U.S. Sets Preliminary Antidumping Duties on Chinese Threaded Rod

Jason Sandefur

The U.S. has set preliminary anti-dumping duties on threaded rod imports from China.
“Dumping of imports of steel threaded rod in the U.S. market by foreign exporters unfairly undercuts American manufacturers,” assistant Commerce secretary for import administration David Spooner stated.
Pelham, AL-based Vulcan Threaded Products Inc. filed an antidumping petition in March 2008, claiming a surge in steel threaded rod from China, with the average dumping margin reaching 89% (see FIN 4/01/08). Imports of the steel rod from China increased 67% from 2005 to 2007.
“We have seen an extraordinary increase in the volume from China at prices which are often less than the cost of our raw materials,” Vulcan president Bill Upton stated in March.
China has more than 400 threaded rod producers, according to the petition, with the import total reaching $74 million.
The Commerce Department set preliminary duties of 77.85% for RMB Fasteners, IFI & Morgan and Jiaxing Brother Fastener Co., and 176.57% for Ningbo Yinzhou Foreign Trade Co., Ningbo Daxie Chuofeng Industrial Development Co. and Zhejiang Guorui Industry Co., according to the Associated Press. Nine other exporters received a preliminary duty of 91.22%, while other unspecified companies will face a rate of 206%.
Final anti-dumping duties are scheduled to be announced in December.
Despite the preliminary duty announcement, the petition could ultimately fail if the U.S. International Trade Commission decides that Vulcan has not been materially injured or by the imports. That decision is due in January 2009. �2008 FastenerNews.com