Malaysia Imposes Temporary Duties of Up to 35.06% on Steel Imports from 3 Countries
Key Facts
Malaysia’s Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry imposed temporary anti-dumping duties ranging from 4.41% to 35.06% on imports of specified flat steel products from China, Taiwan and Vietnam, effective November 7, 2026. The ministry said, according to The Edge Malaysia, that the measure would remain in force for up to 120 days. The decision comes while the investigation into the imports is still ongoing, with the ministry concluding in its preliminary assessment that there was sufficient evidence to continue the investigation. The duties therefore do not constitute a final finding that exporting companies dumped their products or that the imports harmed the domestic industry. The ministry set March 6, 2027, as the deadline for issuing its final decision.
The measure covers flat steel products made from other alloy and non-alloy steel, when coated or plated with aluminum and zinc. The duties are therefore tied to specific product specifications and do not cover all steel imports from the 3 countries. The Trade Ministry said imposing them provisionally was necessary to prevent continued injury to the domestic industry while the investigation is completed. The measures were imposed in the form of guarantees equivalent to the dumping margins, according to the ministry’s statement. The preliminary assessment was conducted under Article 23 of Act 504, without resolving the investigation’s final outcome.
The ministry launched the investigation on July 17, 2026, following a petition filed by NS BlueScope Malaysia on behalf of the domestic industry. The company alleged in its petition that the products entered Malaysia at prices below those at which they were sold in their home markets, causing material injury to the Malaysian industry. These allegations remain attributed to the petitioner, while the ministry said its preliminary assessment provided grounds to continue examining them. The ministry designated 2023 and 2024 as periods for comparing injury and used January 1 to December 31, 2025, as the period of investigation. This timeline allows the ministry to examine changes in the domestic industry and imports across the periods it selected, with verification to continue before the final decision.
The move is part of Malaysia’s recurring use of trade measures in the iron and steel sector. On October 12, 2026, the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry said that 8 of the country’s 9 active anti-dumping measures covered products from the sector. Since Malaysia joined the World Trade Organization in 1995, the government has imposed 77 anti-dumping measures and 3 safeguard measures, according to Bernama, citing the ministry. The ministry said trade measures may be imposed when investigations establish injury or a surge in imports, in accordance with domestic legal standards and World Trade Organization rules. These figures show the presence of iron and steel products in Malaysia’s record of trade measures, while the scope of the current action remains limited to specified products from China, Taiwan and Vietnam.
The products covered are generally used as intermediate inputs in the production chain, rather than as finished products or cheap consumer goods sold directly to consumers, according to the ministry. Against a broader trade backdrop, Malaysia’s total imports rose 22.4% to 1.158 trillion ringgit in the January-to-August 2026 period, according to figures cited by the ministry. Imports from China totaled 308.12 billion ringgit, equivalent to 21.1% of total imports and up 41.2% from the same period a year earlier. These figures concern total trade and imports from China and do not specify the value of steel products subject to the investigation. The next step is to complete the investigation and issue a final decision by March 6, 2027, before the temporary period of up to 120 days expires.