On May 5, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) announced its affirmative preliminary determinations in the antidumping duty (AD) investigations of grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES) from the People’s Republic of China (China), the Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea (Korea), Poland, and the Russian Federation (Russia).
In the China investigation, Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. (Baoshan) failed to provide complete and adequate responses to Commerce’s questionnaires. As a result, Commerce considered Baoshan to be part of the China-wide entity and assigned the China-wide entity a dumping margin based on adverse facts available of 159.21 percent.
In the Czech Republic investigation, mandatory respondents ArcelorMittal Frydek-Mistek A.S. and Sujani Enterprises Inc. received preliminary dumping margins of 11.45 percent and 10.35 percent, respectively. All other producers/exporters in the Czech Republic received a preliminary dumping margin of 10.38 percent.
In the Germany investigation, the sole mandatory respondent, ThyssenKrupp Electrical Steel GmbH (TKES), failed to answer Commerce’s questionnaire. As a result, Commerce assigned TKES a dumping margin based on adverse facts available of 241.91 percent. All other producers/exporters in Germany received a preliminary dumping margin of 133.70 percent.
In the Japan investigation, the two mandatory respondents, Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation (Nippon) and JFE Steel Corporation (JFE), failed to answer Commerce’s questionnaire. As a result, Commerce assigned Nippon and JFE a dumping margin based on adverse facts available of 172.30 percent. All other producers/exporters in Japan received a preliminary dumping margin of 93.36 percent.
In the Korea investigation, the sole mandatory respondent, POSCO, received a preliminary dumping margin of 5.34 percent. All other producers/exporters in Korea received a preliminary dumping margin of 5.34 percent.
In the Poland investigation, the sole mandatory respondent, Stalprodukt S.A., failed to answer Commerce’s questionnaire. As a result, Commerce assigned Stalprodukt S.A. a dumping margin based on adverse facts available of 99.51 percent. All other producers/exporters in Poland received a preliminary dumping margin of 78.10 percent.
In the Russia investigation, the sole mandatory respondent OJSC Novoliopetsk Steel/VIZ-Steel (NLMK), failed to provide complete and adequate responses to Commerce’s questionnaires. As a result, Commerce assigned NLMK a dumping margin based on adverse facts available of 119.88 percent. All other producers/exporters in Russia received a preliminary dumping margin of 68.98 percent.
The petitioners for these investigations are AK Steel Corporation (OH), Allegheny Ludlum, LLC (PA), and the United Steelworkers (PA).
The scope of these investigations covers grain-oriented silicon electrical steel (GOES). GOES is a flat-rolled alloy steel product containing by weight at least 0.6 percent but not more than 6 percent of silicon, not more than 0.08 percent of carbon, not more than 1.0 percent of aluminum, and no other element in an amount that would give the steel the characteristics of another alloy steel, in coils or in straight lengths. The GOES that is subject to these investigations is currently classifiable under subheadings 7225.11.0000, 7226.11.1000, 7226.11.9030, and 7226.11.9060 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). Although the HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the scope of these investigations is dispositive.
Commerce is scheduled to announce its final determinations concerning Germany, Japan, and Poland on or about July 17, 2014, unless the statutory deadline is extended. Commerce is scheduled to announce its final determinations concerning China, the Czech Republic, Korea, and Russia on or about September 16, 2014, as the deadline for these determinations has been fully extended.
