Brussels opens expiry review of Chinese wire rod anti-dumping duties

The European Commission has opened an expiry review of the definitive anti-dumping duties on wire rod originating in the People’s Republic of China, following a request from the European Steel Association (EUROFER). The notice of initiation was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 12 October 2026 under reference C/2026/5244. The review will determine whether the measures in force should be repealed or maintained under Article 11(2) of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036, the EU’s basic anti-dumping regulation.

The request was submitted on 30 June 2026 by EUROFER on behalf of the Union industry of wire rod, after the Commission published a notice of impending expiry of the measures (OJ C, C/2026/532, 27.1.2026). The duties currently in force were imposed by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1805 of 12 October 2021, itself adopted after an earlier expiry review. The applicant argues that allowing the measures to lapse would be likely to result in a recurrence of dumping and a recurrence of injury to EU producers.

EUROFER also claims that domestic prices and costs in China cannot be used because of significant distortions in the steel sector, within the meaning of Article 2(6a) of the basic Regulation. It relies on the Commission’s report on significant distortions in the Chinese economy of 10 April 2024 (SWD(2024) 91 final), the Steel Industry Adjustment and Upgrading plan for 2016-2020, the Work Plan for Stabilising Growth in the Steel Industry (2025-2026), State Council Decision No. 40, the OECD Steel Outlook 2026 and the 15th Five-Year Plan approved in March 2026. The dumping allegation compares a constructed normal value based on undistorted costs in a representative country, Peru, with Chinese export prices to third countries, given the current absence of significant import volumes into the Union.

What the review will examine

The investigation of a continuation or recurrence of dumping covers the period from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, while the examination of injury trends covers 1 January 2023 to the end of that period. After consulting the Committee established by Article 15(1) of the basic Regulation, the Commission concluded that sufficient evidence of a likelihood of dumping and injury exists to justify the initiation. EUROFER points to unused production capacity in China and argues that the removal of injury so far has been mainly due to the measures in force.

The findings of this expiry review will not amend the existing measures; they will lead to those measures being repealed or maintained under Article 11(6) of the basic Regulation. Any party seeking to change the level of the duties must request a separate review under Article 11(3).

Product scope and existing duties

• Bars and rods, hot-rolled, in irregularly wound coils, of iron, non-alloy steel or alloy steel other than stainless steel.
• CN codes: 7213 10 00, 7213 20 00, 7213 91 10, 7213 91 20, 7213 91 41, 7213 91 49, 7213 91 70, 7213 91 90, 7213 99 10, 7213 99 90, 7227 10 00, 7227 20 00, 7227 90 10, 7227 90 50 and 7227 90 95.
• Existing measure: a definitive anti-dumping duty imposed by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1805.

Deadlines and how to take part

• 7 days from publication: producers in China and unrelated importers must make themselves known for sampling; comments on the provisional sample of Union producers.
• 15 days: requests for a hearing on the initiation; proposals for a representative country; information on raw materials and energy used.
• 37 days: comments on the request and the initiation; submissions on Union interest.
• 65 days: factual information from public sources to establish costs and prices.
• 30 days from notification: completed questionnaires from sampled producers, importers and Union producers.
• 3 days from notification: comments on the sample selection.

The investigation must normally be concluded within 12 months and in any event no later than 15 months from publication of the notice.

The outcome reaches well beyond steel mills: wire rod feeds construction, automotive and engineering supply chains across the Union. If the duties are repealed, importers and downstream users could gain access to cheaper material, while EU producers warn of a renewed surge of Chinese imports; if maintained, the current duties stay in force.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, C/2026/5244, 12 October 2026, notices (official reference: C/2026/5244).