Turkish steelmakers demand tariffs on rolled steel from China and South Korea

The Turkish Association of Cold-Rolled, Galvanized, and Painted Flat Steel Producers (SOGAD) has appealed to the Ministry of Trade to introduce temporary anti-dumping measures on imports of these products from China and South Korea. The reason for this was a wave of imports of these goods after the start of an anti-dumping investigation in December 2024, according to SteelRadar.

SOGAD Secretary General Asuman Gürsoy emphasizes that importers are exploiting loopholes in the current regulations, putting serious pressure on local producers through unfair competition. According to her, the situation threatens the stable operation of the industry, the preservation of national production capacities, and employment in the sector.

“Protecting the efforts of our producers and the country’s production potential is not just a strategic need for the industry, but an inevitable necessity for Turkey,” Gürsoy notes.

Imports of painted rolled steel from China increased by 43% y/y in January-August and reached 299,000 tons. Supplies of galvanized steel from this direction increased by 16% y/y to 109,000 tons. The largest jump was recorded in cold-rolled steel – total imports from China and South Korea increased by 53% y/y, from 290,000 tons to 444,000 tons.

In total, imports of these three product categories reached 1.1 million tons in eight months, which is 31% more than in the same period of 2024. SOGAD warns that without the prompt introduction of preliminary duties, further growth in imports could lead to a loss of market share for domestic producers and a decline in production.

The association expects the Ministry of Trade to consider the request as soon as possible in order to avoid deepening the imbalance in the market and to protect the country’s industrial base.

As a reminder, during January-August 2025, Turkey increased steel imports by 17.9% y/y – to 12.6 million tons. Import costs during this period amounted to $8.8 billion (+3.6% y/y). In August, imports of metal products increased by 18.6% compared to August 2024, to 1.6 million tons, while import costs for the period rose by 2.9% y/y, to $1.1 billion.