The Commerce Department has determined that imports of large diameter welded pipe from Canada, China, Greece, India, South Korea and Turkey are being dumped on the U.S. market at less than fair value.
In its Canada investigation, Commerce assigned a preliminary dumping rate of 24.38 percent to Evraz Inc. NA., and a similar rate for all other Canadian producers and exporters of this product.
The department assigned a preliminary dumping rate of 132.63 percent for all Chinese producers of these pipes. No individual producer in China was eligible for a separate rate.
In its Greece investigation, Commerce assigned a preliminary dumping rate of 22.51 percent to Corinth Pipeworks Pipe Industry S.A. All other Greek producers and exporters of this pipe were assigned the same dumping rate.
Commerce assigned a preliminary dumping rate of 50.55 percent to India’s Bhushan Steel and Welspun Trading Ltd. The same dumping rate also was applied to all other Indian producers and exporters of large diameter welded pipe.
In its South Korea investigation, Commerce assigned preliminary dumping rates of 14.97 percent to Hyundai RB Co. Ltd. and 22.21 percent to both SeAH Steel Corp. and Samkang M&T Ltd. A preliminary dumping rate of 20.13 percent was assigned by the department to all other South Korean producers and exporters of this pipe.
Lastly, in its Turkey investigation, the department assigned preliminary dumping rates of 5.29 percent to Borusan Mannesmann Boru Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. and 3.45 percent to HDM Celik Boru Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. Commerce also assigned a preliminary dumping rate of 4.83 percent to all other producers and exporters of large diameter welded pipe from Turkey.
Commerce will now instruct Customs and Border Protection to collect cash deposits from U.S. importers of large diameter welded pipe from the six countries. “With respect to the India and Turkey investigations, Commerce will adjust the cash deposit rates by the amount of export subsidies found in the companion countervailing duty investigations,” the department said.
Commerce said large diameter welded pipe imports from Canada, China, Greece, India, Korea and Turkey in 2017 were valued at $179.9 million, $29.2 million, $10.7 million, $294.7 million, $150.9 million and $57.3 million, respectively.
The petitioners for the investigations included the American Line Pipe Producers Association and its members American Cast Iron Pipe Co. of Birmingham, Ala.; Berg Steel Pipe Corp. of Panama City, Fla.; Berg Spiral Pipe Corp. in Mobile, Ala.; Dura-Bond Industries of Steelton, Pa.; Skyline Steel in Parsippany, N.J.; and Stupp Corp. of Baton Rouge, La.
“After all necessary information has been provided, we believe the final results of these investigations will reflect the full value of the dumping that has driven harmful volumes of foreign large diameter welded pipe into the United States and taken sales from U.S. producers,” said Tim Brightbill, trade counsel to the American Line Pipe Producers Association, in a statement.
The association pointed out that due to these dumped imports, U.S. line pipe manufacturers are currently operating at less than 40 percent of their capacity.
Commerce is scheduled to announce the final determinations for its antidumping investigations involving China and India large diameter welded pipe by Nov. 6, followed by its final determinations for Canada, Greece, South Korea and Turkey by Jan. 3.
If Commerce makes affirmative final determinations of dumping and the U.S. International Trade Commission makes affirmative final injury determinations (due by Dec. 20 for its China and India investigations and Feb. 18 for its Canada, Greece, South Korea and Turkey investigations), Commerce will issue antidumping orders. However, if either Commerce or the ITC makes negative final determinations, the investigations will end and no orders will be issued.