VINACHEM

Japan has imposed a provisional antidumping duty of 95.2% on graphite electrodes imported from China for four months, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said March 25.

METI said the Japanese cabinet issued an order for the provisional duties, which will take effect from March 29 to July 28.

The cabinet's decision comes after METI and the Ministry of Finance made a preliminary determination Feb. 28 that graphite electrodes were dumped in Japan and had affected the domestic industry.

Subsequently, on March 12, "... The Council on Customs, Tariff, Foreign Exchange and Other Transactions reported that it was appropriate to impose a provisional antidumping duty on graphite electrodes originating in China," the MOF said.

If a final determination confirms the dumping of graphite electrodes, an antidumping duty lasting up to five years could be imposed.

Graphite electrodes are primarily used in electric arc furnaces to melt steel scrap, which is then reused to manufacture new steel products.

In Japan, crude steel production via the EAF process reached 22.05 million mt in 2024, data from the Japan Iron and Steel Federation showed, accounting for about 26.25% of the total 84.01 million mt of crude steel produced in the country.

EAFs play a crucial role in Japanese steelmakers' efforts to decarbonize their steelmaking processes. JFE Steel plans to begin operating a new 2-million-mt/year EAF in Kurashiki over April-June 2028, while Nippon Steel aims to convert from blast furnaces to EAFs and is seeking government funding to support its carbon-neutral goals.

Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, assessed natural flake graphite at $410/mt FOB China on March 25, up $5/mt day over day and week over week. The price reflects the spot value of natural flake graphite with 94%-95% carbon content and minus 100 mesh size delivered to the Qingdao port.  – Source: Platts