The US Commerce Department has set preliminary anti-dumping duties on tin-plated steel from Canada, Germany and China, in a move to shield domestic steelmakers.

The US Commerce Department said it will propose preliminary anti-dumping duties of 122.5% on tin mill steel imported from China, 7.02% on imports from Germany and 5.29% on imports from Canada. No duties will be imposed on steel from the UK, the Netherlands, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey.

The move comes after Ohio-based steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs and the United Steelworkers Union filed petitions in January 2023 for anti-dumping duties against the eight countries, and countervailing duties against China, for allegedly dumping tinplate steel into the US market.

Thousands of steelworkers make tin products across the USA in Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and California. Ultimately, the United Steelworkers union is seeking to protect jobs by pushing for tariffs on tin mill imports although there are fears that tariffs will hit consumers.

Project Blue data shows that tinplate is the third-largest end use for tin after solder and chemicals. Global consumption of tin in tinplate was more than 45kt in 2022, roughly 12% of the total tin market. Tinplate is mainly used in food and beverage cans as well as in cans for chemicals, paints and dry products. Global consumption of tinplate is set to increase only marginally over the coming decade (0.8%py).