Australia has initiated a safeguard investigation on imports of fabricated structural steel (FSS), according to a notification to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
New Zealand and Singapore are excluded from the scope of the investigation and from any potential safeguard measures, in line with Australia’s existing free trade agreements.
The final report will be submitted to the Treasurer of Australia within 10 months from the date of initiation, while an interim report, including an assessment of possible critical circumstances, will be issued within eight months.
Import trends
The investigation was initiated pursuant to an application from Australia's domestic industry. The evidence submitted by the applicants indicates that total imports of the FSS products concerned increased 38.7 percent to 539,649 mt in the period from 2020 to 2024. The evidence suggests this increase in imports is the result of unforeseen developments, including trade defense measures adopted by third parties and an environment of global overcapacity in steelmaking.
There is evidence from the applicants that this sustained import volume and price pressure is causing or threatening to cause significant overall impairment in the position of Australia's domestic industry. In particular, Australian production of FSS has fallen as a share of supply from 2021 to 2023 and declined 12 percent from 744,000 mt in 2023 to 659,000 mt in 2024.
The products subject to the investigation are currently classifiable in the HS subheadings in the Australian Customs Tariff of 7308.10 and 7308.90.
