U.S. Steelmakers Again Ask for Tariffs on Imports

American steelmakers on Tuesday filed another petition demanding tariffs on imports of foreign steel, and warned that China's devaluation of the yuan could have severe repercussions on their industry.

Six of the nation's biggest steelmakers—U.S. Steel, Nucor, AK Steel Holdings Corp., ArcelorMittal USA LLC, SSAB Enterprises LLC, and Steel Dynamics Inc.—filed their third trade complaint of the summer, as they attempt to stem what Nucor Chief Executive John Ferriola has called a "tsunami of foreign imports."

The request concerned imports of hot-rolled coil, which is used in making cars, from Australia, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands, Turkey and the U.K. China wasn't named in this petition because the U.S. already has tariffs on imports of that kind of steel from China.

Imports into the U.S. have tapered off after rising 7% in the first quarter. Overall, in the first six months, steel imports are now down 4.6% to 20.9 million tons, according to Global Trade Information Services.

The problem for U.S. steelmakers is sluggish prices, which are kept weak by inexpensive imports. The U.S. index price for hot-rolled coil, a benchmark product, has fallen over 20% since Jan. 1 to $468 per ton.

That is still around $100 higher per ton than the price in Europe, and $200 higher than that in Asia, according to steel buyers, making the U.S. a tempting market.

Imports of hot-rolled steel from the seven countries targeted in the case "increased by approximately 73% from 2012 to 2014, rising from 1.9 million tons to 3.3 million tons," AK Steel said in a statement. "As a result of the increasing volumes of low-priced imports, U.S. producers have suffered significant declines in production, shipments, prices, and profits."

The problem could be compounded by China's move this week to devalue its currency.

Thomas Gibson, a lobbyist in Washington for U.S. Steel Corp., Nucor Corp. and other steelmakers, said China's undervalued currency was causing "massive damage" to "our nation's manufacturing sector, especially the steel industry."

Chinese trade officials have denied intentionally trying to gain market share by currency manipulation.

For U.S. steelmakers, these are not easy times. U.S. Steel, for example, lost $261 million in the second quarter, and other steelmakers have also taken hits to their bottom lines.

Potentially complicating the market, ArcelorMittal and U.S. Steel are both locked in tense negotiations with the United Steelworkers union over a new three-year labor deal. The talks could theoretically end up in a strike, disrupting production.

But buyers aren't worried, says John Packard, publisher of Steel Market Update, who says he recently surveyed a large swath of the market.

"Steel is easy to get right now," he says. "Lead times are short, and service centers have had an abundance of inventory. And there's a perception there's quite a bit of unsold foreign available, so buyers have gotten complacent."

Write to John W. Miller at [e-mail]

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