd and its affiliate Suzhou HBIS face 18.83%, while cooperating but unsampled exporters are subject to a weighted-average duty of 13.81%.

ITAC found that Chinese imports surged 51.3% during 2023-2025 and accounted for a huge 84.23% share of South Africa's total imports of the product. The commission concluded that dumped Chinese products had caused material injury to the local industry through price undercutting and declines in sales, output, profitability, and market share.

The ruling covers painted, varnished or plastic-coated flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel, of a width of 600 mm or more, classified under HS codes 7210.70.20, 7210.70.30, 7210.70.40, and 7210.70.90. The dumping probe covered May 1 2024 to April 30 last year while the injury assessment spanned May 1 2022 to April 30 2025.

Chinese exports of color-coated steel have been on a steady upward trend since 2023, Mysteel Global notes. According to data from China's General Administration of Customs, last year the country's exports of the product globally reached around 9.61 million tonnes, surging 23.5% year-on-year and jumping from 7.78 million tonnes in 2024 and 6.39 million tonnes in 2023.

For most Chinese exporters, the 28.11% penalty rate effectively erodes price competitiveness in the South African market, though lower-taxed producers like Zhejiang Huapu may retain some edge during the provisional window, according to industry analysts.

Written by Tiffany Hou, houtianhui@mysteel.com

Edited by Russ McCulloch, russ.mcculloch@mysteel.com