EU Fastener Makers File Complaint On China Carbon Steel Imports

Jason Sandefur

The European Industrial Fasteners Institute (EIFI) has reportedly lodged an antidumping complaint with the European Commission over carbon steel fastener imports from China. Significant disparities in the cost of cold heading wire rod between China and Europe prompted the complaint.
“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,” writes Phil Matten of Fastener & Fixing Europe.
Ten CN tariff codes are cited in the complaint, which alleges dumping margins from China ranging from 91 to 195%. Unlike the recent stainless steel antidumping measure, which applies tariffs to a number of Asian countries including Taiwan, the carbon steel complaint focuses solely on product from China.
“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,” Matten states.
Italian companies handle the majority of standard fastener production in Europe.
The commission has until November to decide whether to initiate an antidumping investigation. If the EC investigates, provisional tariffs could be applied 60 days after it starts. Traditionally, however, this will not happen until near the end of the nine-month period permitted by antidumping regulations. �2007 FastenerNews.com and Fastener & Fixing Europe