The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) today determined that an industry in the United States is materially injured by reason of imports of hot-rolled steel products from China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Romania, Taiwan, Thailand, and Ukraine that the Department of Commerce has determined are sold in the United States at less than fair value and those from India, Indonesia, South Africa, and Thailand that the Department of Commerce has determined are also subsidized.

Chairman Stephen Koplan, Vice Chairman Deanna Tanner Okun, and Commissioners Lynn M. Bragg, Marcia E. Miller, Jennifer A. Hillman, and Dennis M. Devaney voted in the affirmative.

As a result of the Commission's affirmative determinations, the U.S. Department of Commerce will issue countervailing duty and antidumping duty orders on imports of these products from India, Indonesia, and Thailand, a countervailing duty order on imports of these products from South Africa, and antidumping duty orders on imports of these products from China, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Romania, Taiwan, and Ukraine.

The Commission's public report Hot-Rolled Steel Products from China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Romania, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, and Ukraine (Investigations Nos. 701-TA-405-408 and 731-TA-899-904 and 731-TA-906-908 (Final), USITC Publication 3468, October 2001) will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the investigations.

Copies may be obtained after September 17, 2001, by calling 202-205-1809 or from the Office of the Secretary, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. Requests may also be made by fax to 202-205-2104.

Product Description: The products covered by this investigation include hot-rolled flat-rolled carbon steel products of a rectangular shape, of a width of 0.5 inch or greater, neither clad, plated, nor coated with metal and whether or not painted, varnished, or coated with plastics or other nonmetallic substances, in coils regardless of thickness, or in straight lengths, of a thickness less than 4.75 mm and of a width measuring at least 10 times the thickness.

Status of Proceedings:
1.  Type of investigations: Final countervailing duty and final antidumping. (1)
2.  Petitioners:  Bethlehem Steel Corp., Bethlehem, PA; Gallatin Steel Co., Ghent, KY; IPSCO
      Steel, Inc., Lisle, IL; LTV Steel Co., Inc., Cleveland, OH; National Steel Corp., 
      Mishawaka, IN; Nucor Corp., Darlington, SC; Steel Dynamics, Inc., Butler, IN; U.S. Steel 
      Group, a division of USX Corp., Pittsburgh, PA; Weirton Steel Corp., Weirton, WV; and the 
      Independent Steelworkers Union, a labor union representing the organized workers at Weirton 
      Steel Corp. (2)
3.  Investigation instituted by USITC:  November 13, 2000.
4.  Hearing: July 17, 2001.
5.  USITC vote: November 2, 2001.
6.  USITC notification of Department of Commerce:  November 13, 2001.

U.S. Industry:
1.  Number of reporting U.S. producers in 2000:  21.
2.  Production volume is concentrated in Alabama, Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio,
       Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and West Virginia.
3.  Employment of production and related workers in 2000:  30,385.
4.  U.S. producers' U.S. shipments (excluding exports) in 2000: Including captive consumption, 
       65,219,129 short tons (valued at $19.5 billion); Open market shipments, 21,278,667 short 
       tons (valued at $6.6 billion).
5.  U.S. apparent consumption in 2000:  Including captive consumption, 72,535,753 short tons
       (valued at $21.7 billion); Open market consumption, 28,595,291 short tons (valued at 
       $8.8 billion).
6.  Ratio of quantity of subject imports to U.S. apparent consumption in 2000:  Including captive
       consumption, 5.5 percent; Open market consumption, 13.8 percent.

U.S. Imports in 2000:
1.  From the subject countries listed above:  3,958,972 short tons (valued at $1.1 billion).
2.  From other countries subject to investigation:(3)  286,694 short tons (valued at 
       $81.4 million).
3.  From countries not subject to investigation:  3,070,958 short tons (valued at $964 million).

(2) On November 16, 2000, the petition was amended to include the United Steelworkers of America as co-petitioners.

(3) Concurrent antidumping and countervailing duty investigations were carried out with respect to imports from Argentina and South Africa. On August 17, 2001, the Commission made affirmative determinations concerning Argentina and South Africa with respect to the antidumping investigations. On the same date, the Commission also made an affirmative determination concerning Argentina with respect to the countervailing duty investigation.