On April 26, 2023, a domestic producer of steel cylinders filed a
petition with the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and the U.S. International
Trade Commission (ITC) seeking the imposition of antidumping (AD) and
countervailing (CVD) duties on imports of certain non-refillable steel
cylinders from India—a product used to store gases, such as compressed or
liquefied refrigerant gas.
According to the petitioner, imports of the subject merchandise into the
United States from India have increased over the past few years, reaching 3.5
million units in 2022. The case follows the imposition of AD and CVD duties in
2021 on Chinese non-refillable steel cylinders.
Worthington Industries of Columbus, Ohio, is the petitioner and is the
only known U.S. producer of non-refillable steel cylinders.
Under U.S. law, a domestic industry (including workers in that industry)
may petition for the government to initiate an AD investigation into the
pricing of an imported product to determine whether it is sold in the United
States at less than fair value (i.e., “dumped”). A domestic industry may also
petition for the initiation of an investigation of alleged countervailable
subsidies provided by a foreign government to producers and exporters of the
subject merchandise. DOC will impose AD or CVD duties on a product if it
determines that imports of that product are dumped and/or subsidized, and if
the ITC also determines that the domestic industry is materially injured or
threatened with such injury by reason of imports of that product.
If the ITC and DOC make preliminary affirmative determinations, U.S.
importers will be required to post cash deposits in the amount of the AD and/or
CVD duties for all entries of the subject merchandise entered on or after the
date of publication of DOC’s preliminary determinations. The preliminary AD/CVD
rates can change in the final DOC determinations, following further factual investigation,
verification and briefing.