China-Indonesia Steel Tariff Barriers Widen (Latest Prices)

Indonesia had previously imposed anti-dumping duties of up to 20% on flat-rolled steel products originating from China, Russia, India, and other countries. This measure expired on March 19, 2026, but Indonesia decided to extend it. The new regulation took effect on April 2, 2026.

Core impact: Chinese steel products face continued anti-dumping import duties of up to 20% when entering Indonesia.

This extension comes on top of China’s existing 20.2% anti-dumping duty on Indonesian stainless steel billets and hot-rolled coils. The result is a two-way barrier that raises transaction costs for steel trade between the two countries.

If your business involves steel or alloy products traded between China and Indonesia, you need to factor in these additional tariff costs. If not, this can be ignored.

Policy 1: MIIT announces compliant steel enterprises (2025 Standard)

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced the first batch of enterprises that meet the Steel Industry Standard Conditions (2025 Edition). The new system adopts a three-tier management: "Leading – Compliant – Non-Compliant". Grading results will directly affect enterprises’ access to credit, financing, and other resources. This is expected to guide resources toward leading enterprises and accelerate the exit of outdated capacity over the long term.

Policy 2: Three new national standards approved

On April 2, 2026, the National Steel Standardization Technical Committee approved three national standards:

• Thermal Balance Test and Calculation Method for Steelmaking Process
• Thermal Balance Test and Calculation Method for Reheating Furnaces and Heat Treatment Furnaces in Rolling Mills
• Technical Requirements for Green Procurement, Storage and Packaging of Iron and Steel Industry Products

These new standards impose higher requirements for energy consumption and green management. Some enterprises may need to increase environmental protection investments, but this will help standardize industry competition in the long run.

Short-term focus: Actual transaction prices between Indonesian mines and smelters after the HPM rule implementation. The key risk is "prices without demand": mills may try to pass through higher costs, but downstream buyers may resist if end-demand remains weak.

Additionally, the extension of Indonesia’s anti-dumping duties will affect exports of hot-rolled and flat products to Indonesia. Enterprises exporting to Indonesia should assess order profitability in advance.

Medium-term judgment (next quarter)

The market is likely to maintain a cost-driven, range-bound upward trend. Rising Indonesian ore prices will gradually transmit to the stainless steel end, but the pace of downstream demand recovery remains the biggest variable.

• During periods of rising nickel prices, shorten quotation validity periods.
• Monitor actual nickel ore transaction prices in Indonesia in late April.
• Pay attention to tariff changes for orders destined for Indonesia.
• Enhance communication about raw material price fluctuations in customer inquiries.
• Focus follow-up on high-end industry customers, such as chemicals, marine engineering, and new energy sectors.

This is Part 3 of a 3-part series on April 2026 nickel and stainless steel market insights. Part 1 covered Indonesia’s HPM nickel pricing rule. Part 2 covered 300-series output surge & 316L vs 304 demand divergence.

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