U.S. producers of large-diameter welded pipe, including Export-based Dura-Bond Industries, hope to benefit from a recent decision assessing duties on foreign exporters of steel.

The U.S. International Trade Commission last week made a final determination in the anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations on large-diameter welded pipe from Canada, Greece, Korea and Turkey — investigations started in 2018 at the request of Dura-Bond and several other U.S. manufacturers of steel pipe.

The ITC found that domestic producers have been “materially injured by unfairly traded imports” of line pipe from the countries, paving the way for the imposition of anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders, which will stay in place for at least five years.

Such duties are assessed to offset the negative effects of foreign government subsidies and corporate dumping practices, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.

The affirmative final determination followed closely behind the ITC’s affirmative finding of material injury with respect to Chinese line pipe and structural pipe and Indian line pipe in December.

“We are pleased that the commission validated our claims that unfairly dumped and subsidized imports are harming our business and workers,” said Jason Norris, Dura-Bond president. “This decision should keep foreign producers from flooding our markets and will also be subject to annual reviews at Commerce to make sure dumping is not occurring.”

“This decision confirms that the domestic (line pipe) industry has been injured by unfairly traded large-diameter welded pipe from all six countries under investigation and that trade relief is needed,” said Tim Brightbill, trade counsel for the American Line Pipe Producers Association.

The group of six producers, including Dura-Bond, asked Commerce in February 2018 to pursue anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations against exporters from Canada, China, Greece, India, Korea and Turkey.

Producers from those countries were accused of “dumping” steel pipe — that is, selling the product at less than fair market value — in the United States and of receiving unfair subsidies from foreign governments.

The group also petitioned the Trump administration to impose tariffs and take other actions to end the glut of foreign steel. Specifically, Dura-Bond asked that steel pipe be included in the 25% tariff on imported steel and the 10% tariff on imported aluminum announced by Trump in March 2018.

Dura-Bond makes and coats large-diameter steel pipe mostly for use by the oil and gas industry at facilities in Export, Duquesne, Mc¬Keesport and Steelton.