CSI: Slabs Should be Exempt from Section 232 Tariff

California Steel Industries (CSI) is calling for President Trump to exclude semi-finished steel from the 25 percent tariff he is expected to impose on steel imports under Section 232.

CSI is a “slab converter” mill, relying almost entirely on imported slab as feedstock to produce coil steel sheet and electrical resistance welded (ERW) pipe. Because steel slabs are not consistently available in the United States, nor are they produced anywhere in the western U.S., CSI buys its slabs primarily from Mexico, Brazil and Japan. The company is the largest customer by tonnage of the Port of Los Angeles, importing more than 1.5 million tons of slabs annually. It supplies finished steel products to hundreds of manufacturers and distributors, supporting thousands of jobs across the western U.S.