Importing Steel from China to Australia: 0% Tariff, 10% GST & Anti-Dumping on Hot-Rolled Coil (2026)

Import duty on steel

GST at 10% is added on top of every line, on the taxable importation value (customs value + duty + freight and insurance to Australia).

Anti-dumping & countervailing measures in force

In November 2024, BlueScope Steel applied for protection against Chinese hot-rolled coil steel, and the Anti-Dumping Commission opened investigation ADN 2024/093. A preliminary affirmative determination on 23 December 2025 (ADN 2025/133) imposed securities as high as 112.8%. On 4 May 2026 the Minister accepted the Commissioner's final recommendations (Report No 658; ADN 2026/043), and dumping duty now applies to the goods and to like goods exported after publication:

The companion countervailing notice ADN 2026/044 terminated the subsidy investigation for the four named exporters and set a 3.4% countervailing duty for all other Chinese exporters. Covered tariff lines (18 in total) include 7208.10.00.31, 7208.25–27.00.32–34, 7208.36–39.00.35–38, 7208.40.00.39, 7208.53/54.00.42–43, 7208.90.00.30, 7211.14.00.40, 7211.19.00.41, 7225.30.00.17, 7225.40.00.22/.24 and 7226.91.00.67.

Status — read before quoting. The three Baosteel mills applied to the Anti-Dumping Review Panel; the review (No 2026/180) was initiated on 19 June 2026. On 15 September 2026 the Minister affirmed the final determination (ADRP Report No 180): the rates above continue unchanged from their original effective dates. A further product-exemption inquiry (case EX0107) is also open. Confirm the operative exporter rate on the Dumping Commodity Register before shipping.

"Combination" duty method: the duty payable is the greater of a fixed amount per tonne and the ad valorem percentage.

Exempt grades: the Baosteel high-strength window

On the same day, the Minister signed Ministerial Exemption Instrument No 1 of 2026 (Customs Tariff (Anti-Dumping) Act 1975, ss 8(7)(a) and 10(8)(a)), exempting the goods described below from interim dumping duty, dumping duty, interim countervailing duty and countervailing duty:

What this means commercially: ordinary Chinese HRC now lands in Australia with 38.1–79% dumping duty on top — but Baosteel-made BS700MCK2/K4 high-strength coil enters free of all trade-remedy duties. For trailers, cranes, dump truck bodies and wear applications, Baosteel-channel BS700MC is one of the few China-origin options still fully viable for Australia. Baohui ships exactly these grades with full mill certificates: BS700MC K2/K4 product page · Q690E high-strength plate.

The instrument is subject to review and may be revoked. Keep the mill test certificate — showing grade, standard and yield strength — with the shipping documents to prove the goods conform to the exemption description.

How the duties stack up — landed-cost cascade

Example A — Baosteel BS700MCK2, exempt scope (US$950/t FOB). Import duty: US$0. Dumping duty: US$0 (exempt per Instrument No 1 of 2026). Countervailing duty: US$0. GST 10% on the taxable importation value ≈ US$105/t — and GST is normally claimable as an input tax credit for a registered Australian business, so the net border cost stays close to zero.

Example B — ordinary Chinese HRC from a non-named exporter (US$600/t FOB, freight/insurance to AU US$80/t). Import duty: US$0. Dumping duty 79% on the export price ≈ US$474. Countervailing duty 3.4% ≈ US$20. GST 10% on (600 + 474 + 20 + 80) ≈ US$117. Border total ≈ US$1,291/t — roughly double the FOB price — versus ≈ US$1,095/t from Baosteel Zhanjiang (38.1%) before GST.

Same port, same mill origin story, completely different economics. Ask us for a line-item landed-cost sheet with the exporter-specific rate and the exemption scope applied.

Documents & certificates you need

• Full Import Declaration (N10) through a licensed customs broker on the Integrated Cargo System; an ABN and GST registration (or a broker acting for you) are required.
• Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading — the basics, every shipment.
• Mill test certificate — for exemption scopes it must show the grade (BS700MCK2/K4 or Q690MD), the standard (Q/BQB 316-2018 / GB/T 1591-2008) and yield strength ≥680 MPa.
• No certificate of origin is required for the duty rate — MFN is already 0% — though ChAFTA origin evidence is good practice for audit.
• Biosecurity: clean, dry steel and packaging. BMSB (brown marmorated stink bug) seasonal measures apply to vessels departing risk countries including China — verify the seasonal window (typically 1 September – 30 April) with your forwarder.

Official sources for this page

• Anti-Dumping Commission public record — case 658 (EPR 658) — the full HRC case file
• ADN 2026/043 — Findings in relation to a dumping investigation (PDF) — the dumping-margin table above is transcribed from this notice
• Ministerial Exemption Instrument No 1 of 2026 (PDF) — the exemption scopes above are transcribed from this instrument
• Anti-Dumping Review Panel — HRC from China (Review 2026/180) — review status and decisions
• Australian Border Force — import declarations, GST collection, biosecurity
• WTO Tariff Download Facility — applied MFN rates

Every figure above was re-checked against these sources on 2026-10-30. Trade-remedy rates are exporter- and product-specific: confirm your exact HS line and the producing mill before shipping.

Change log — what moved, and when