South Africa imposed three year safeguard measure on imports of corrosion resistant steel coil

During ITAC’s investigation, it was determined that imports of certain flat-rolled steel products, commonly known as corrosion-resistant steel coil, had increased significantly. 

The Commission concluded that unforeseen developments had occurred under the framework of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994, that the effects of obligations under this agreement had contributed to the increase in imports, and that the rising imports had caused serious injury to the steel industry of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). 

Based on these findings, ITAC recommended to the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition that safeguard measures be applied to imports of the affected products for a period of three years. 

Accordingly, the safeguard duties will be as follows: 

Year 1: 52.34% 

Year 2: 37.34% 

Year 3: 22.34% 

The definitive safeguard measures entered into force on 12 June 2026. 

ITAC also proposed the extension of rebate item 460.15/7210.61/01.06 to allow refunds of safeguard duties for certain products where there is no domestic production. This measure aims to prevent negative impacts on industries dependent on these inputs in cases where local supply is not available. 

The Commission stated that, in order to protect downstream users operating in various sub-sectors, pricing behavior of the applicant will be closely monitored following the implementation of the safeguard measures. This is intended to prevent unjustified price increases after the introduction of import duties. 

The safeguard measures will apply to imports from all countries, except in certain cases. Accordingly, imports from a single country will be excluded if they do not exceed 3% of total imports, or if the combined share of such countries does not exceed 9%. 

ITAC noted that the definitive safeguard duties will provide temporary protection to the SACU steel industry, giving it time to adjust to the pressure from rising imports, while maintaining a balanced approach between the needs of downstream users and international trade obligations.