The US is set to impose new tariffs on aluminum imports from 18 countries after an investigation determined they had benefited from unfair subsidies and dumping.

A review by the US Department of Commerce, which began under the Trump administration and had been requested by nearly a dozen US aluminium alloy manufacturers, identified a wide range of unfair trade practices that it claimed had harmed domestic firms.

For example, the review found that imports from Germany, which were worth $286.6 million in 2019, benefited from dumping rates ranging from 40 to 242 percent.

Meanwhile, imports from India - worth $123 million in 2019 - took advantage of subsidies of between 35 and 89 percent.

The other nations identified in the review are Bahrain, Brazil, Croatia, Egypt, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Oman, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan and Turkey.

In a statement, the US Department of Commerce said: "Foreign companies that receive unfair subsidies from their governments, such as grants, loans, equity infusions, tax breaks, or production inputs are subject to countervailing duties (CVDs) aimed at directly countering those subsidies."

It added that those that price their products for the US market below the cost of production or prices in their home markets can all expect to face anti-dumping (AD) taxes.

The next step will be for the independent International Trade Commission to approve or reject the decision of the review. If it agrees with the determination made by the Department of Commerce, it has the power to implement AD and CVD orders.

It is expected to make its final decision on or about April 15th.