Steel Tires Imported by Keystone Not Subject to AD/CVD on Trailer Wheels From China
Fourteen models of passenger vehicle and light truck wheels imported by Keystone Automotive Industries aren’t subject to antidumping and countervailing duty orders on steel wheels 12 to 16.5 inches in diameter from China (A-570-090/C-570-091), the Commerce Department announced in a Feb. 24 scope ruling. Keystone’s wheels can’t be used for trailers, it explained.
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The department said that Keystone’s scope ruling request had been unopposed.
Keystone’s wheels are made of steel and 15 to 16 inches in diameter. The orders, meanwhile, cover wheels of up to 16.5 inches in diameter that are suitable for trailer use, it said.
The importer “explains that its requested products are differentiated from subject merchandise based on certain physical factors, including rim size, offset, bolt pattern, hub bore (or center hole) size, and load rating/capacity,” Commerce said. In particular, it said, Keystone argued that its wheels couldn’t be used on trailers.
It said a number of prior rulings support its finding that the wheels are out-of-scope, as did an analysis of the wheels’ characteristics.
“As an initial matter, there is no indication that the requested products are, or could be, used for trailer or towable equipment applications,” it said. “To the contrary, Keystone’s Scope Ruling Request and product catalog indicate that the requested products are for automotive use, and identifies the passenger vehicle associated with each one of the product model numbers requested in its advertising material and product brochures.”
Further, none of Keystone’s wheels carry a load rating sufficient for trailers, it said. It said some of the models’ bolt patterns, central holes or levels of offset might match those found on subject merchandise, but those models were each distinguishable based on at least two of the other factors.