Petition Filed for New AD/CV Duties on Circular Welded Pipe

The petition was filed by Bull Moose Tube Company, EXLTUBE, Wheatland Tube and Western Tube & Conduit. Antidumping duty orders are already in place on circular welded carbon-quality steel pipe from Brazil, China, India, South Korea, Mexico, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey. Countervailing duties are in effect for imports of the product from China and Turkey.

Proposed Scope

The petition proposes the following scope for the investigations:

“These petitions cover welded carbon-quality steel pipes and tube, of circular crosssection, with an outside diameter (‘O.D.’) not more than 16 inches (406.4 mm), regardless of wall thickness, surface finish (e.g., black, galvanized, or painted), end finish (plain end, beveled end, grooved, threaded, or threaded and coupled), or industry specification (e.g., American Society for Testing and Materials International (‘ASTM’), proprietary, or other) generally known as standard pipe, fence pipe and tube, sprinkler pipe, and structural pipe (although subject product may also be referred to as mechanical tubing). Specifically, the term “carbon quality” includes products in which: (a) iron predominates, by weight, over each of the other contained elements; (b) the carbon content is 2 percent or less, by weight; and (c) none of the elements listed below exceeds the quantity, by weight, as indicated:

• (i) 1.80 percent of manganese;
• (ii) 2.25 percent of silicon;
• (iii) 1.00 percent of copper;
• (iv) 0.50 percent of aluminum;
• (v) 1.25 percent of chromium;
• (vi) 0.30 percent of cobalt;
• (vii) 0.40 percent of lead;
• (viii) 1.25 percent of nickel;
• (ix) 0.30 percent of tungsten;
• (x) 0.15 percent of molybdenum;
• (xi) 0.10 percent of niobium;
• (xii) 0.41 percent of titanium;
• (xiii) 0.15 percent of vanadium; or
• (xiv) 0.15 percent of zirconium.

“Subject pipe is ordinarily made to ASTM specifications A53, A135, and A795, but can also be made to other specifications. Structural pipe is made primarily to ASTM specifications A252 and A500. Standard and structural pipe may also be produced to proprietary specifications rather than to industry specifications. Fence tubing is included in the scope regardless of certification to a specification listed in the exclusions below, and can also be made to the ASTM A513 specification. Sprinkler pipe is designed for sprinkler fire suppression systems and may be made to industry specifications such as ASTM A53 or to proprietary specifications. These products are generally made to standard O.D. and wall thickness combinations. Pipe multistenciled to a standard and/or structural specification and to other specifications, such as American Petroleum Institute (“API”) API-5L specification, is also covered by the scope of these investigations when it meets the physical description set forth above, and also has one or more of the following characteristics: is 32 feet in length or less; is less than 2.0 inches (50mm) in outside diameter; has a galvanized and/or painted (e.g., polyester coated) surface finish; or has a threaded and/or coupled end finish.

“The scope of these investigations does not include: (a) pipe suitable for use in boilers, superheaters, heat exchangers, refining furnaces and feedwater heaters, whether or not cold drawn; (b) finished electrical conduit; (c) finished scaffolding; (d) tube and pipe hollows for redrawing; (e) oil country tubular goods produced to API specifications; (f) line pipe produced to only API specifications; and (g) mechanical tubing, whether or not cold-drawn. However, products certified to ASTM mechanical tubing specifications are not excluded as mechanical tubing if they otherwise meet the standard sizes (e.g., outside diameter and wall thickness) of standard, structural, fence and sprinkler pipe. Also, products made to the following outside diameter and wall thickness combinations, which are recognized by the industry as typical for fence tubing, would not be excluded from the scope based solely on their being certified to ASTM mechanical tubing specifications: 1.315 inch O.D. and 0.035 inch wall thickness (gage 20); 1.315 inch O.D. and 0.047 inch wall thickness (gage 18); 1.315 inch O.D. and 0.055 inch wall thickness (gage 17); 1.315 inch O.D. and 0.065 inch wall thickness (gage 16); 1.315 inch O.D. and 0.072 inch wall thickness (gage 15); 1.315 inch O.D. and 0.083 inch wall thickness (gage 14); 1.315 inch O.D. and 0.095 inch wall thickness (gage 13); 1.660 inch O.D. and 0.047 inch wall thickness (gage 18); 1.660 inch O.D. and 0.055 inch wall thickness (gage 17); 1.660 inch O.D. and 0.065 inch wall thickness (gage 16); 1.660 inch O.D. and 0.072 inch wall thickness (gage 15); 1.660 inch O.D. and 0.083 inch wall thickness (gage 14); 1.660 inch O.D. and 0.095 inch wall thickness (gage 13); 1.660 inch O.D. and 0.109 inch wall thickness (gage 12); 1.900 inch O.D. and 0.047 inch wall thickness (gage 18); 1.900 inch O.D. and 0.055 inch wall thickness (gage 17); 1.900 inch O.D. and 0.065 inch wall thickness (gage 16); 1.900 inch O.D. and 0.072 inch wall thickness (gage 15); 1.900 inch O.D. and 0.095 inch wall thickness (gage 13); 1.900 inch O.D. and 0.109 inch wall thickness (gage 12); 2.375 inch O.D. and 0.047 inch wall thickness (gage 18); 2.375 inch O.D. and 0.055 inch wall thickness (gage 17); 2.375 inch O.D. and 0.065 inch wall thickness (gage 16); 2.375 inch O.D. and 0.072 inch wall thickness (gage 15); 2.375 inch O.D. and 0.095 inch wall thickness (gage 13); 2.375 inch O.D. and 0.109 inch wall thickness (gage 12); 2.375 inch O.D. and 0.120 inch wall thickness (gage 11); 2.875 inch O.D. and 0.109 inch wall thickness (gage 12); 2.875 inch O.D. and 0.134 inch wall thickness (gage 10); 2.875 inch O.D. and 0.165 inch wall thickness (gage 8); 3.500 inch O.D. and 0.109 inch wall thickness (gage 12); 3.500 inch O.D. and 0.148 inch wall thickness (gage 9); 3.500 inch O.D. and 0.165 inch wall thickness (gage 8); 4.000 inch O.D. and 0.148 inch wall thickness (gage 9); 4.000 inch O.D. and 0.165 inch wall thickness (gage 8); 4.500 inch O.D. and 0.203 inch wall thickness (gage 7).

“The pipe subject to these petitions are currently classifiable in Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (“HTSUS”) statistical reporting numbers 7306.19.1010, 7306.19.1050, 7306.19.5110, 7306.19.5150, 7306.30.1000, 7306.30.5025, 7306.30.5032, 7306.30.5040, 7306.30.5055, 7306.30.5085, 7306.30.5090, 7306.50.1000, 7306.50.5050, and 7306.50.5070. However, the product description, and not the HTSUS classification, is dispositive of whether the merchandise imported into the United States falls within the scope.”

Commerce Accepting Comments on Petition Support

The Commerce Department is accepting comments on domestic industry support for the petitions to determine whether the petitions meet the dual requirements of support by domestic producers or workers accounting for (1) at least 25% of the total production of the domestic-like product and (2) more than 50% of the production of the domestic-like product produced by that portion of the industry expressing support for, or opposition to, the petition. The four manufacturers that filed the petition said they represent nearly all U.S. production of circular welded pipe. If the petitions meet these requirements, among others, Commerce will initiate antidumping and countervailing duty investigations. Comments are due by Nov. 17.

Email ITTNews@warren-news.com for a copy of the petition.