Economy extends compensatory duties on Russian and Ukrainian steel for five years

The Ministry of Economy concluded the administrative sunset review procedure and extended for five more years the countervailing duties of 21% on imports of hot-rolled sheet originating in Russia and 25% on those originating in Ukraine, regardless of the country of provenance. The final resolution was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation on Friday, September 25, 2026, No. 260/2026, starting on page 16, and entered into force the day following its publication. Administrative file EC_02-25 was filed in the Ministry’s International Trade Practices Unit.

A measure in effect since the year 2000

The original duty dates back to March 28, 2000, when the Ministry imposed definitive countervailing duties of 30.31% on Russia and 46.66% on Ukraine. On September 8, 2011, it modified them to 21% and 25%, respectively, and has since extended them in 2006, 2016, and 2021. The extension now approved runs for five years starting from March 29, 2025.

The product under review is non-alloy hot-rolled sheet and alloy hot-rolled sheet with a boron content equal to or greater than 0.0008%, with a width equal to or greater than 600 mm and a thickness of less than 4.75 mm, regardless of length. It enters the national market under tariff headings 7208.10.03, 7208.26.01, 7208.27.01, 7208.38.01, 7208.39.01, 7225.30.91, and 7225.40.91 of the Tariff of the Law of General Import and Export Taxes.

The process and who requested it

• On September 30, 2024, the DOF published the “Notice on the validity of countervailing duties,” which set March 28, 2025, as the last day of validity and February 20, 2025, as the deadline to express interest.
• Ternium México, S.A. de C.V. and ArcelorMittal México, S.A. de C.V. expressed their interest on February 18 and 20, 2025.
• On March 28, 2025, the resolution to initiate the review was published; the review period was from January 1 to December 31, 2024, and the analysis period was from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2024.

The arguments supporting the extension

The Ministry determined that there are sufficient elements to conclude that, if the countervailing duties were eliminated, dumping and injury to the domestic industry would recur. Among the elements cited in the resolution:

• Russia and Ukraine represented an average of 7.5% of global exports of hot-rolled sheet between 2020 and 2024.
• Their combined export potential was equivalent to more than twice the size of the apparent national consumption and national production.
• Their exports face trade remedy measures in Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Korea, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

In the 2026 counterfactual scenario, the authority projected drops of 7.4% in production and employment, 13.6% in domestic market sales, and 6.4 percentage points in market share, with the operating margin moving from 4% to -8%.

Application and validity

It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit to apply the quotas throughout the national territory; the resolution was communicated to ANAM and the Tax Administration Service. Importers will not be obliged to pay if they prove that the country of origin of the merchandise is other than Russia and Ukraine. The file was archived as a totally and definitively concluded case, and the resolution was signed on September 15, 2026, by Secretary Marcelo Luis Ebrard Casaubon.

The extension maintains the tariff shielding on a key input for construction, automotive, and manufacturing, and provides certainty to Ternium and ArcelorMittal, who sustained the procedure. For importers, on the other hand, it confirms that steel of Russian and Ukrainian origin will continue to pay 21% and 25% over the next five years, with the consequent effect on domestic steel costs and prices.

Source: Official Gazette of the Federation, No. 260/2026, September 25, 2026, p. 16 (official reference: file EC_02-25).