Source: Malaysia Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) / The Edge Malaysia / Shanghai Metals Market (SMM)
Malaysia's Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) has imposed provisional anti-dumping duties ranging from 4.41 percent to 35.06 percent on imports of flat-rolled steel products plated or coated with aluminium and zinc from China, Taiwan (China) and Vietnam. The measures took effect on November 7, 2026 and will remain in force for up to 120 days while the investigation continues. MITI said its preliminary determination found sufficient evidence that the products were exported to Malaysia at prices below those in their home markets, causing material injury to domestic producers, and that temporary measures were necessary to prevent further injury.
The investigation was initiated on July 17, 2026 under Malaysia's Countervailing and Anti-Dumping Duties Act 1993 and the related 1994 regulations, following a petition filed by NS BlueScope Malaysia on behalf of the domestic industry. The petitioner alleged that coated steel coils from the three origins were being sold in Malaysia significantly below their home-market prices. The preliminary determination was completed under Section 23 of the Act, and the provisional duties are secured through guarantees equivalent to the assessed dumping margins. A final determination is expected no later than March 6, 2027, after which the duties may be confirmed, adjusted or removed.
Aluminium-zinc coated flat products are widely used in roofing, cladding, home appliances and general construction, making the ruling significant for Malaysia's building supply chain. The move also reflects broader pressure on Southeast Asian markets, which have become key destinations for Asian steel exports as Western markets tighten through European import quotas and United States tariffs. According to MITI, eight of Malaysia's nine active anti-dumping measures cover steel products, and the country has imposed 77 anti-dumping measures and three safeguard measures since joining the World Trade Organization in 1995. Malaysian statistics cited by the ministry show imports from China rose 41.2 percent year on year in January-August 2026.
For exporters in China, Taiwan (China) and Vietnam, the duties will raise landed costs and may prompt volumes to be redirected to other regional markets or through local processing. Malaysian fabricators and buyers, in turn, could see firmer domestic prices for coated coils in the coming months. The case adds to a wave of trade actions affecting coated flat steel across Asia, including provisional duties imposed by South Korea on Chinese galvanised and cold-rolled sheet earlier this year. Whether the measures become definitive will depend on the final ruling due by March 6, 2027.
