ArcelorMittal's Pecém unit in Ceará state, Brazil, has approved the first phase of a project to build a new hot-rolled steel coil production line, with an initial investment of BRL 35 million (US$6.8 million) allocated to engineering studies and project development. According to the Ceará state government, full implementation of the rolling mill could eventually require an investment of around BRL 4.5 billion (US$872 million) and create approximately 3,000 construction-phase jobs. The Pecém plant, which currently produces steel slabs with a nominal capacity of 3 million mt per year, would gain the ability to produce higher-value hot-rolled coils under the plan, though physical construction awaits further board approval after the engineering phase concludes. The project reflects ArcelorMittal's broader strategy of adding downstream value at its Brazilian operations amid rising import competition in the domestic steel market. No firm construction start date has been set.

Japan's Ministry of Finance enacted a Cabinet Order imposing a provisional anti-dumping duty on nickel-added cold-rolled stainless steel coil, sheet and strip originating from mainland China and Taiwan, effective July 9 through November 8, 2026. The duty rates range from 3.6% to 42.1% depending on the exporting company, with Taiwan's Yieh United Steel securing a comparatively low rate of 3.86% following the preliminary determination. The action follows an investigation launched in July 2025 after Japan's domestic industry alleged material injury from dumped imports. The measure is one of several anti-dumping and safeguard actions taken by importing countries against flat steel products in 2026 as global overcapacity concerns persist. Final duty determination is expected after the provisional period concludes.

Japan has preliminarily ruled that nickel-added cold rolled stainless steel coil, sheet and strip from China and Taiwan were dumped and caused material injury to local producers. Provisional anti-dumping duties of 3.6%-42.1% will be imposed. If the investigation confirms dumping and injury, Japan may replace the provisional duties with definitive measures.

The South African International Trade Administration Commission officially implemented protective trade safeguards targeting imports of coated flat steel products, effective late June 2026. The emergency structural mechanism applies a generalized three-year steel safeguard tariff on imported corrosion-resistant steel coils entering the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). The regulation is explicitly engineered to insulate domestic sheet-rolling mills from aggressive offshore trade diversion and stabilize base list pricing realizations across the regional manufacturing sector.

The Government of Japan formally announced plans to deploy steep anti-dumping duties targeting imports of nickel-containing cold-rolled stainless steel coils, sheets, and strips from China and Taiwan, effective as early as next month. Following a detailed trade investigation launched in July 2025 after joint industrial complaints from Nippon Steel and Nippon Yakin Kogyo, authorities confirmed that the products were sold at artificially low dumped margins. Ad valorem penalty rates will reach up to 45% for Chinese shipments (including TISCO and POSCO PZSS) and up to 21% for Taiwanese goods

Japan preliminarily determined to impose anti-dumping duties on nickel-bearing cold-rolled stainless steel coil, sheet and strip from China and Taiwan, after finding the imports were dumped and caused material injury to domestic producers. Trade minister Ryosei Akazawa said rates could reach about 45% for Chinese goods and about 21% for Taiwanese goods, with duties possibly taking effect as soon as July. The case, jointly run by METI and the Finance Ministry, began in July 2025 on a complaint led by Nippon Steel and Nippon Yakin Kogyo. China supplies about 20% of Japan's steel-product imports and Taiwan 17%. The measure would close an export outlet for Chinese and Taiwanese 300-series CR stainless amid global overcapacity, likely diverting tonnage to Southeast Asia and other markets.

[SMM Steel] Hoa Phat Dung Quat Steel JSC commissioned a fully integrated steel production line supplied by Primetals Technologies at its Dung Quat facility. The new complex combines two slab casters and a hot-strip mill with advanced automation and digital quality systems, adding 5.5 million tonnes of annual capacity to address surging domestic demand and access high-quality market segments. The two-strand casters deliver 6 million tonnes of annual slab capacity with automated mold-level and width control. The hot-strip mill outputs coils up to 36 tonnes, featuring specialized roll-gap technology for precise strip profiles. The entire system achieved rapid ramp-up, rolling 1.5 mm thin low-carbon steel coils just six weeks from startup.

Shougang Group has released its pricing policy for July 2026 sheets & plates, with prices for most products remaining flat compared to June 2026, while only grain-oriented silicon steel was raised. Shougang Group has released its pricing policy for July 2026 sheets & plates, using the "June 2026 Product Pricing Policy" as a baseline. The specific adjustments are as follows: 1. Base prices for HRC remain unchanged. 2. Base prices for pickled steel coils remain unchanged. 3. Base prices for cold-rolled steel coils remain unchanged. 4. Base prices for hot-dip galvanized sheets remain unchanged. 5. Base prices for galvalume and high-aluminum zinc-aluminum-magnesium coated coils remain unchanged. 6. Base prices for color-coated sheets remain unchanged. 7. Base prices for Chalco zinc-aluminum-magnesium products remain unchanged. 8. Base prices for medium-thickness plates remain unchanged. 9. Silicon steel: Base prices for non-oriented silicon steel remain unchanged, while base prices for grain-oriented silicon steel were raised by 300 yuan/mt. The above adjustments are all ex-tax prices. This adjustment takes effect from the date of issuance, and the right of interpretation rests with the Marketing Center of Shougang Co., Ltd. Notice is hereby given. Marketing Center of Shougang Co., Ltd. June 16, 2026

Hoa Phat’s 2025 results marked a major step-up driven by the ramp-up of Dung Quat 2, pushing crude steel output above 11 million tons and lifting earnings through higher volumes and cost dilution despite weak global steel prices. Growth was supported by stronger HRC and downstream sales, a rising export mix, and continued domestic dominance. The year also signals a strategic shift toward higher-value products and future capacity expansion into rail and special steels.

Case Details September 18, 2025 Vietnam’s Trade Remedies Authority issued an announcement stating that, on September 10, 2025, a Vietnamese producer filed an application for an anti-circumvention investigation into HRC (Vietnamese: phẩm thép cán nóng) originating in China with a width greater than 1,880 mm and less than 2,300 mm. October 27, 2025 Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade issued Announcement No. 3176/QD-BCT, stating that, upon application by a Vietnamese producer, it had initiated an anti-circumvention investigation in the anti-dumping case concerning HRC (Vietnamese: phẩm thép cán nóng) originating in China, to examine whether the products under investigation had been slightly modified into HRC with a width exceeding 1,880 mm and less than or equal to 2,300 mm for export to Vietnam in order to evade anti-dumping duties. The announcement took effect on the date of issuance. April 2, 2026 Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade temporarily applied anti-circumvention trade remedy measures to certain hot-rolled steel plate products originating in the People’s Republic of China. The Vietnamese tariff codes of the products under investigation are 7208.25.00, 7208.26.00, 7208.27.19, 7208.27.99, 7208.36.00, 7208.37.00, 7208.38.00, 7208.39.20, 7208.39.40, 7208.39.90, 7208.52.00, 7208.53.00, 7208.54.90, 7208.90.90, 7211.14.15, 7211.14.16, 7211.14.19, 7211.19.13, 7211.19.19, 7211.90.12, 7211.90.19, 7225.30.90, 7225.40.90, 7225.99.90, 7226.91.10, and 7226.91.90. All producers and export enterprises of the People’s Republic of China are subject to an anti-dumping duty rate of 27.83 Products not subject to the temporary anti-circumvention trade remedy measures include: hot-rolled steel plate products with carbon content (by weight) > 0.30%; hot-rolled steel plate products in coil form with thickness ≥10 mm; hot-rolled steel plate products formally excluded from the scope of anti-dumping duties pursuant to Decision No. 1959/QĐ-BCT dated July 4, 2025; and steel plate products of grades BW450, BS700MCK2, AG700, and LG700T. This decision will take effect 15 days after the date of issuance. From Anti-Dumping to Anti-Circumvention: What Changed in the Export Data? Previously, Vietnam’s anti-dumping duties on China’s hot-rolled coil products applied only to products with a width not exceeding 1,880 mm, leading many Chinese exporters to evade tariffs by “slightly adjusting” product specifications into the wider 1,880-2,300 mm range. This anti-circumvention investigation and the subsequent duty decision were intended to completely close this loophole. Under the new rules, hot-rolled steel coils with widths between 1,880 mm and 2,300 mm will also be included in the taxable scope and be subject to the same anti-dumping duty rate of 27.83 as the original products. Figure 1 Relationship Between Total HRC Exports to Vietnam and Exports of Products Involved in the Anti-Circumvention Case It can be seen that before the anti-dumping case was filed, China’s HRC exports to Vietnam mainly consisted of conventional-width coils below 1,880-2,300 mm. This was mainly because producing wide hot-rolled products above 2 meters requires special production lines, and the China steel mills capable of exporting such products were highly concentrated, mainly large steel enterprises such as Baowu, Angang, Bensteel Group, and WISCO, making them non-mainstream export products. After the preliminary anti-dumping ruling, the proportion of wide coils gradually increased. Another set of data shows the following . First, if the preliminary anti-dumping ruling is taken as the time period, China’s HRC exports to Vietnam from January to June of that year had already plunged 46 YoY to 2.3165 million mt, while exports of wide coils surged 815 YoY to 1.2964 million mt. This was also the main support for why the decline in the average exports of China’s HRC to Vietnam was not obvious during the period from the preliminary anti-dumping ruling to the filing of the anti-circumvention case. Second, if the filing of the anti-circumvention case is taken as the time period, as of December 2025 , China’s total HRC exports to Vietnam were 1.0797 million mt, with a monthly average of 529,900 mt; exports of products involved in the anti-circumvention case totaled 627,000 mt, accounting for 58.08. In other words, in an extreme scenario, the establishment of anti-circumvention measures would reduce the monthly average of China’s HRC exports to Vietnam to 226,300 mt. Furthermore, if 2026 is taken as the time period, because the market had previously expected anti-circumvention measures to be implemented in December, some export traders still conducted transactions before then, so the data for November-December 2025 cannot fully reflect the actual reduction in export volumes caused by concerns over the confirmation of anti-circumvention measures. Since the beginning of 2026, China’s total HRC exports to Vietnam were 229,700 mt, with a monthly average of 114,800 mt; exports of products involved in the anti-circumvention case totaled 131,300 mt, accounting for 57.17. In other words, in an extreme scenario, the establishment of anti-circumvention measures would reduce the monthly average of China’s HRC exports to Vietnam to 49,200 mt, representing a decline of 3,789 YoY compared with the 2025 monthly average export volume. Impact of Anti-Circumvention Measures It is thus evident that the further implementation of anti-circumvention measures will further narrow the channel for China’s hot-rolled products to be exported to Vietnam. Last year, Vietnam was still the largest market for China’s hot-rolled exports, but the export landscape may change significantly in the future as a result of this incident. For China’s export enterprises, they should seize the remaining 15-day “breathing space” and accelerate shipments of orders on hand. In the long run, they need to proactively adjust their product mix and pay more attention to export opportunities for high-end products.