The US Department of Commerce has announced the affirmative final determination in the antidumping duty (AD) investigation of imports of stainless steel flanges from China.

Commerce determined that exporters from China have sold stainless steel flanges in the United States at 257.11 percent less than fair value.

As a result, Commerce will instruct US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to continue collecting cash deposits from importers of stainless steel flanges from China based on this final rate.

In 2017, imports of stainless steel flanges from China were valued at an estimated $21.8 million.

The petitioners are the Coalition of American Flange Producers and its individual members:  Core Pipe Products, Inc., of Carol Stream, Illinois and Maass Flange Corporation of Houston, Texas.

Commerce has initiated 114 new antidumping and countervailing duty investigations since the beginning of the Trump administration. That is 78 percent more than the 64 initiations in the last 500 days of the previous administration.

The AD law provides US businesses and workers with an internationally accepted mechanism to seek relief from the harmful effects of unfair pricing of imports into the United States. Commerce currently maintains 440 antidumping and countervailing duty orders which provide relief to American companies and industries impacted by unfair trade. Foreign companies that price their products in the US market below the cost of production or below prices in their home markets are subject to AD duties.

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) is scheduled to issue its final determination on or around July 19, 2018.  If the ITC makes an affirmative final injury determination, Commerce will issue an AD order on the subject merchandise from China.  If the ITC makes a negative final determination of injury, the investigation will be terminated and no order will be issued.