Taiwan's HRC imports hit record high in October

Taiwan recorded an unprecedented surge in hot-rolled coil (HRC) imports, with volumes reaching approximately 219,000 tons in October. This milestone is attributed to factors including a severe typhoon in late September, which delayed shipments, and an anti-dumping (AD) duty imposed by China Steel Corporation (CSC) on Chinese HRC imports. These conditions led to a large, concentrated influx of HRC, marking one of the highest monthly import volumes in recent memory.

Industry analysts highlighted that this October import volume marks a rare event, with few comparable occurrences over the last two to three decades. This significant influx underscores Taiwan's changing trade dynamics, especially as Chinese steel continues to dominate the HRC supply.

In the first ten months of the year, Taiwan imported a total of 1.098 million tons of HRC, already surpassing 2023’s annual total by 400,000 tons. Chinese imports represented the largest share, totaling 718,000 tons, while South Korea and Japan followed with contributions of 196,000 tons and 182,000 tons, respectively. These import levels reflect Taiwan’s strong demand for HRC, alongside a reshaping of import sources due to regulatory and market shifts.