Notice of preliminary determination in the antidumping duty investigation of certain corrosion-resistant steel products from the People's Republic of China (A-570-026)

1. On 01/04/2016, Commerce published in the Federal Register (81 FR 75) its preliminary determination of sales at less than fair value and the postponement of the final determination in the antidumping duty investigation of certain corrosion-resistant steel products (corrosion-resistant steel) from the People's Republic of China (PRC). 2. The products covered by the scope are certain flat-rolled steel products, either clad, plated, or coated with corrosion-resistant metals such as zinc, aluminum, or zinc-, aluminum-, nickel- or iron-based alloys, whether or not corrugated or painted, varnished, laminated, or coated with plastics or other non-metallic substances in addition to the metal coating. The products covered include coils that have a width of 12.7 mm or greater, regardless of form of coil (e.g., in successively superimposed layers, spirally oscillating, etc.). The products covered also include products not in coils (e.g., in straight lengths) of a thickness less than 4.75 mm and a width that is 12.7 mm or greater and that measures at least 10 times the thickness. The products covered also include products not in coils (e.g., in straight lengths) of a thickness 4.75 mm or more than a width exceeding 150 mm and measuring at least twice the thickness. The products described above may be rectangular, square, circular, or other shape and include products of either rectangular or non-rectangular cross-section where such cross-section is achieved subsequent to the rolling process, i.e., products which have been “worked after rolling” (e.g., products which have been beveled or rounded at the edges). For purposes of the width and thickness requirements referenced above: (1) where the nominal and actual measurements vary, a product is within the scope if application of either the nominal or actual measurement would place it within the scope based on the definitions set for above, and (2) where the width and thickness vary for a specific period (e.g., the thickness of certain products with non-rectangular cross-section, the width of certain products with non-rectangular shape, etc.), the measurement at its greatest width or thickness applies. Steel products included in the scope in this investigation are products in which: (1) iron predominates, by weight, over each of the other contained elements; (2) the carbon content is 2 percent or less, by weight; (3) none of the elements listed below exceeds the quantity, by weight, respectively indicated: • 2.50 percent of manganese, or • 3.30 percent of silicon, or • 1.50 percent of copper, or • 1.25 percent of chromium, or • 0.30 percent of cobalt, or • 0.40 percent of lead, or • 2.00 percent of nickel, or • 0.30 percent of tungsten (also called wolfram), or • 0.80 percent of molybdenum, or • 0.10 percent of niobium (also called columbium), or • 0.30 percent of vanadium, or • 0.30 percent of zirconium Unless specifically excluded, products are included in this scope regardless of levels of boron and titanium. For example, specifically included in this scope are vacuum degassed, fully stabilized (commonly referred to interstitial-free (IF)) steels and high strength low alloy (HSLA) steels. IF steels are recognized as low carbon steels with micro-alloying levels of elements such as titanium and/or niobium added to stabilize carbon and nitrogen elements. HSLA steels are recognized as steels with micro-alloying levels of elements such as chromium, copper, niobium, titanium, vanadium, and molybdenum. Furthermore, this scope also includes Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) and Ultra High Strength Steels (UHSS), both of which are considered high tensile strength and high elongation steels. Subject merchandise also includes corrosion-resistant steel that has been further processed in a third country, including but not limited to annealing, tempering painting, varnishing, trimming, cutting, punching and/or slitting or any other processing that would not otherwise remove the merchandise from the scope of the investigation if performed in the country of manufacture of the in-scope corrosion resistant steel. All products that meet the written physical description, and in which the chemistry quantities do not exceed any one of the noted element levels listed above, are within the scope of this investigation unless specifically excluded. The following products are outside of and/or specifically excluded from the scope of this investigation: • Flat-rolled steel products either plated or coated with tin, lead, chromium, chromium oxides, both tin and lead (terne plate), or both chromium and chromium oxides (tin free steel), whether or not painted, varnished or coated with plastics or other non-metallic substances in addition to the metallic coating; • Clad products in straight lengths of 4.7625 mm or more in composite thickness and of a width which exceeds 150 mm and measure at least twice the thickness; and • Certain clad stainless flat-rolled products, which are three-layered corrosion-resistant steel flat-rolled steel products less than 4.75 mm in composite thickness that consist of a flat-rolled steel product clad on both sides with stainless steel in a 20%-60%-20% ratio. The products subject to the investigation are currently classified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) under item numbers: 7210.30.0030, 7210.30.0060, 7210.41.0000, 7210.49.0030, 7210.49.0091, 7210.49.0095, 7210.61.0000, 7210.69.0000, 7210.70.6030, 7210.70.6060, 7210.70.6090, 7210.90.6000, 7210.90.9000, 7212.20.0000, 7212.30.1030, 7212.30.1090, 7212.30.3000, 7212.30.5000, 7212.40.1000, 7212.40.5000, 7212.50.0000, and 7212.60.0000. The products subject to the investigation may also enter under the following HTSUS item numbers: 7210.90.1000, 7215.90.1000, 7215.90.3000, 7215.90.5000, 7217.20.1500, 7217.30.1530, 7217.30.1560, 7217.90.1000, 7217.90.5030, 7217.90.5060, 7217.90.5090, 7225.91.0000, 7225.92.0000, 7225.99.0090, 7226.99.0110, 7226.99.0130, 7226.99.0180, 7228.60.6000, 7228.60.8000, and 7229.90.1000. The HTSUS subheadings above are provided for convenience and customs purposes only. The written description of the scope of the investigation is dispositive. 3. This investigation has been assigned investigation number A-570-026. 4. Because Commerce separately determined that critical circumstances exist for imports of corrosion-resistant steel from the PRC from the entity listed below (see message 5317321, dated 11/13/2015), CBP shall suspend liquidation of all appropriate entries of corrosion-resistant steel from the PRC that are entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after 10/06/2015, which is 90 days before the date of publication of the preliminary determination in the Federal Register. Effective 10/06/2015, for entries of corrosion-resistant steel from the PRC from the entity listed below, CBP shall require a cash deposit equal to the rate shown below: Exporter: PRC-Wide Entity Case number: A-570-026-000 Cash deposit rate: 255.80% 5. Commerce separately found that critical circumstances do not exist for imports of corrosion-resistant steel from the PRC from the exporter/producer combinations listed below (see message 5317321, dated 11/13/2015). For imports of corrosion-resistant steel from the PRC from the exporter/producer combinations listed below, CBP shall suspend liquidation of such shipments entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after 01/04/2016. Effective 01/04/2016, for entries of corrosion-resistant steel from the PRC from the exporter/producer combinations listed below, CBP shall require a cash deposit equal to the rates shown below: Exporter: Yieh Phui (China) Technomaterial Co., Ltd. Producer: Yieh Phui (China) Technomaterial Co., Ltd. Case number: A-570-026-001 Cash deposit rate: 255.80% Exporter: Jiangyin Zongcheng Steel Co. Ltd. Producer: Jiangyin Zongcheng Steel Co. Ltd. Case number: A-570-026-002 Cash deposit rate: 255.80% Exporter: Union Steel China Producer: Union Steel China Case number: A-570-026-003 Cash deposit rate: 255.80% 6. For all other entries of corrosion-resistant steel from the PRC, the following cash deposit instructions apply: A. For all PRC exporters of corrosion-resistant steel from the PRC which have not received their own rate, the cash deposit rate will be the PRC-wide rate. B. For all non-PRC exporters of corrosion-resistant steel from the PRC which have not received their own rate, the cash deposit rate will be the rate applicable to the exporter/producer combinations that supplied that non-PRC exporter. 7. If there are any questions by the importing public regarding this message, please contact the Call Center for the Office of AD/CVD Operations, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce at (202) 482-0984. CBP ports should submit their inquiries through authorized CBP channels only. (This message was generated by OVII:ND/AH.) 8. There are no restrictions on the release of this information. Sherri L. Hoffman