US confirms Vietnamese steel exports free of Chinese materials

The United States has confirmed that the Vietnamese respondent company exclusively used hot-rolled steel from Vietnam to manufacture rectangular steel pipe products exported to the US during the review period.

According to the Trade Remedies Authority of Vietnam (under the Ministry of Industry and Trade), the US Department of Commerce (DOC) recently issued its final determination in the administrative review of anti-circumvention, anti-dumping, and countervailing duty orders on rectangular steel pipe products—measures currently applied to China.

The review was initiated by the DOC on October 18, 2023, following a request from the respondent company for the 2022–2023 review period.

On September 13, 2024, the DOC issued its preliminary determination, confirming that the sole Vietnamese respondent company in the review exclusively used Vietnamese-origin hot-rolled steel for exported rectangular steel pipes.

The DOC further stated that the company maintained comprehensive invoices and records, enabling traceability of material origins. As a result, the company was deemed eligible to participate in the certification mechanism, which verifies that no Chinese-origin hot-rolled steel (HRS) was used—qualifying it for exemption from trade measures.

The final determination remained unchanged from the preliminary findings, marking a positive outcome for the Vietnamese enterprise.

Previously, in August 2023, the DOC’s final determination in the original anti-circumvention investigation concerning Vietnam had found the company ineligible to participate in the certification mechanism, citing insufficient cooperation with the investigating authority.

The latest ruling suggests that Vietnamese enterprises may continue participating in the US certification mechanism by demonstrating compliance, cooperating with authorities, and presenting a fully documented case during reviews—enabling them to maintain exports to the US.