[Ferro-alloys.com] A coalition of US manufacturers has called for an antidumping investigation into imports ofsteel concrete reinforcing bar (rebar) from Mexico.

The Rebar Trade Action Coalition claims Mexican and Turkish producers are dumping the product in the US at margins ranging from 42.1% to 66.8%, causing "significant harm" to US producers, including a decline in pricing and profits.

Rebar imports to the US from the two countries have risen sharply in recent years, the coalition said, with market share increasing from 7% to 17% from 2010 through 1H13 "at the direct expense" of domestic manufacturers, according to a statement on the website of law firm Wiley Rein.

The petition singled out Turkish and Mexican industries for employing "unfair pricing practices to capture market share."

A preliminary injury determination by the US International Trade Commission is expected in October, with the US Department of Commerce due to report preliminary antidumping determinations within six months, with a final determination due in 9-13 months, the statement said.

Mexico was the biggest Latin American steel exporter to the US in July, by value, with exports valued at US$203mn, down from US$214mn in the same month last year, according to figures from the US Census Bureau in August.

The volume of Mexican steel exports to the US rose from 217,653t to 227,570t over the period, second biggest in the region behind Brazil.