The U.S. Commerce Department announced on Thursday its intention to apply preliminary anti-dumping duties to tin-plated steel imports from Canada, Germany, and China. This decision excluded five nations, bringing a sigh of relief to food can manufacturers who had been anxious about potential higher tariffs.

China will face the steepest duties at 122.5% for their tin mill steel, with the country’s top producer, Baoshan Iron and Steel, included. 

German suppliers, including the likes of Thyssenkrupp, will see duties of 7.02%, while Canadian imports, featuring producers like ArcelorMittal DOFASCO, will have a 5.29% duty.

However, the department clarified that imports of the gleaming silver metal, a popular choice for containers like food cans, from Britain, the Netherlands, South Korea, Taiwan, and Turkey will not be subject to any duties.

The reason for these duties, as a Commerce Department representative pointed out, was the discovery that the three nations were selling steel below their domestic market prices. 

Particularly, Chinese rates escalated due to non-cooperation from a key producer during the investigation, which resulted in a negative conclusion. Additionally, some couldn’t demonstrate their independence from the Chinese government.

This significant development came after Cleveland-Cliffs, a U.S. steelmaker, filed a complaint in February, accusing foreign entities of dumping in the tin-plate industry. This industry has witnessed the shutdown of numerous U.S. production sites over recent years.

In a related development from June, the Commerce Department had earlier revealed preliminary anti-subsidy duties of 543% on imports from Baoshan Iron and Steel and 89% for other Chinese producers. This was part of a distinct yet concurrent inquiry.

Thursday’s decision did not involve any anti-subsidy investigations for the other mentioned countries.