Certain Corrosion-Resistant Steel Products From the Republic of Türkiye: Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, Postponement of Final Determination, and Extension of Provisional Measures
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Abstract
The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that certain corrosion-resistant steel products (CORE) from the Republic of T[uuml]rkiye (T[uuml]rkiye) are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The period of investigation is July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination.
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 68 (Thursday, April 10, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 68 (Thursday, April 10, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15340-15343]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-06140]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A-489-855]
Certain Corrosion-Resistant Steel Products From the Republic of
T[uuml]rkiye: Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less
Than Fair Value, Postponement of Final Determination, and Extension of
Provisional Measures
AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily
determines that certain corrosion-resistant steel products (CORE) from
the Republic of T[uuml]rkiye (T[uuml]rkiye) are being, or are likely to
be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The
period of investigation is July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024.
Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary
determination.
DATES: Applicable April 10, 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brittany Bauer or Olivia Woolverton,
AD/CVD Operations, Office V, Enforcement and Compliance, International
Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-3860 or (202)
482-7452, respectively.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
This preliminary determination is made in accordance with section
733(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). Commerce
published the notice of initiation of this investigation on October 2,
2024.\1\ On January 28, 2025, Commerce postponed the preliminary
determination of this investigation until April 3, 2025.\2\ For a
complete description of the events that followed the initiation of this
investigation, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.\3\ A list of
topics included in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum is included as
Appendix II to this notice. The Preliminary Decision Memorandum is a
public document and is on file electronically via Enforcement and
Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic
Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to registered users at
<a href="https://access.trade.gov">https://access.trade.gov</a>. In addition, a complete version of the
Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at <a href="https://access.trade.gov/public/FRNoticesListLayout.aspx">https://access.trade.gov/public/FRNoticesListLayout.aspx</a>.
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\1\ See Certain Corrosion-Resistant Steel Products from
Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Africa,
Taiwan, the Republic of T[uuml]rkiye, the United Arab Emirates, and
the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Initiation of Less-Than-Fair-
Value Investigations, 89 FR 80196 (October 2, 2024) (Initiation
Notice).
\2\ See Certain Corrosion-Resistant Steel Products from
Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Africa,
Taiwan, the Republic of T[uuml]rkiye, the United Arab Emirates, and
the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Postponement of Preliminary
Determinations in the Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigation, 90 FR 8260
(January 28, 2025).
\3\ See Memorandum, ``Decision Memorandum for the Preliminary
Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less-Than-Fair-Value in the
Investigation of Certain Corrosion-Resistant Steel Products from the
Republic of T[uuml]rkiye,'' dated concurrently with, and hereby
adopted by, this notice (Preliminary Decision Memorandum).
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Scope of the Investigation
The product covered by this investigation is CORE from
T[uuml]rkiye. For a complete description of the scope of this
investigation, see Appendix I.
Scope Comments
In accordance with the Preamble to Commerce's regulations,\4\ in
the Initiation Notice, Commerce set aside a period of time for parties
to raise issues regarding product coverage (i.e., scope).\5\ Certain
interested parties commented on the scope of the investigation as it
appeared in the Initiation Notice. For a summary of the product
coverage comments and rebuttal responses submitted to the record for
this investigation and accompanying discussion and analysis of all
comments timely received, see the Preliminary Scope Decision
Memorandum.\6\ Commerce is not preliminarily modifying the scope
language as it appeared in the Initiation Notice. In the Preliminary
Scope Decision Memorandum, Commerce established the deadline for
parties to submit scope case and rebuttal briefs.\7\
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\4\ See Antidumping Duties; Countervailing Duties, Final Rule,
62 FR 27296, 27323 (May 19, 1997) (Preamble).
\5\ See Initiation Notice, 89 FR at 80197.
\6\ See Memorandum, ``Preliminary Scope Decision Memorandum,''
dated concurrently with this notice (Preliminary Scope Decision
Memorandum).
\7\ Id.
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Methodology
Commerce is conducting this investigation in accordance with
section 731 of the Act. Commerce calculated export prices in accordance
with sections 772(a) of the Act. Normal value is calculated in
accordance with section 773 of the Act. Furthermore, pursuant to
sections 776(a) and (b) of the Act, Commerce has preliminarily relied
upon partial facts otherwise available, with adverse inferences, in
determining an estimated weighted-average dumping margin for
Borcelik.\8\ For a full description of the methodology underlying the
preliminary determination, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.
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\8\ Borcelik consists of Borcelik Celik Sanayii Ticaret A.S.,
ArcelorMittal [Ccedil]elik Ticaret A.[Scedil]., Bamesa Celik
Serv[inodot]s San. Ve Tic. A.[Scedil]. and Bamesa Muradiye Demir
[Ccedil]elik San. Ve Tic. A.[Scedil].
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All-Others Rate
Sections 733(d)(1)(ii) and 735(c)(5)(A) of the Act provide that in
the preliminary determination Commerce shall determine an estimated
all-others rate for all exporters and producers not
[[Page 15341]]
individually examined. This rate shall be an amount equal to the
weighted average of the estimated weighted-average dumping margins
established for exporters and producers individually investigated,
excluding any zero and de minimis margins, and any margins determined
entirely under section 776 of the Act.
Commerce preliminarily calculated an estimated weighted-average
dumping margin of zero for Borcelik. Therefore, the only estimated
weighted-average dumping margin that is not zero, de minimis, or based
entirely on facts available is the rate calculated for
Y[inodot]ld[inodot]z Demir [Ccedil]elik Sanayi A.S. and
Y[inodot]ld[inodot]z Entegre A[gbreve]a[ccedil] Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S.
(collectively, YD[Ccedil]). Consequently, the estimated weighted-
average dumping margin calculated for YD[Ccedil] is also assigned as
the estimated weighted-average dumping margin for all-other producers
and exporters in this investigation.
Preliminary Determination
Commerce preliminarily determines that the following estimated
weighted-average dumping margins exist:
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Estimated weighted-
Exporter or producer average dumping
margin (percent)
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Borcelik Celik Sanayii Ticaret A.S., ArcelorMittal 0.00
[Ccedil]elik Ticaret A.[Scedil]., Bamesa Celik
Serv[inodot]s San. Ve Tic. A.[Scedil]. and Bamesa
Muradiye Demir [Ccedil]elik San. Ve Tic. A.[Scedil]
Y[inodot]ld[inodot]z Demir [Ccedil]elik Sanayi A.S., 15.18
Y[inodot]ld[inodot]z Entegre A[gbreve]a[ccedil]
Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S..............................
All Others.......................................... 15.18
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Suspension of Liquidation
In accordance with section 733(d)(2) of the Act, Commerce will
direct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to suspend liquidation
of entries of subject merchandise, as described in Appendix I, entered,
or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of
publication of this notice in the Federal Register.
For this preliminary determination, Commerce has determined for
Borcelik an estimated weighted-average dumping margin of zero percent.
Therefore, for merchandise produced and exported by Borcelik, CBP will
not suspend the liquidation of entries of the subject merchandise, as
described in Appendix I, entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for
consumption on or after the date of publication of this notice in the
Federal Register. Further, CBP will not require a cash deposit of
estimated antidumping duties for such entries of subject merchandise
produced and exported by Borcelik. For imports of CORE produced by
Borcelik and exported by a different company, or produced by a
different company and exported by Borcelik, Commerce will instruct CBP
to suspend liquidation and require a cash deposit for estimated
antidumping duties as stipulated below.
Should the final estimated weighted-average dumping margin be zero
or de minimis (i.e., less than two percent) for Borcelik, entries of
shipments of CORE produced and exported by Borcelik will be excluded
from the potential antidumping duty order. Such exclusion is not
applicable to CORE exported to the United States by Borcelik where the
CORE was produced by a different company, or to CORE produced by
Borcelik and exported by a different company. Under those conditions,
the cash deposit requirements for entries of CORE either produced by
Borcelik or exported by Borcelik (but not both) will be determined
under the cash deposit hierarchy set forth below.
Further, pursuant to section 733(d)(1)(B) of the Act and 19 CFR
351.205(d), Commerce will instruct CBP to require a cash deposit equal
to the estimated weighted-average dumping margin, as follows: (1) the
cash deposit rate for YD[Ccedil] will be equal to YD[Ccedil]'s
estimated weighted-average dumping margin determined in this
preliminary determination; (2) if the exporter is not YD[Ccedil], but
YD[Ccedil] is the producer, then the cash deposit rate will be equal to
YD[Ccedil]'s estimated weighted-average dumping margin established for
that producer of the subject merchandise; and (3) the cash deposit rate
for all other producers and exporters will be equal to the all-others
estimated weighted-average dumping margin.
These suspension of liquidation instructions and cash deposit
requirements will remain in effect until further notice.
Disclosure
Commerce intends to disclose its calculations and analysis
performed to interested parties in this preliminary determination
within five days of any public announcement or, if there is no public
announcement, within five days of the date of publication of this
notice in the Federal Register, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).
Consistent with 19 CFR 351.224(e), Commerce will analyze and, if
appropriate, correct any timely allegations of significant ministerial
errors by amending the preliminary determination. However, consistent
with 19 CFR 351.224(d), Commerce will not consider incomplete
allegations that do not address the significance standard under 19 CFR
351.224(g) following the preliminary determination. Instead, Commerce
will address such allegations in the final determination together with
issues raised in the case briefs or other written comments.
Verification
As provided in section 782(i)(1) of the Act, Commerce intends to
verify the information relied upon in making its final determination.
Public Comment
Case briefs or other written comments, excluding scope comments,
may be submitted to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and
Compliance no later than seven days after the date on which the last
verification report is issued in this investigation. Rebuttal briefs,
limited to issues raised in the case briefs, may be filed no later than
five days after the date for filing case briefs.\9\ Interested parties
who submit case briefs or rebuttal briefs in this proceeding must
submit: (1) a table of contents listing each issue; and (2) a table of
authorities.\10\
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\9\ See 19 CFR 351.309; see also 19 CFR 351.303 (for general
filing requirements).
\10\ See 19 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2).
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As provided under 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2), in prior
proceedings we have encouraged interested parties to provide an
executive summary of their briefs that should be limited to five pages
total, including footnotes. In this investigation, we instead request
that interested parties provide at the beginning of their briefs a
public, executive summary for each issue raised
[[Page 15342]]
in their briefs.\11\ Further, we request that interested parties limit
their public executive summary of each issue to no more than 450 words,
not including citations. We intend to use the public executive
summaries as the basis of the comment summaries included in the issues
and decision memorandum that will accompany the final determination. We
request that interested parties include footnotes for relevant
citations in the public executive summary of each issue. Note that
Commerce has amended certain of its requirements pertaining to the
service of documents in 19 CFR 351.303(f).\12\
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\11\ We use the term ``issue'' here to describe an argument that
Commerce would normally address in a comment of the Issues and
Decision Memorandum.
\12\ See APO and Service Final Rule.
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Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), interested parties who wish to
request a hearing, limited to issues raised in the case and rebuttal
briefs, must submit a written request to the Assistant Secretary for
Enforcement and Compliance, U.S. Department of Commerce, within 30 days
after the date of publication of this notice. Requests should contain:
(1) the party's name, address, and telephone number; (2) the number of
participants and whether any participant is a foreign national; and (3)
a list of the issues to be discussed. If a request for a hearing is
made, Commerce intends to hold the hearing at a time and date to be
determined. Parties should confirm by telephone the date, time, and
location of the hearing two days before the scheduled date.
Postponement of Final Determination and Extension of Provisional
Measures
Section 735(a)(2) of the Act provides that a final determination
may be postponed until not later than 135 days after the date of the
publication of the preliminary determination if, in the event of an
affirmative preliminary determination, a request for such postponement
is made by exporters who account for a significant proportion of
exports of the subject merchandise, or in the event of a negative
preliminary determination, a request for such postponement is made by
the petitioner. Section 351.210(e)(2) of Commerce's regulations
requires that a request by exporters for postponement of the final
determination be accompanied by a request for extension of provisional
measures from a four-month period to a period not more than six months
in duration.
On January 20, 2025, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.210(b)(2)(ii), Borcelik
and YD[Ccedil] requested that Commerce postpone the final determination
and that provisional measures be extended to a period not to exceed six
months.\13\ In accordance with section 735(a)(2)(A) of the Act and 19
CFR 351.210(b)(2)(ii), because: (1) the preliminary determination is
affirmative; (2) the requesting exporters account for a significant
proportion of exports of the subject merchandise; and (3) no compelling
reasons for denial exist, Commerce is postponing the final
determination and extending the provisional measures from a four-month
period to a period not greater than six months. Accordingly, Commerce
will make its final determination no later than 135 days after the date
of publication of this preliminary determination.
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\13\ See Borcelik and YD[Ccedil]'s Letter, ``Request for
Postponement of Final Determination,'' dated January 20,
2024{sic{time} .
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U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) Notification
In accordance with section 733(f) of the Act, Commerce will notify
the ITC of its preliminary determination. If the final determination is
affirmative, the ITC will determine before the later of 120 days after
the date of this preliminary determination or 45 days after our final
determination whether imports of CORE from T[uuml]rkiye are materially
injuring, or threaten material injury to, the U.S. industry.
Notification to Interested Parties
This determination is issued and published in accordance with
sections 733(f) and 777(i)(1) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.205(c).
Dated: April 3, 2025.
Christopher Abbott,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Negotiations, performing the
non-exclusive functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for
Enforcement and Compliance.
Appendix I--Scope of the Investigation
The products covered by this investigation are certain flat-
rolled steel products, either clad, plated, or coated with
corrosion-resistant metals such as zinc, aluminum, or zinc-,
aluminum-, nickel- or iron-based alloys, whether or not corrugated
or painted, varnished, laminated, or coated with plastics or other
non-metallic substances in addition to the metallic coating. The
products covered include coils that have a width of 12.7 mm or
greater, regardless of form of coil (e.g., in successively
superimposed layers, spirally oscillating, etc.). The products
covered also include products not in coils (e.g., in straight
lengths) of a thickness less than 4.75 mm and a width that is 12.7
mm or greater and that measures at least 10 times the thickness. The
products covered also include products not in coils (e.g., in
straight lengths) of a thickness of 4.75 mm or more and a width
exceeding 150 mm and measuring at least twice the thickness. The
products described above may be rectangular, square, circular, or
other shape and include products of either rectangular or non-
rectangular cross-section where such cross-section is achieved
subsequent to the rolling process, i.e., products which have been
``worked after rolling'' (e.g., products which have been beveled or
rounded at the edges).
For purposes of the width and thickness requirements referenced
above:
(1) Where the nominal and actual measurements vary, a product is
within the scope if application of either the nominal or actual
measurement would place it within the scope based on the definitions
set forth above, and
(2) where the width and thickness vary for a specific product
(e.g., the thickness of certain products with non-rectangular cross-
section, the width of certain products with non-rectangular shape,
etc.), the measurement at its greatest width or thickness applies.
Steel products included in the scope of these investigations are
products in which: (1) iron predominates, by weight, over each of
the other contained elements; and (2) the carbon content is 2
percent or less, by weight.
Subject merchandise also includes corrosion-resistant steel that
has been further processed in a third country, including but not
limited to annealing, tempering, painting, varnishing, trimming,
cutting, punching and/or slitting or any other processing that would
not otherwise remove the merchandise from the scope of the
investigation if performed in the country of manufacture of the in-
scope corrosion resistant steel.
All products that meet the written physical description are
within the scope of the investigation unless specifically excluded.
The following products are outside of and/or specifically excluded
from the scope of this investigation:
<bullet> Flat-rolled steel products either plated or coated with
tin, lead, chromium, chromium oxides, both tin and lead (``terne
plate'') or both chromium and chromium oxides (``tin free steel''),
whether or not painted, varnished or coated with plastics or other
non-metallic substances in addition to the metallic coating;
<bullet> Clad products in straight lengths of 4.7625 mm or more
in composite thickness and of a width which exceeds 150 mm and
measures at least twice the thickness;
<bullet> Certain clad stainless flat-rolled products, which are
three-layered corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat-rolled products
less than 4.75 mm in composite thickness that consist of a carbon
steel flat-rolled product clad on both sides with stainless steel in
a 20%-60%-20% ratio; and
Also excluded from the scope of the antidumping duty
investigation on corrosion resistant steel from Taiwan are any
products covered by the existing antidumping duty order on
corrosion-resistant steel from Taiwan. See Certain Corrosion-
Resistant Steel Products from India, Italy, the People's Republic of
China, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan: Amended Final Affirmative
Antidumping Determination for India and Taiwan, and Antidumping Duty
Orders, 81 FR 48390 (July 25, 2016); Corrosion-Resistant
[[Page 15343]]
Steel Products from Taiwan: Notice of Third Amended Final
Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value Pursuant to Court
Decision and Partial Exclusion from Antidumping Duty Order, 88 FR
58245 (August 25, 2023).
Also excluded from the scope of the antidumping duty
investigation on corrosion-resistant steel from the United Arab
Emirates and the antidumping duty and countervailing duty
investigations on corrosion-resistant steel from the Socialist
Republic of Vietnam are any products covered by the existing
antidumping and countervailing duty orders on corrosion-resistant
steel from the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Korea
and the antidumping duty order on corrosion-resistant steel from
Taiwan. See Certain Corrosion-Resistant Steel Products from India,
Italy, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Korea and
Taiwan: Amended Final Affirmative Antidumping Determination for
India and Taiwan, and Antidumping Duty Orders, 81 FR 48390 (July 25,
2016); see also Certain Corrosion-Resistant Steel Products from
India, Italy, Republic of Korea and the People's Republic of China:
Countervailing Duty Order, 81 FR 48387 (July 25, 2016). This
exclusion does not apply to imports of corrosion-resistant steel
that are entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption in
the United States for which the relevant importer and exporter
certifications have been completed and maintained and all other
applicable certification requirements have been met such that the
entry is entered into the United States as not subject to the
antidumping and countervailing duty orders on corrosion-resistant
steel from the People's Republic of China, the antidumping and
countervailing duty orders on corrosion-resistant steel from the
Republic of Korea, or the antidumping duty order on corrosion-
resistant steel from Taiwan.
The products subject to the investigation are currently
classified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States
(HTSUS) under item numbers: 7210.30.0030, 7210.30.0060,
7210.41.0000, 7210.49.0030, 7210.49.0040, 7210.49.0045,
7210.49.0091, 7210.49.0095, 7210.61.0000, 7210.69.0000,
7210.70.6030, 7210.70.6060, 7210.70.6090, 7210.90.6000,
7210.90.9000, 7212.20.0000, 7212.30.1030, 7212.30.1090,
7212.30.3000, 7212.30.5000, 7212.40.1000, 7212.40.5000,
7212.50.0000, 7212.60.0000, 7225.91.0000, 7225.92.0000,
7226.99.0110, and 7226.99.0130.
The products subject to the investigation may also enter under
the following HTSUS item numbers: 7210.90.1000, 7215.90.1000,
7215.90.3000, 7215.90.5000, 7217.20.1500, 7217.30.1530,
7217.30.1560, 7217.90.1000, 7217.90.5030, 7217.90.5060,
7217.90.5090, 7225.99.0090, 7226.99.0180, 7228.60.6000,
7228.60.8000, and 7229.90.1000.
The HTSUS subheadings above are provided for convenience and
customs purposes only. The written description of the scope of the
investigation is dispositive.
Appendix II--List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision
Memorandum
I. Summary
II. Background
III. Period of Investigation
IV. Scope Comments
V. Affiliation and Single Entity Treatment
VI. Application of Facts Available and Use of Adverse Inferences
VII. Discussion of the Methodology
VIII. Currency Conversion
IX. Recommendation
[FR Doc. 2025-06140 Filed 4-9-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P
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