Carbon and Alloy Steel Threaded Rod From Thailand: Final Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and Final Affirmative Determination of Critical Circumstances

AGENCY:

Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that carbon and alloy steel threaded rod (steel threaded rod) from Thailand is being, or is likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV) during the period of investigation (POI) January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018. The final estimated dumping margins of sales at LTFV are shown in the “Final Determination” section of this notice.

DATES:

Applicable October 21, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Eliza Siordia or Robert Scully AD/CVD Operations, Office V, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-3878 or (202) 482-0572, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On August 7, 2019, Commerce published the Preliminary Determination of this LTFV investigation in which Commerce found that steel threaded rod from Thailand was sold at LTFV. In the Preliminary Determination, Commerce also found that critical circumstances exist for imports of steel threaded rod from Thailand. We invited interested parties to comment on the Preliminary Determination. We received no comments from interested parties.

Period of Investigation

The POI is January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018. This period corresponds to the four most recent fiscal quarters prior to the month of the filing of the petition, which was February 2019.

Scope of the Investigation

The product covered by this investigation is steel threaded rod from Thailand. For a complete description of the scope of this investigation, see Appendix.

Scope Comments

On July 22, 2019, we issued a Preliminary Scope Memorandum. The scope case briefs were due on August 28, 2019. We received no scope case briefs from interested parties. Therefore, Commerce has made no changes to the scope of this investigation since the Preliminary Determination.

Verification

Because the mandatory respondent in this investigation did not provide the information requested, Commerce did not conduct verification.

Analysis of Comments Received

As noted above, we received no comments in response to the Preliminary Determination. For the final determination, Commerce has made no changes to the Preliminary Determination.

Methodology

We continue to find, as stated in the Preliminary Determination, that the mandatory respondent, Tycoons Worldwide Group (Thailand) Co. Ltd. (Tycoons), withheld requested information, failed to provide information by the specified deadlines, and significantly impeded the proceeding, pursuant to section 776(a) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). Further, we continue to find that Tycoons failed to cooperate to the best of its ability to comply with our requests for information, and, accordingly, we continue to apply an adverse inference when selecting from among the facts otherwise available to determine the relevant dumping margin, in accordance with section 776(b) of the Act. We further continue to select the only dumping margin alleged in the Petition as the rate applicable to Tycoons.

Final Affirmative Determination of Critical Circumstances

In accordance with section 733(e) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.206, Commerce preliminarily determined that critical circumstances exist for Tycoons, and for all other producers and/or exporters. As stated above, we received no comments with respect to the Preliminary Determination. Therefore, for this final determination, we continue to find that, in accordance with section 735(a)(3) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.206, critical circumstances exist with respect to subject merchandise exported by Tycoons and for all other producers and/or exporters.

All-Others Rate

As discussed in the Preliminary Determination, we continue to assign the dumping margin alleged in the Petition and selected as the dumping margin for the sole mandatory respondent, Tycoons, as the all-others rate applicable to all exporters and/or producers not individually examined.

Final Determination

Commerce determines that the following estimated weighted-average dumping margins exist:

Continuation of Suspension of Liquidation

In accordance with section 735(c)(4)(A) of the Act, because we continue to find that critical circumstances exist with respect to Tycoons and all other producers and/or exporters, we will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to continue to suspend liquidation of any entries of shipments of subject merchandise which were entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after May 9, 2019, which is 90 days prior to publication of the Preliminary Determination.

Pursuant to section 735(c)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.210(d), Commerce will instruct CBP to require a cash deposit equal to the estimated weighted-average dumping margin or the estimated all-others rate, as follows: (1) The cash deposit rate for the respondent listed above will be equal to the company-specific estimated weighted-average dumping margins determined in this final determination; (2) if the exporter is not a respondent identified above, but the producer is, then the cash deposit rate will be equal to the company-specific estimated weighted-average dumping margin established for that producer of the subject merchandise; and (3) the cash deposit rate for all other producers and exporters will be 20.83 percent, the all-others estimated weighted-average dumping margin. These suspension of liquidation and cash deposit instructions will remain in effect until further notice.

Disclosure

Normally, Commerce discloses to interested parties the calculations performed in connection with a final determination within five days of any public announcement or, if there is no public announcement, within five days of the date of publication of the notice of preliminary determination in the Federal Register, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b). However, because Commerce preliminarily applied adverse facts available (AFA) to the individually examined company, Tycoons, in this investigation, in accordance with section 776 of the Act, and the applied AFA rate is based solely on the Petition, there are no calculations to disclose.

International Trade Commission Notification

In accordance with section 735(d) of the Act, we will notify the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) of the final affirmative determination of sales at LTFV. Because the final determination in this proceeding is affirmative, in accordance with section 735(b)(2) of the Act, the ITC will make its final determination as to whether the domestic industry in the United States is materially injured, or threatened with material injury, by reason of imports of steel threaded rod from Thailand no later than 45 days after this final determination. If the ITC determines that material injury, or threat of material injury, does not exist, the proceeding will be terminated, and all cash deposits will be refunded. If the ITC determines that such injury does exist, Commerce will issue an antidumping duty order directing CBP to assess, upon further instruction by Commerce, antidumping duties on all imports of the subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the effective date of the suspension of liquidation.

Notification Regarding Administrative Protective Order

This notice serves as a reminder to parties subject to administrative protective order (APO) of their responsibility concerning the disposition of proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3). Timely notification of the return or destruction of APO materials, or conversion to judicial protective order, is hereby requested. Failure to comply with the regulations and the terms of an APO is a sanctionable violation.

Notification to Interested Parties

This determination is issued and published in accordance with sections 735(d) and 777(i)(1) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.210(c).

Appendix

Scope of the Investigation

The merchandise covered by the scope of this investigation is carbon and alloy steel threaded rod. Steel threaded rod is certain threaded rod, bar, or studs, of carbon or alloy steel, having a solid, circular cross section of any diameter, in any straight length. Steel threaded rod is normally drawn, cold-rolled, threaded, and straightened, or it may be hot-rolled. In addition, the steel threaded rod, bar, or studs subject to this investigation are non-headed and threaded along greater than 25 percent of their total actual length. A variety of finishes or coatings, such as plain oil finish as a temporary rust protectant, zinc coating (i.e., galvanized, whether by electroplating or hot-dipping), paint, and other similar finishes and coatings, may be applied to the merchandise.

Steel threaded rod is normally produced to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) specifications ASTM A36, ASTM A193 B7/B7m, ASTM A193 B16, ASTM A307, ASTM A320 L7/L7M, ASTM A320 L43, ASTM A354 BC and BD, ASTM A449, ASTM F1554-36, ASTM F1554-55, ASTM F1554 Grade 105, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) specification ASME B18.31.3, and American Petroleum Institute (API) specification API 20E. All steel threaded rod meeting the physical description set forth above is covered by the scope of this investigation, whether or not produced according to a particular standard.

Subject merchandise includes material matching the above description that has been finished, assembled, or packaged in a third country, including by cutting, chamfering, coating, or painting the threaded rod, by attaching the threaded rod to, or packaging it with, another product, or any other finishing, assembly, or packaging operation that would not otherwise remove the merchandise from the scope of the investigations if performed in the country of manufacture of the threaded rod.

Carbon and alloy steel threaded rod are also included in the scope of this investigation whether or not imported attached to, or in conjunction with, other parts and accessories such as nuts and washers. If carbon and alloy steel threaded rod are imported attached to, or in conjunction with, such non-subject merchandise, only the threaded rod is included in the scope.

Excluded from the scope of this investigations are: (1) Threaded rod, bar, or studs which are threaded only on one or both ends and the threading covers 25 percent or less of the total actual length; and (2) stainless steel threaded rod, defined as steel threaded rod containing, by weight, 1.2 percent or less of carbon and 10.5 percent or more of chromium, with our without other elements.

Excluded from the scope of the antidumping investigation on steel threaded rod from the People's Republic of China is any merchandise covered by the existing antidumping order on Certain Steel Threaded Rod from the People's Republic of China. See Certain Steel Threaded Rod from the People's Republic of China: Notice of Antidumping Duty Order, 74 FR 17154 (April 14, 2009).

Specifically excluded from the scope of this investigation is threaded rod that is imported as part of a package of hardware in conjunction with a ready-to-assemble piece of furniture.

Steel threaded rod is currently classifiable under subheadings 7318.15.5051, 7318.15.5056, and 7318.15.5090 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). Subject merchandise may also enter under subheading 7318.15.2095 and 7318.19.0000 of the HTSUS. The HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and U.S. Customs purposes only. The written description of the scope is dispositive.