Trade
South Korea Finalizes Anti-Dumping Duties of Up to 33.67% on Chinese Galvanized Steel
Oct 25, 2026 · Brynick Newsroom, Ningbo
South Korea's Trade Commission has finalized anti-dumping duties of 22.34% to 33.67% on galvanized cold-rolled steel from China, to apply for five years. At its 478th meeting on October 23, 2026, the commission carried over the provisional duty rates imposed in April unchanged as the final duties, after finding that dumped Chinese volumes had caused substantial injury to domestic producers.
Under the decision, the commission recommended that the Minister of Economy and Finance impose a price undertaking arrangement covering ten Chinese exporters. The Seoul Economic Daily reports that all of the companies concerned except Winston Development accepted the undertaking, under which an exporter raises its export price enough to avoid injuring the domestic industry in exchange for a suspension of anti-dumping duty payments. Reports of the meeting differ slightly on the procedural framing — one describes the duties as recommended to the minister, the other as approved by the commission — and neither report specifies the exact effective date of the final duties, so buyers should confirm the ministerial step and start date before relying on the new rates.
The product at issue matters well beyond flat steel. Galvanized cold-rolled steel is cold-rolled sheet coated with zinc or zinc alloy, used in building materials, automotive parts, home appliances, piping and steel tubes — and galvanized steel is a core raw material for wire partitions, wire containers, wire decking and other storage equipment. A five-year duty wall in a major Asian market can redirect regional steel flows and put upward pressure on galvanized input costs even for buyers outside Korea, as mills reroute volumes and reprice export offers. Note, however, that the duties as reported cover flat galvanized cold-rolled steel; the reports do not state that finished wire products themselves fall within the scope, so buyers should confirm the applicable HS code and exporter-specific rate for their own goods.
The case has been running for almost a year: the investigation began in November 2025 at the request of three domestic companies, including Dongkuk Steel. At the same meeting, the commission also moved to keep the 10.32% anti-dumping duty on Chinese offset printing plates for another five years, and it was briefed on a newly launched dumping investigation into Chinese seamless steel pipe, opened on October 8 at the request of Iljin Steel, with a preliminary determination expected in February, a public hearing in May and a final ruling in July. Coming weeks after Indonesia opened its own probe into Chinese galvanized steel sheet, the Korean decision underlines how quickly trade remedies on Chinese galvanized steel are multiplying — and why importers should lock down exporter rates, undertaking status and effective dates before finalizing landed costs.
Source: Aju Press, "China to Face Up to 33.67% Anti-Dumping Duties on Galvanized Steel," October 23, 2026; Seoul Economic Daily, "Korea Sets Anti-Dumping Duties of Up to 33.67% on Chinese Galvanized Steel," October 23, 2026.
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