Importing Steel from China to Thailand: FTA 0–5% Duty, VAT 7% & Anti-Dumping (2026)

Import duty on steel

VAT: 7% on CIF + duty (statutory rate 10%, kept at 7% by annual extension). AD is charged in addition to the import duty, at CIF value, and is not removed by an FTA certificate. Iron and steel sit on Thailand's ACFTA sensitive list — expect a 5% floor on several lines — and remain dutiable lines under RCEP even at the end of the transition period (WTO TPR 2026).

Cold-rolled sheet (CRC) — per-mill AD table, renewed five years from 23 January 2026

Thailand's Committee on Dumping and Subsidy renewed the AD measure on cold-rolled flat steel from China, Taiwan and Vietnam for another five years, effective 23 January 2026. The rates are mill-specific:

An FTA certificate (Form E / RCEP) does not remove this duty — it stacks on top of the import duty.

Live case — circumvention probe. On 27 June 2026 DFT opened an anti-circumvention investigation into Chinese CRC, targeting three named steelmakers suspected of routing product through classification changes. Provisional continuation applied while the case runs. The pattern matters: Thai authorities actively police classification-based evasion — a precedent set by the HRC alloy-addition case below.

Hot-dip galvanised CRC — AD in force since Sep 2021, sunset review now running

Since 6 September 2021 Thailand applies exporter-specific AD duties of up to 37.54% of CIF on hot-dip galvanised cold-rolled sheet and coil from China (several named exporters carry low or zero rates; the all-others rate sits at the top of the range). The measure covers 25 Thai tariff lines in 7210.49/7210.499/7212.30 and 7225.92.90 and was imposed for five years.

Anti-circumvention probe (live). On 27 October 2025 DFT opened an anti-circumvention investigation into Zn-Al-Mg (zinc-aluminium-magnesium) coated CRC from China, naming ten Chinese producers and adding 24 tariff lines (7210.49.14/15/16, 7212.30 sub-lines, 7225.92.20, 7226.99) — the alloy-coating route some exporters used after the 2021 order.

Sunset review (live). In September 2026 DFT opened the first sunset review of the measure (case AD1043) on application from domestic producers. Duties continue in force during the review, with provisional security collection from 7 September 2026 for up to one year. The review decision is due around September 2027 — either continuation (most common outcome) or expiry. Price galvanized contracts accordingly.

Hot-rolled sheet, coil & plate — 30.91% on China, plus H-beams and tinplate

HRC from China: 30.91% of CIF. Thailand has imposed AD duties on hot-rolled coils and plates from China since 2011. The current order — renewed in July 2023 — runs to 10 July 2028 at 30.91% of CIF for Chinese product (Malaysia-origin carries 23.57–42.51%). Shipbuilding, mould-making and export-processing-zone users can obtain exemptions (annual caps apply). After an anti-circumvention investigation (opened September 2023, terminated August 2024), coverage was extended in August 2024 to alloy-added flat hot-rolled steel from 17 named Chinese producers — the alloy-addition route is closed.

H-beams: 30.86% / 54.19%. Definitive AD duties on hot-rolled H-section structural steel from China were published in the Royal Gazette on 10 November 2025: 30.86% for Maanshan Iron & Steel, 54.19% for Hebei Jinxi and all other producers, CIF basis, five years.

Also in force: AD on tinplate and tin-free steel from China (with Korea, the EU and Taiwan) since 12 November 2021; AD on stainless-steel pipes from China at 14.53%. And on the horizon: DFT opened a Section-57 sunset review in June 2026 covering hot-rolled sheet and coil from 14 countries (Japan, South Africa, Russia, Kazakhstan, India, Korea, Taiwan, Venezuela, Argentina, Ukraine, Algeria, Indonesia, Slovakia, Romania) — China is not in that review; its own order runs to 2028.

Context from the WTO's 2026 Trade Policy Review: Thailand had 58 AD measures in force at end-2024, 91% of them on metal products, and China is the most-targeted origin (15 measures). Thailand has never applied a countervailing duty and currently has no safeguard in force.

The plate route — wear and high-strength plate stays outside every measure

Every AD measure above is product-specific, and none of them covers as-rolled alloy plate under 7225.40 / 7226. The HRC order targets heading 7208 product; the CRC order targets 7209/7212; the galvanized order covers coated sheet (7210/7212/7225.92); the H-beam order covers sections. Wear plate (NM400/NM450/NM500) and high-strength plate (Q690E, BS960E-class) in plate form enter Thailand with base duty of 0–5% (with Form E / RCEP C/O) plus 7% VAT only — no AD, regardless of the producing mill.

Baohui's core export range is exactly this plate: Baosteel-channel wear and high-strength plate with full mill certificates — NM400 / NM450 / NM500 wear plate · BS960E ultra-high-strength plate · Q690E high-strength plate. One caution: Thai customs actively polices classification after the alloy-addition HRC case — we ship with correct 7225.40 classification and mill certificates, so your clearance stays clean.

How the duties stack up — landed-cost cascade

Example A — NM450 wear plate, plate form 7225.40 (CIF Bangkok US$860/t), Form E presented. Import duty: US$0–5% (ACFTA; say 0% on a liberalised line). AD: not applicable — plate is outside every measure. VAT 7% on CIF ≈ US$60/t. Border total ≈ US$920/t (≈ +7% over CIF) — and input VAT is creditable for a VAT-registered Thai importer.

Example B — Chinese CRC (CIF US$700/t), same Form E. Baosteel-made: AD 9.24% = US$64.68 → VAT 7% on US$764.68 = US$53.53 → border ≈ US$818/t. All-other-mill CRC: AD 20.11% = US$140.77 → VAT US$58.85 → border ≈ US$900/t (+28.5% over CIF).

Example C — Chinese H-beam (CIF US$700/t). AD 54.19% = US$379.33 → VAT on US$1,079.33 = US$75.55 → border ≈ US$1,155/t (+65% over CIF). Same port, same steel family — the product form and the producing mill decide the difference.

Ask us for a line-item landed-cost sheet: we state the producing mill, the applicable Royal Gazette order and the exact duty line before you commit.

Documents & certificates you need

• Certificate of origin — Form E (ACFTA) or RCEP C/O, issued by China CCPIT or China Customs; without it the MFN 5–30% rate applies.
• Customs import declaration filed through the Thai National Single Window by your Thai importer of record.
• TISI conformity — certain steel products require Thai Industrial Standards Institute certification or testing before import; check the current mandatory-standard list.
• Mill test certificate naming the producing mill — it decides the AD rate on CRC — plus commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading and ISPM 15 wood-packaging stamps.
• For AD-covered products your importer declares the exporter's name exactly as listed in the Royal Gazette order; misspelled or generic producer names attract the all-others rate.

Official sources for this page

• WTO Trade Policy Review of Thailand, WT/TPR/S/480/Rev.1 (2026) — VAT 7%, tariff structure, 58 AD measures in force, China most-targeted origin
• S&P Global Commodity Insights — steel trade-remedy tracker — CRC renewal (9.24/10.71/20.11, effective Jan 23), HDG range, HRC alloy extension, June 27 CRC circumvention probe
• SMM — Thailand anti-circumvention investigation on HDG CRC from China (initiated 27 Oct 2025)
• Asian Metal — first sunset review of Chinese HDG duties (September 2026)
• Royal Gazette citations — H-beam final determination (vol. 142, 10 Nov 2025) and HRC sunset review (vol. 143, 8 Jun 2026)
• Global steel trade-remedies tracker — HDG sunset review AD1043, security from 7 Sep 2026
• Thai Customs Department — tariff lookup & procedures · Department of Foreign Trade — determinations & reviews · Royal Gazette (Ratchakitcha) — duty orders

Every figure above was re-checked against these sources on 2026-10-30. Thai AD rates are company-specific and Royal-Gazette-bound: confirm the producing mill and your exact HS line before quoting.

Change log — what moved, and when

Related guide: electrical steel

HS 7225 also covers grain-oriented (GO) and non-oriented (NGO) electrical steel — the silicon steel grades used in transformer and motor cores. Read our guide: What is electrical steel — grades, GO vs NGO, and the global market.