The U.S. Department of Commerce announced affirmative preliminary determinations in the countervailing duty (CVD) investigations of imports of carbon and alloy steel threaded rod from China and India, finding that exporters received countervailable subsidies ranging from 23.41% to 24.89% and 6.07% to 155.03%, respectively.

Commerce said it will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to collect cash deposits from importers of carbon and alloy steel threaded rod from China and India based on these preliminary rates.

Excluded from the scope of these investigations are: (1) threaded rod, bar, or studs which are threaded only on one or both ends and the threading covers 25% or less of the total actual length; and (2) stainless steel threaded rod, defined as steel threaded rod containing, by weight, 1.2% or less of carbon and 10.5% or more of chromium, with our without other elements.

In 2018, imports of carbon and alloy steel threaded rod from China and India were valued at an estimated $104.7 million and $35.8 million, respectively.

The petitioner is Vulcan Threaded Products Inc. (Pelham, AL).

Since the beginning of the Trump administration in 2017, Commerce has initiated 172 new antidumping and countervailing duty investigations – a 219% increase from the comparable period in the Obama administration.

Commerce is scheduled to announce its final CVD determinations by December 4.

If Commerce makes affirmative final determinations, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will be scheduled to make its final injury determinations by January 17, 2020. If Commerce makes affirmative final determinations and the ITC makes affirmative final injury determinations, Commerce will issue CVD orders. If either make negative final determinations, the investigations will be terminated.

(Click HERE for a fact sheet on Commerce’s decisions.)