For Immediate Release: October 31, 2008
Contact: Brittany Eck  (202) 482-3809

COMMERCE FINDS UNFAIR DUMPING OF WELDED LINE PIPE FROM CHINA AND KOREA

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Commerce today announced its affirmative preliminary determinations in the antidumping duty investigations of imports of circular welded carbon quality steel line pipe (welded line pipe) from China and Korea. Welded line pipe is used for the transmission of gas or oil, generally in pipeline or utility distribution systems.

“Dumping of welded line pipe in the United States places American producers at a disadvantage and creates an unfair playing field in the global market,” said Assistant Secretary for Import Administration David Spooner. “This Administration is committed to ensuring that our American manufacturers and workers benefit from strong and fair trading relationships by aggressively enforcing our trade remedy laws.”

Commerce preliminarily determined that exporters from China and Korea sold welded line pipe in the United States at 67.83 to 81.52 percent and at zero and 2.34 percent less than normal value, respectively.

In the China investigation, the two mandatory respondents, Huludao Steel Pipe Industrial Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Metals & Minerals Import & Export, received preliminary dumping rates of 67.83 and 81.52 percent, respectively. Four Chinese exporters received a separate preliminary rate of 74.68 percent. All other exporters received the China-wide rate of 81.52 percent.

The two Korean mandatory respondents, SeAH Steel Corporation and Hyundai HYSCO, received preliminary dumping rates of 0 and 2.34, respectively. All other exporters from Korea received a rate of 2.34 percent.

As a result of these preliminary determinations, Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to collect a cash deposit or bond based on the preliminary rates for all companies except SeAH Steel Corporation. Commerce is currently scheduled to make its final determinations in March 2009.

The petitioners for these investigations are Maverick Tube Corporation (Texas), United States Steel Corporation (Pa.), Tex-Tube Company (Texas), and the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, AFL-CIO-CLC (Pa.).

Dumping occurs when a foreign company sells a product in the United States at less than normal value.

For more information about Import Administration or for the fact sheet on today’s decision, visit www.trade.gov/ia.

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