The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) today announced a unanimous determination that unfairly traded imports of common alloy aluminum sheet from 16 countries have materially injured U.S. producers.  The USITC’s determination brings to a successful conclusion investigations that were initiated following the filing of petitions requesting relief by the Aluminum Association’s Common Alloy Aluminum Sheet Trade Enforcement Working Group on March 9, 2020. 

“We are delighted by today’s unanimous determination.  This decision provides vitally needed relief from a second wave of unfairly-traded imports from 16 countries that hammered domestic producers just as they were beginning to recover from an onslaught of  imports from China,” said Aluminum Association President & CEO Tom Dobbins. “This decision will help ensure that domestic producers can make full use of the more than $1 billion in capital investments made in recent years, based on the expectation that healthy market conditions would follow the tariffs on unfair imports from China in early 2019.  We greatly appreciate the work of the International Trade Commission and its staff to come to this fair decision that will help level the playing field for American manufacturers.”

As a result of today’s determination, the U.S. Department of Commerce will publish in the coming weeks unfair trade orders on imports of common alloy aluminum sheet from Bahrain, Brazil, Croatia, Egypt, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Oman, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, and Turkey.  In 2019, the value of U.S. of common alloy aluminum sheet from these countries was approximately $2 billion.  

The forthcoming antidumping and countervailing duty orders will result in duty deposit requirements as follows:  

The USITC previously reached negative determinations with respect to imports of common alloy aluminum sheet from Greece and Korea following the Commerce Department’s issuance of negative antidumping determinations on imports from those countries on March 1. 

   
The common alloy aluminum sheet that is subject to the unfair trade investigations is a flat-rolled aluminum product having a thickness of 6.3 mm or less, but greater than 0.2 mm, in coils or cut-to-length, regardless of width, and is manufactured from a 1XXX-, 3XXX-, or 5XXX-series alloy.  The aluminum sheet subject to investigation includes both unclad aluminum sheet, as well as multi-alloy, clad aluminum sheet.  Common uses for the product under investigation include gutters and downspouts, building facades, street signs and license plates, electrical boxes, kitchen appliances and tractor-trailers for trucks. Excluded from the scope of the investigations is aluminum can stock that is suitable for use in the manufacture of aluminum beverage cans, lids, or tabs.

The Aluminum Association Trade Enforcement Working Group and its individual members are represented in these actions by John M. Herrmann, Paul C. Rosenthal, Kathleen W. Cannon, R. Alan Luberda, Grace W. Kim, and Joshua R. Morey of the law firm Kelley Drye & Warren LLP.