On April 3, 2025, the US Department of Commerce (USDOC) announced its preliminary determination, indicating that critical circumstances exist concerning imports of certain corrosion-resistant steel products from the UAE, while such circumstances are not present for imports of the same products from South Africa. The investigation period spans from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.

According to the finding, the UAE’s Al Ghurair Iron & Steel LLC and United Iron & Steel Company LLC were preliminarily made with a negative critical circumstances determination, while all other producers were made with an affirmative critical circumstances determination. South Africa’s Duferco Steel Processing Pty Ltd. and all other producers were determined to have negative critical circumstances.

The USDOC will disclose its calculations and analysis for this preliminary critical circumstances determination within five days of any public announcement or, if none, within five days of the notice's publication.

The products involved are classified under Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) subheadings 7210.30.0030, 7210.30.0060, 7210.41.0000, 7210.49.0030, 7210.49.0040, 7210.49.0045, 7210.49.0091, 7210.49.0095, 7210.61.0000, 7210.69.0000, 7210.70.6030, 7210.70.6060, 7210.70.6090, 7210.90.6000, 7210.90.9000, 7212.20.0000, 7212.30.1030, 7212.30.1090, 7212.30.3000, 7212.30.5000, 7212.40.1000, 7212.40.5000, 7212.50.0000, 7212.60.0000, 7225.91.0000, 7225.92.0000, 7226.99.0110, and 7226.99.0130, and they may be also under the HTSUS item numbers 7210.90.1000, 7215.90.1000, 7215.90.3000, 7215.90.5000, 7217.20.1500, 7217.30.1530, 7217.30.1560, 7217.90.1000, 7217.90.5030, 7217.90.5060, 7217.90.5090, 7225.99.0090, 7226.99.0180, 7228.60.6000, 7228.60.8000, and 7229.90.1000.