EU opens expiry review of anti-dumping duty on Chinese wire rod: 24% stays in force, importer deadline 19 October

What happened

On 12 October 2026 the Commission published a notice in the Official Journal opening an expiry review of the anti-dumping measures on wire rod from China (notice C/2026/5244). EUROFER asked for the review on 30 June 2026 on behalf of EU wire rod producers. The Commission found enough evidence that dumping and injury would be likely to recur if the duty lapsed.

The product is hot-rolled bars and rods in irregularly wound coils, of iron, non-alloy steel or alloy steel other than stainless, under CN codes 7213 10 00, 7213 20 00, 7213 91 10 to 7213 99 90, 7227 10 00, 7227 20 00 and 7227 90 10 to 7227 90 95. The duty was first imposed in 2009 and renewed after expiry reviews in 2015 and 2021. The current rates, set by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1805, are 24.0% for all Chinese companies except the Valin Group, which pays 7.9% (TARIC additional codes A999 and A930).

Under Article 11(2) of the EU’s basic anti-dumping regulation, the measure stays in force until the review is finished (Regulation (EU) 2016/1036). The notice also says the review can only keep or repeal the duty; it cannot change the rate. Anyone who wants a different rate would have to ask for a separate interim review.

The Commission will test dumping over 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, and injury trends from 1 January 2023. EUROFER argues that Chinese prices and costs are distorted by the state (“significant distortions”), so it built its dumping case on production costs in Peru as a representative country. It compared those with China’s export prices to third countries, because there are currently no significant Chinese imports into the EU.

Why it matters commercially

The duty has done its job: the last review found only 75 tonnes of Chinese wire rod imported in its investigation period, against 1.1 million tonnes and a 5% market share when the case began (Reg. 2021/1805, recitals 87 and 106). Buyers of wire rod for drawing, mesh, fasteners or springs should not plan on Chinese supply returning. The duty runs until at least the end of the review, which we calculate as no later than 12 January 2028. Calc.

The anti-dumping duty is a separate measure from the EU’s steel tariff quotas, which also cover wire rod (category 16) with a 50% duty above quota (see our guide to the tariff-quota regime). In the Commission’s report of 9 October, Türkiye’s Q4 wire rod quota of 61,147 t was used up, South Korea’s was 85.8% used and Egypt’s 44.7%. The UK, Ukraine, Switzerland, Moldova, Malaysia, Viet Nam and the “other countries” quota still had most of their volume. China has no quota of its own in this category, so Chinese wire rod would fall under the “other countries” quota (38,482 t for Q4, 1.7% used), and the anti-dumping duty applies whether or not it enters within quota. Live figures are in the Steel Trade Measures Tracker. For your own product lines, Loharo’s Trade Measures Check covers quota usage and flags anti-dumping duties to check.

Wire rod is also an iron and steel good under CBAM, so imports from any origin carry a carbon cost as well (see our CBAM landed-cost worked example). In our view, with Türkiye out of quota until January and Chinese material kept out by the duty, EU mills hold more pricing power in wire rod this quarter. Supply in western Germany is also changing: ArcelorMittal is keeping its Duisburg wire rod mill running on bought-in billets.

Who is affected

• EU importers and traders of Chinese wire rod: to be considered for the importer sample, you must make yourself known to the Commission within 7 days, using the form in the notice’s annex. Importers related to a Chinese producer report through the producer’s questionnaire instead.
• Wire drawers, mesh, fastener and spring makers (users): you can send Union-interest comments or the user questionnaire within 37 days. This is the only formal way to argue that keeping the duty hurts downstream industry.
• Chinese producers and exporters: sampling information is due within 7 days via TRON.tdi. Companies that do not cooperate may be judged on the facts available.
• EU wire rod producers: the Commission has already picked a provisional sample. Other producers who think they should be in it have 7 days to say so.

What to watch next

• 19 October: sampling deadline for importers, Chinese producers and EU producers. Calc.
• 27 October: 15-day deadline to request a hearing on the initiation and to comment on the representative country (Peru) and inputs. Calc.
• 18 November: 37-day deadline for comments, Union-interest information and other written submissions. Calc.
• 1 January 2027: EU tariff quotas reset, including Türkiye’s wire rod allocation.
• By 12 January 2028 at the latest: the Commission’s decision to keep or repeal the duty. Calc.

We count calendar days from publication in the Official Journal on 12 October. Check the exact deadlines on the Commission’s case page before you rely on them.

Sources

Primary sources

• Notice of initiation of an expiry review, wire rod from China (C/2026/5244) — European Commission, Official Journal, 12 October 2026
• Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1805 — European Commission, 12 October 2021
• Regulation (EU) 2016/1036, Article 11(2) — EU basic anti-dumping regulation
• Case page R877, wire rod (China) — European Commission, DG Trade and Economic Security
• Weekly report on tariff quota imports, 9 October 2026 — European Commission, DG TAXUD (via the Loharo Steel Trade Measures Tracker)

Related on Loharo

• EU steel tariff-quota regime and melt-and-pour
• China’s September steel exports: 10.49 Mt
• ArcelorMittal Duisburg keeps its wire rod mill on bought-in billets
• CBAM landed cost: a worked example

Last fact-check: 15 October 2026. Information as of 15 October 2026. Deadlines are counted from publication in the Official Journal on 12 October 2026.