FACT SHEET

Preliminary Determinations in the Antidumping Duty Investigations on
Imports of Carboxymethylcellulose from Finland, Mexico,
the Netherlands and Sweden

On December 17, 2004, the Department of Commerce announced its preliminary determinations in the antidumping duty investigations of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) from Finland, Mexico, the Netherlands, and Sweden.   The Department preliminarily finds that producers/exporters in the investigated countries have sold CMC in the U.S. market at less than fair value, with margins of: 6.65 percent (Finland), 12.18 percent (Mexico), 12.04 to 27.11 percent (the Netherlands), and 25.29 percent (Sweden).

Application of Facts Available: On September 24, 2004,   respondents Noviant Oy (Finland) and Noviant AB (Sweden) advised the Department that they would no longer participate in the investigations.   As these two companies were the only respondents in the investigations involving Finland and Sweden, the Department applied adverse facts available to determine the preliminary dumping margins for imports from those two countries.

Next Steps:   The Department will consider all submitted comments from interested parties along with other record evidence before making its final determinations on or about May 9, 2005.   If the Department makes final affirmative determinations, and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) makes final affirmative determinations that imports materially injure, or threaten material injury to, the domestic industry, the Department will issue antidumping duty orders and instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to collect cash deposits on imports of subject merchandise.

Petitioner:  The petition requesting this investigation was filed on June 9, 2004, by Aqualon Company (a division of Hercules Incorporated), of Wilmington, Delaware, the sole domestic producer of purified CMC.

Product Description:   The scope of these investigations covers purified carboxymethylcellulose, sometimes also referred to as purified sodium CMC, polyanionic cellulose, or cellulose gum, which is a white to off-white, non-toxic, odorless, biodegradable powder, comprising sodium carboxymethylcellulose that has been refined and purified to a minimum assay of 90 percent.   Purified CMC does not include unpurified or crude CMC, CMC Fluidized Polymer Suspensions, and CMC that is cross-linked through heat treatment.   Purified CMC is CMC that has undergone one or more purification operations which, at a minimum, reduce the remaining salt and other by-product portion of the product to less than 10 percent.  

The merchandise subject to these investigations is classified under subheading 3912.31.00 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.   This tariff classification is provided for convenience and customs purposes; however, the written description of the scope of these investigations is dispositive.

Preliminary Dumping Margins:

Case Calendar:

* This will take place only in the event of a final affirmative determination from the Department.

** This will take place only in the event of a final affirmative determination from both the Department and the ITC.

Import Statistics:¹

1 Reported volumes and values are based on petitioner's estimates of the portion of basket category import statistics reported by U.S. Bureau of the Census that account for the exclusion of imports from Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden of non-subject merchandise (crude, and cross-linked CMC) for which the average unit values are below $0.80/lb. and greater than $2.75/lb.   Mexican import volumes and values are based upon petitioner's estimate that 50 percent of all CMC production capacity in Mexico produced for export is subject merchandise .