Sources in European trade departments have confirmed that the European Industrial Fasteners Institute (EIFI) has lodged an antidumping complaint with the European Commission targeted specifically at carbon steel fastener imports from China.


The complaint covers a wider range of iron and steel fasteners, other than stainless steel on which antidumping tariffs already exist, including woodscrews, self tapping screws, hexagon and socket head bolts, other cold formed threaded fasteners, and both spring and flat washers. In all ten CN tariff codes are cited in the complaint (73181290, 73181491, 73181499, 73181559, 73181569, 73181581, 73181589, 73181590, 73182100 and 73182200), which is understood to allege dumping margins from China ranging from 91 to 195%.


Unlike the stainless steel antidumping measure, which applies tariffs to a number of Asian countries including Taiwan, this steel fastener complaint is understood to be targeted solely at imports from China.


The complaint was delivered to the Commission on 25 September and EU member states have until 25 October to comment on it. The Commission itself has 45 days from 26 September before to publish a decision on whether to initiate an antidumping investigation. Full details of the complaint are not disclosed by the Commission unless and until an investigation is announced. In the past the Commission has not even acknowledged the existence of a complaint until this juncture.


If an investigation is announce, provisional tariffs could be applied 60 days after it starts, although normally this will not happen until near the end of the 9 month period permitted by antidumping regulations. The Commission has a total of 15 months from the start of the investigation to make a definitive decision, which requires the approval of member states.


While the complaint has been filed by the EIFI on behalf of members in 20 European States it is widely understood that the driving force behind the complaint has been EIFI’s Italian membership through its national association UPIVEB. Italian companies are responsible for the lion's share of standard fastener production in Europe. Elsewhere many manufacturers concentrate strongly or exclusively on special fasteners and components. While the detailed argument for antidumping measures is unlikely to be known until the complaint is published in full, continued major disparities in the cost of cold heading wire/rod between China and Europe is virtually certain to top the list. European steel companies are reported to be considering similar representations to the European Commission.


(Source: Fastener & Fixing Europe)