Turkey’s Ministry of Trade has decided to apply a uniform definitive anti-dumping duty of 3.95pct on imports of cold-rolled stainless steel flat products of Chinese origin, according to the final notification issued following the completion of the anti-dumping investigation.
Although the Ministry calculated company-specific dumping margins for Chinese exporters ranging from 3.95pct to above 13pct during the investigation period, it opted to enforce a single definitive duty rate reflecting the lowest established dumping margin. As a result, the payable anti-dumping duty at customs will be 3.95pct, rather than the higher calculated margins.
The investigation concluded that dumped imports from China caused material injury to the Turkish domestic industry, citing price suppression, loss of market share and deteriorating profitability. Imports from Indonesia, however, were found to have negligible dumping margins, and no anti-dumping duty was imposed on Indonesian exporters.
During the injury investigation period, imports of cold-rolled stainless steel from China amounted to 126,201 tons in 2021, 214,122 tons in 2022, and 166,778 tons in 2023, accounting for 35.6pct, 57.1pct, and 50.1pct of Turkey’s total imports of the product, respectively. Imports from Indonesia totaled 37,721 tons in 2021, 49,724 tons in 2022, and 55,093 tons in 2023, representing market shares of 10.7pct, 13.3pct, and 16.5pct over the same period.
The investigation was initiated following a complaint by Posco Assan, supported by Trinox Metal, alleging that dumped imports caused material injury to the domestic industry. The dumping investigation covered the period from January 1 to December 31, 2023, while the injury analysis spanned January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2023.
The products subject to the measures are classified under Turkish customs tariff codes 7219.31.00.00.00, 7219.32.10.00.00, 7219.32.90.00.00, 7219.33.10.00.00, 7219.33.90.00.00, 7219.34.10.00.00, 7219.34.90.00.00, 7219.35.10.00.00, 7219.35.90.00.00, 7220.20.21.00.11, 7220.20.21.00.12, 7220.20.29.00.11, 7220.20.29.00.12, 7220.20.41.00.11, 7220.20.41.00.12, 7220.20.49.00.11, 7220.20.49.00.12, 7220.20.81.00.11, 7220.20.81.00.12, 7220.20.89.00.11 and 7220.20.89.00.12.
According to local media reports, downstream manufacturers have raised concerns over rising costs and risks to export competitiveness following the imposition of the anti-dumping duty. Industry representatives noted that the 3.95pct duty is applied in addition to the existing 12pct import tariff, lifting the total levy to nearly 16pct, compared with around 8pct two years ago.
Following the announcement, Household and Kitchenware Manufacturers Federation (EVFED) President Guclu Kaplanli warned that the higher import burden could negatively impact production, exports and employment in downstream sectors that rely heavily on stainless steel inputs.
Official trade data cited by local media show that Turkey imported 411,418 tons of cold-rolled stainless steel flat products in 2024, with China supplying 227,273 tons.
