By Brazil Stock Guide – Brazil’s trade authority has imposed a new round of definitive antidumping duties on Chinese steel, formalizing protective measures that will remain in force for up to five years. The decisions, published in the Official Gazette on February 18, 2026, cover both coated flat steel products under Gecex Resolution No. 856 and cold-rolled flat carbon steel products under Gecex Resolution No. 854, significantly widening Brazil’s trade defense perimeter.
Under Resolution No. 856, duties of up to $709.63 per metric ton were applied to coated flat-rolled steel products — including electrolytically galvanized and aluminum-coated sheets — classified under Mercosur tariff codes such as 7210.30.10, 7210.49.90 and 7225.91.00. Individual rates range from $284.98 to $401.65 per ton for selected exporters, while a broader group of Chinese producers faces $645.49 per ton. A residual rate of $709.63 per ton applies to all other companies.
In parallel, Resolution No. 854 imposed duties on cold-rolled flat carbon steel, with rates ranging from $322.93 to $670.02 per ton, depending on the exporter. Major Chinese producers such as Baoshan Iron & Steel, Shandong Iron and Steel and Angang Steel were assigned specific duties, while “all other companies” face the highest bracket. The cold-rolled measure applies to products classified under NCM headings including 7209 and 7211.
Both investigations were initiated in 2024 following petitions by ArcelorMittal Brasil, Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN) and Usinas Siderúrgicas de Minas Gerais (Usiminas), which argued that dumped Chinese imports were causing material injury to Brazil’s domestic industry. Authorities confirmed that the three companies represent the entirety of Brazilian production for the products under review.
Throughout the nearly two-year proceedings, Brazil’s trade department conducted on-site verifications in Brazil, China and the United States, reviewed exporter submissions and maintained that China’s steel sector does not operate under market-economy conditions. The United States was upheld as the surrogate country for calculating normal value — a methodological choice contested by Chinese exporters and import associations.
Market Impact
For domestic steelmakers — including CSN (CSNA3) and Usiminas (USIM5) — the dual rulings provide breathing room amid global oversupply, volatile spreads and mounting Asian exports into Latin America. The measures are widely seen as stabilizing pricing power in construction, appliances and industrial steel segments.
Downstream sectors, including appliance manufacturers and metal fabricators, may face higher input costs and reduced access to low-priced imports. Still, strategically, Brazil now aligns with a growing number of economies reinforcing trade defenses against Chinese steel, underscoring a broader shift toward protection as global excess capacity and geopolitical tensions reshape the steel trade landscape.
Read more: Steel endurance