Japan announced its preliminary determination of the anti-dumping (AD) duty investigation on graphite electrodes originating in China, finding that the subject products from China flooded into Japan at prices lower than the fair value, forcing the domestic producers to lower their selling prices and resulting in a large decrease of profits.

Therefore, Japan’s authorities decided to impose a provisional AD measure with a duty rate of 104.61%, and the interested parties could submit their evidence and views before the final determination.

The products involved are graphite electrodes, in the form of poles, most commonly used in electric arc furnaces to melt steel scrap with an electric current. They are classified under HS code 8545.11.