UK TRA Proposes AD Duties on South Korean Hot Rolled Plate, Favors Narrower Scope

The UK's Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) has proposed the imposition of anti-dumping (AD) measures on imports of hot rolled steel plate from South Korea, based on interim findings from its ongoing investigation covering the period from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025.

The proposed duties would range from 7.04% to 22.27% if applied to plates wider than 600 mm but less than 2,500 mm---the authority's preferred option. If applied to the full scope of products under investigation, which includes all plates above 600 mm in width, the duties would range from 5.98% to 24.28%.

The TRA conducted an Economic Interest Test (EIT) to evaluate the broader impact of the measures and found that applying duties across the full scope could negatively affect downstream industries in the UK. Sectors such as renewable energy, shipbuilding, and defense rely in part on wider plates, and the authority found insufficient evidence of sustained domestic production in this segment. The EIT concluded that limiting the measure to narrower plates-those between 600 mm and 2,500 mm-would better meet economic interest criteria, as there is evidence of ongoing UK production in that category. Consequently, the TRA has indicated a preference for imposing measures only on narrower plate imports.

The affected products currently fall under HS codes 7208 5120, 7208 5191, 7208 5198, 7208 5210, 7208 5291, 7208 5299, 7208 9020, 7208 9080, 7210 9030, 72254040, and 7225 4060.