NEW YORK — The World Trade Organization’s Dispute Settlement Body adopted a report Friday in a final ruling on Chinese duties on U.S. shipments of grain-oriented flat-rolled electrical steel.

The report, issued in October by the WTO’s Appellate Body, largely backs the U.S. government’s challenge of Chinese anti-dumping and countervailing duties on U.S. product (amm.com, Oct. 18).

The dispute dates back to September 2010, when the U.S. government complained that China incorrectly applied dumping margins of between 7.8 and 64.8 percent and subsidy margins of between 11.7 and 44.6 percent to U.S. products (amm.com, Sept. 15, 2010).

The WTO backed the United States in June, but China then appealed the decision, triggering the involvement of the Appellate Body.

West Chester, Ohio-based AK Steel Corp. and Pittsburgh-based ATI Allegheny Ludlum Corp.—the two largest U.S. manufacturers of electrical steel—stand to gain from the final decision, although it is uncertain if the companies will try to re-enter the Chinese market.

AK Steel has resumed discussions with Chinese buyers of electrical steel, chairman, president and chief executive officer James L. Wainscott said during a recent earnings call, noting that China had accounted for some 15 percent of the company’s electrical steel sales prior to the imposition of duties (amm.com, Oct. 24).