Commerce: NLMK USA Must Pay Tariffs on Imported Slabs

Management at NLMK USA is contemplating its next move after receiving the disappointing news Tuesday that the U.S. Commerce Department has denied its appeals for exclusions from the Section 232 tariffs on imported slabs.

Commerce has determined that semifinished steels are available in sufficient quantities to support the domestic market, and that slab converters like NLMK USA should be able to source the slabs they need from other U.S. mills. “That conclusion ignores the facts of the situation,” said NLMK USA President and CEO Bob Miller. “The integrated mills that make thick steel slabs have more rolling capacity than melting capacity. So, it is not in their best interest to provide steel slabs to their competitors.”