U.S. Department of Commerce Finds Dumping and Countervailable Subsidization of Forged Steel Fluid End Blocks from Multiple Countries
For Immediate Release
December 8, 2020
Contact: Office of Public Affairs
Phone: 202-482-3809
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced affirmative final determinations in the antidumping duty (AD) investigations of forged steel fluid end blocks (fluid end blocks) from Germany and Italy, and affirmative final determinations in the countervailing duty (CVD) investigations of fluid end blocks from China, Germany, India, and Italy. Commerce also announced a negative determination in the AD investigation of fluid end blocks from India.
Commerce determined that exporters from Germany and Italy have dumped fluid end blocks in the United States at rates ranging from 3.82 to 70.84 percent, and 0.00 to 58.48 percent, respectively.
In addition, Commerce determined that exporters from China, Germany, India, and Italy received countervailable subsidies at the following rates:
- 16.80 to 337.07 percent for China;
- 5.86 to 14.81 percent for Germany;
- 5.20 percent for India; and
- 3.12 to 44.86 percent for Italy.
The petitioners estimate that the value of imports of forged steel fluid end blocks in 2018 from China, Germany, India, and Italy was approximately $17.8 million, $23.3 million, $44.4 million, and $46.4 million, respectively.
The petitioners are the FEB Fair Trade Coalition (Cleveland, OH), Ellwood City Forge Company, Ellwood Quality Steels Company, and Ellwood National Steel Company (collectively, the Ellwood Group) (Ellwood City, PA), and A. Finkl & Sons (Finkl Steel) (Chicago, IL).
The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) is currently scheduled to make its final injury determinations on or about January 21, 2021. If the ITC makes affirmative final injury determinations, Commerce will issue AD and CVD orders. If the ITC makes negative final determinations of injury, the investigations will be terminated, and no orders will be issued.
Read the fact sheet on today’s decision(s).
The strict enforcement of U.S. trade law is a primary focus of the Trump Administration. Since the beginning of the current administration, Commerce has initiated 306 new AD and CVD investigations – a 283 percent increase from the comparable period in the previous administration.
The AD and CVD laws provide American 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 539 AD and CVD orders that provide relief to American companies and industries impacted by unfair trade.
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Enforcement and Compliance unit within the International Trade Administration is responsible for vigorously enforcing U.S. trade laws and does so through an impartial, transparent process that abides by international rules and is based on factual evidence provided on the record.
Foreign companies that price their products in the U.S. market below the cost of production or below prices in their home markets are subject to AD duties. Foreign companies that receive unfair subsidies from their governments, such as grants, loans, equity infusions, tax breaks, or production inputs, are subject to CVD duties aimed at directly countering those subsidies.
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