The US Department of Commerce (DOC) announced Tuesday, December 29, that it will impose preliminary antidumping duties of up to 145.18 percent on steel grating imported from China, as these products were sold at price levels that caused an unfair trade advantage.
The DOC preliminarily came to the conclusion that Chinese producers/exporters sold steel grating in the US at 14.36 to 145.18 percent lower compared to normal price levels.
In its statement, the DOC said, "Commerce [i.e., the DOC] will instruct US Customs and Border Protection to collect a cash deposit or bond based on these preliminary rates." If the DOC and the US International Trade Commission make an affirmative final determination in line with each other, an antidumping duty order will be issued for steel grating products imported from China. According to the statement, the final ruling will be made in April 2010.
Alabama Metal Industries Corp. and Fisher & Ludlow filed the case in May this year, alleging that low priced Chinese products created an unfair trade advantage. Imports of steel grating from China rose by over 500 percent in volume from 2006 to 2008, reaching a value of $90 million.