Substantial dumping margins alleged in US steel line pipe case

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US producers have alleged dumping margins of up to 139% in their unfair trade case petitions filed this week against imports of welded steel line pipe from six countries.

According to a statement from Wiley Rein, counsel to the American Line Pipe Producers Association, the following dumping margins are alleged: Canada, 53.01%; China, 138.61%; Greece, 25.69%; India, 50.55%; South Korea, 23.52%, and Turkey, 27.83%.

The petitions also allege that producers in China, India, South Korea and Turkey benefit from countervailable government subsidies such as tax breaks and discounted land and raw materials, although these allegations were not quantified in the statement.

“All these illegal actions are causing material injury to the US large diameter welded pipe industry,” Wiley Rein said.

The petitions, filed Wednesday with the US Department of Commerce and the US International Trade Commission, were in response to “large and increasing volumes of low-priced imports … [that] have increased their share of the US market, while the domestic industry’s share has declined.”

The ALPPA producers group said it could not afford to wait on the outcome of Commerce’s Section 232 investigation, which could put tariffs and/or quotas on US steel imports, including line pipe.

Source: PLATTS