On September 28, 2026, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) scheduled the final phase of the antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations of tin mill products from China, Taiwan, and Turkey – Inv. Nos. 701-TA-792 and 731-TA-1786-1788 (Final), 91 FR 61247. That follows two affirmative preliminary determinations from the U.S. Department of Commerce on the China portion: a countervailing duty finding of 66.61 percent (91 FR 58418, September 15, 2026) and an antidumping finding with a China-wide cash deposit rate of 130.17 percent (91 FR 59760, September 21, 2026). The numbers matter to anyone whose parts begin as tinplate or tin-free steel stock.
What Was Decided, and When
Three dated steps define where the case stands.
September 15, 2026 – CVD preliminary (China). In Doc 2026-18792 (Docket C-570-229), Commerce preliminarily found countervailable subsidies on tin mill products from China, POI January 1 through December 31, 2025. Estimated subsidy rates: 66.61 percent ad valorem for Shougang Holding Trade (Hong Kong) Ltd. and Shougang Jingtang United Iron & Steel Co. Ltd., and 66.61 percent for all others, based on facts available with adverse inferences. Commerce made an affirmative critical circumstances finding and declined to verify because the examined respondents were uncooperative.
September 21, 2026 – AD preliminary (China). In Doc 2026-19274 (Docket A-570-228), Commerce preliminarily found less-than-fair-value sales, POI October 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026. The China-wide entity received a weighted-average dumping margin of 136.52 percent and a cash deposit rate of 130.17 percent after subsidy offsets. No respondent qualified for a separate rate; Jiangsu Ninesky and Shougang HK were placed in the China-wide entity. Critical circumstances were found, and because the rate rests solely on the margin alleged in the petition, there are no calculations to disclose.
September 28, 2026 – ITC final phase scheduled. The ITC notice (Doc 2026-19811) sets the injury phase timetable: prehearing staff report in the nonpublic record November 18, 2026; prehearing conference November 30, 2026; hearing December 4, 2026; prehearing briefs November 27, 2026 and posthearing briefs December 11, 2026.
The petitions were filed April 9, 2026 by United States Steel Corporation and the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, both of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Commerce published its initiation notices on May 5, 2026; the ITC notice states that Commerce’s preliminary determinations for Taiwan and Turkey are still pending.
Why a Coated Steel Case Touches Machined and Stamped Parts
Tin mill products are not a finished machined part, but they are an upstream material many parts start from. The subject merchandise is tin mill flat-rolled steel coated or plated with tin, chromium, or chromium oxides. Steel coated with tin is tinplate; steel coated with chromium or chromium oxides is tin-free steel, also called electrolytic chromium-coated steel.
The scope covers the products regardless of thickness, width, form (coils or cut sheets), coating type, edge (trimmed, untrimmed, or further processed such as scroll cut), coating thickness, surface finish, temper, coating metal, reduction (single- or double-reduced), and whether or not coated with a plastic material. A change in coating, temper, or reduction does not move a part outside the case.
The one exclusion is narrow: certain single-reduced electrolytically chromium-coated steel tape for armoring and shielding fiber optic and telecommunications cables, and only if it meets all seven conditions – single-reduced electrolytically chromium-coated steel; thickness of 0.160 mm or less (55-pound base box weight); Type MR steel; T2-T3 temper; tensile range 45-57 KSI or 310.20-393.00 MPa; 15 percent minimum elongation; and 0.06-0.012 g/m2 chromium coating.
Commerce lists the goods under HTSUS subheadings 7210.11.0000, 7210.12.0000, 7210.50.0020, 7210.50.0090, 7212.10.0000, and 7212.50.0000 if of non-alloy steel, and 7225.99.0090 and 7226.99.0180 if of alloy steel. Both notices state that the written description of the scope is dispositive.
What This Means for Material, Cost and Sourcing
Four consequences stand out. None of this is legal advice; duty treatment depends on the merchandise, the entry documentation, and current U.S. Customs and Border Protection guidance.
- The rate is a producer-and-cooperation question, not a material-grade question. The 66.61 percent CVD rate applies across producers because all fell under facts available with adverse inferences; the 130.17 percent deposit is a China-wide figure. A claim that “our grade is not covered” differs from “our producer is outside the case.”
- Critical circumstances widen the exposure window. With affirmative findings in both notices, suspension of liquidation can reach unliquidated entries made up to 90 days before the preliminary notice’s publication.
- Cooperation status carries as much weight as the product. Commerce declined to verify the CVD respondents and applied adverse inferences on the AD side.
- The case is not finished. These are preliminary rates, the AD determinations for Taiwan and Turkey are pending, and the ITC injury phase is not heard until December 2026.
How to Turn This Into Concrete Checks
- Map the coated flat-rolled stock in your BOM. Identify parts that start as tinplate or tin-free (electrolytic chromium-coated) steel, and record thickness, temper, reduction, coating type, and edge condition – each is scope-relevant.
- Document the melt-and-coat origin. The case turns on where the coated flat-rolled product originates; ask for that origin in writing.
- Test the exclusion before relying on it. If you believe a telecom shield tape qualifies, confirm all seven conditions and record the evidence.
- Track the ITC calendar and the liquidation clock, including how in-transit entries are treated given the critical circumstances findings.
- Separate the metallurgical question from the duty question. Whether a coating or temper suits a forming operation is engineering; whether the material sits inside an AD/CVD case is customs.
Where This Touches Material Selection and Processing
Coated flat-rolled steel is chosen for reasons the scope inadvertently describes: coating metal, coating thickness, surface finish, temper, and reduction all affect formability, corrosion resistance, and how a blank behaves in stamping, drawing, or blanking. Tinplate and chromium-coated (tin-free) stock are common starting points for food-contact and precision parts, where the coating does real work rather than being decorative.
A quiet change in substrate is therefore not a neutral commercial move. Swapping coating type, temper, or reduction to manage duty exposure changes the material condition that downstream forming was planned around: ductility, coating adhesion, and draw behaviour all follow the coating and the substrate. Whether a stamped, drawn, or machined feature is achievable at a given tolerance and surface finish depends on material, thickness, geometry, drawing quality and inspection requirements.
What the Notices Do Not Say
Commerce did not set final rates, and the ITC has not yet made an injury determination. The Taiwan and Turkey AD preliminary determinations are still pending, and nothing here assesses duties on any individual importer’s entries. The final AD determination is due no later than 75 days after the signature date of the September 21 preliminary.
Conclusion
The September 2026 tin mill actions show how quickly coated steel input costs can move on trade grounds: a preliminary 66.61 percent subsidy rate, a 130.17 percent China-wide cash deposit rate, critical circumstances reaching back 90 days, and an ITC injury phase not heard until December 4, 2026. For buyers of parts that begin as tinplate or tin-free steel, the response is to tighten the paper trail – documented melt-and-coat origin, confirmed producer and cooperation status, correct HTSUS lines against the written scope, and awareness of where each entry sits in the liquidation cycle.
Working with coated flat-rolled stock or precision metal parts that must meet a drawing? Send your drawing, the material and its origin, the quantity and the critical tolerances to our engineering team for a DFM and RFQ assessment. We will flag where incoming material condition, geometry and inspection requirements have to line up before production. For background, see our DFM guidelines, tolerance selection, and surface finish notes.
Sources: U.S. International Trade Commission, Tin Mill Products From China, Taiwan, and Turkey; Scheduling of the Final Phase of Countervailing Duty and Antidumping Duty Investigations, 91 FR 61247 (September 28, 2026), Inv. Nos. 701-TA-792 and 731-TA-1786-1788 (Final), Doc 2026-19811; U.S. Department of Commerce, Tin Mill Products From the People’s Republic of China: Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, 91 FR 59760 (September 21, 2026), Doc 2026-19274, Docket A-570-228; Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination, 91 FR 58418 (September 15, 2026), Doc 2026-18792, Docket C-570-229. Full texts: ITC notice, AD preliminary, CVD preliminary. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
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