Egypt has imposed a temporary duty on imports of hot-rolled steel at 13.6%

Egypt has imposed a temporary safeguard duty on imports of hot-rolled flat steel, according to SteelOrbis.

The duty will be in effect from September 14 of this year until April 1, 2026. It will be imposed at a rate of 13.6% of the CIF value or a minimum of 3,673 Egyptian pounds per ton.

The Egyptian government took this step amid a significant increase in imports of hot-rolled flat steel, which grew by 31% year-on-year in 2024 and by 116% compared to 2021.

The goods covered by this protective measure fall under codes 7208.10, 7208.25, 7208.26, 7208.27, 7208.36, 7208.37, 7208.38, 7208.39, 7208.40, 7208.51, 7208.52, 7208.53, 7208.54, 7208.90, 7211.14, 7211.19, 7225.30, 7225.40, 7226.91, and 7226.99.

The investigation into imports of hot-rolled flat products into Egypt was launched at the end of April this year. The country’s authorities have notified the World Trade Organization of the introduction of the relevant temporary measures. The move is intended to protect local flat steel producers. The measure applies to all producing countries, which is likely to significantly slow down Egypt’s import activity in this segment.

As part of broader efforts to stabilize the steel market, SteelRadar notes that the Egyptian government has also issued decisions introducing similar temporary duties on imports of other categories of steel for 200 days from September 14, in particular:

• on semi-finished products (blanks) – the duty is 16.2% or at least 4,613 Egyptian pounds/ton,
• cold-rolled steel – 11.11% or a minimum of 4,152 Egyptian pounds/ton,
• galvanized steel – 12.16% or a minimum of 4,812 Egyptian pounds/ton.

According to Egypt, imports of billets to the country in 2024 increased by 227% year-on-year.

As GMK Center reported earlier, South Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance has imposed temporary anti-dumping duties on hot-rolled carbon and alloy steel coils from China and Japan. The temporary duties will be imposed for a period of four months, starting September 1. The rates range from 31.58% to 33.57% for Japanese companies and from 28.16% to 33.1% for Chinese companies.