Notice2026-00495
Steel Concrete Reinforcing Bar From the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination and Alignment of Final Determination With Final Antidumping Duty Determination
Primary source
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Published
January 13, 2026
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentInternational Trade Administration
Abstract
The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters of steel concrete reinforcing bar (rebar) from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnam) during the period of investigation, January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 8 (Tuesday, January 13, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 8 (Tuesday, January 13, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1265-1267]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-00495]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[C-552-854]
Steel Concrete Reinforcing Bar From the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam: Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination and
Alignment of Final Determination With Final Antidumping Duty
Determination
AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily
determines that countervailable subsidies are being provided to
producers and exporters of steel concrete reinforcing bar (rebar) from
the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnam) during the period of
investigation, January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024. Interested
parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination.
DATES: Applicable January 13, 2026.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher Williams or Erin Howard,
AD/CVD Operations, Office I, Enforcement and Compliance, International
Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-5166 and (202)
482-3453, respectively.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
This preliminary determination is made in accordance with section
703(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). Commerce
published the notice of initiation of this countervailing duty (CVD)
investigation on June 30, 2025.\1\ On July 25, 2025, Commerce postponed
the preliminary determination until November 3, 2025.\2\
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\1\ See Steel Concrete Reinforcing Bar from Algeria, Egypt, and
the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Initiation of Countervailing Duty
Investigations, 90 FR 27838 (June 30, 2025) (Initiation Notice).
\2\ See Steel Concrete Reinforcing Bar From Algeria, Egypt, and
the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Postponement of Preliminary
Determinations in the Countervailing Duty Investigations, 90 FR
35278 (July 25, 2025).
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Due to the lapse in appropriations and Federal Government shutdown,
on November 14, 2025, Commerce tolled all deadlines in administrative
proceedings by 47 days.\3\ Additionally, due to a backlog of documents
that were electronically filed via Enforcement and Compliance's
Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service
System (ACCESS) during the Federal Government shutdown, on November 24,
2025, Commerce tolled all deadlines in administrative proceedings by an
additional 21 days.\4\ Accordingly, the deadline for this preliminary
determination is now January 8, 2026.
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\3\ See Memorandum, ``Deadlines Affected by the Shutdown of the
Federal Government,'' dated November 14, 2025.
\4\ See Memorandum, ``Tolling of all Case Deadlines,'' dated
November 24, 2025.
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For a complete description of the events that followed the
initiation of this investigation, see the Preliminary Decision
Memorandum.\5\ A list of topics discussed 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 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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\5\ See Memorandum, ``Decision Memorandum for the Preliminary
Affirmative Determination of the Countervailing Duty Investigation
of Steel Concrete Reinforcing Bar from the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam,'' 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 rebar from Vietnam.
For a complete description of the scope of this investigation, see
Appendix I.
Scope Comments
In accordance with the Preamble to Commerce's regulations,\6\ the
Initiation Notice set aside a period of time for parties to raise
issues regarding product coverage (i.e., scope).\7\ No interested party
commented on the scope of the investigation as it appeared in the
Initiation Notice. Commerce is not preliminarily modifying the scope
language as it appeared in the Initiation Notice. See the complete
description of the scope in Appendix I to this notice.
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\6\ See Antidumping Duties; Countervailing Duties, Final Rule,
62 FR 27296, 27323 (May 19, 1997).
\7\ See Initiation Notice.
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Methodology
Commerce is conducting this investigation in accordance with
section 701 of the Act. For each of the subsidy programs found to be
countervailable,
[[Page 1266]]
Commerce preliminarily determines that there is a subsidy, i.e., a
financial contribution by an ``authority'' that gives rise to a benefit
to the recipient, and that the subsidy is specific.\8\ For a full
description of the methodology underlying our preliminary
determination, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.
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\8\ See sections 771(5)(B) and (D) of the Act regarding
financial contribution; section 771(5)(E) of the Act regarding
benefit; and section 771(5A) of the Act regarding specificity.
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Alignment
In accordance with section 705(a)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR
351.210(b)(4), Commerce is aligning the final determination of this CVD
investigation with the final determination in the companion less-than-
fair value (LTFV) investigation of rebar from Vietnam based on the
petitioner's request.\9\ Consequently, the final CVD determination will
be issued on the same date as the final LTFV determination, which is
currently scheduled to be issued no later than May 26, 2026, unless
postponed.\10\
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\9\ The petitioner is the Rebar Trade Action Coalition. See
Petitioner's Letter, ``Request to Align Countervailing Duty
Investigation Final Determination with Antidumping Duty
Investigation Final Determinations,'' dated January 7, 2026.
\10\ Steel Concrete Reinforcing Bar from Bulgaria, Egypt, and
the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Postponement of Preliminary
Determinations in the Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigations, 91 FR 696
(January 8, 2026).
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All-Others Rate
Sections 703(d) and 705(c)(5)(A) of the Act provide that, in the
preliminary determination, Commerce shall determine an estimated all-
others rate for companies not individually examined. This rate shall be
an amount equal to the weighted average of the estimated subsidy rates
established for those companies individually examined, excluding any
rates that are zero, de minimis, or based entirely under section 776 of
the Act. If the rates established for all exporters and producers
individually investigated are zero, de minimis, or determined entirely
under facts available, Commerce may use any reasonable method to
establish an all-others rate.\11\
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\11\ See sections 705(c)(5)(A)(i) and (ii) of the Act.
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In this investigation, Commerce preliminarily calculated an
individual estimated countervailable subsidy rate for Hoa Phat Group
Joint Stock Company that is not zero, de minimis, or based entirely on
the facts otherwise available. Therefore, Commerce calculated the all-
others rate using the individual estimated subsidy rate calculated for
the sole examined respondent, i.e., Hoa Phat Group Joint Stock Company.
Preliminary Determination
Commerce preliminarily determines that the following estimated
countervailable subsidy rates exist:
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\12\ As discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum,
Commerce has found the following companies to be cross-owned with
Hoa Phat Group Joint Stock Company: Hoa Phat Dung Quat Steel Joint
Stock Company, Hoa Phat Hai Duong Steel Joint Stock Company, Hoa
Phat Hung Yen Steel Limited Liability Company, Hoa Phat Energy Joint
Stock Company, An Thong Mineral Investment Joint Stock Company, Hoa
Phat Iron and Steel Joint Stock Company, Hoa Phat Metal Producing
Company Limited, Hoa Phat Prestressed Concrete One Member Limited
Liability Company, and Hoa Phat Steel Products Joint Stock Company.
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Subsidy rate
Company (percent ad
valorem)
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Hoa Phat Group Joint Stock Company \12\................. 1.08
All Others.............................................. 1.08
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Suspension of Liquidation
In accordance with sections 703(d)(1)(B) and (d)(2) of the Act,
Commerce will direct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to
suspend liquidation of entries of rebar from Vietnam, as described in
Appendix I of this notice, entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for
consumption on or after the date of publication of this notice in the
Federal Register. Further, pursuant to section 703(d)(1)(B) of the Act
and 19 CFR 351.107(e), Commerce will instruct CBP to require a cash
deposit equal to the estimated company-specific countervailable subsidy
rate or the estimated all-others rate, as follows: (1) the cash deposit
rate for the respondents listed above will be equal to the company-
specific estimated individual countervailable subsidy rates determined
in this preliminary determination; (2) if both the producer and
exporter of the subject merchandise have company-specific estimated
subsidy rates determined in this preliminary determination, and their
rates differ, then the applicable cash deposit rate will be the higher
of these two rates; (3) if either the producer or the exporter, but not
both, of the subject merchandise have a company-specific estimated
subsidy rate determined in this preliminary determination, the
applicable cash deposit rate will be that company's company-specific
rate; and (4) the cash deposit rate for all other producers and
exporters will be equal to the estimated all-others subsidy rate.
Disclosure
Commerce intends to disclose its calculations and analysis
performed in connection with this preliminary determination within five
days of its public announcement, or if there is no public announcement,
within five days of the date of publication of this notice 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 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 not later than five days after the date for
filing case briefs.\13\ 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.\14\
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\13\ See 19 CFR 351.309(d); see also Administrative Protective
Order, Service, and Other Procedures in Antidumping and
Countervailing Duty Proceedings, 88 FR 67069, 67077 (September 29,
2023) (APO and Service Final Rule).
\14\ See 19 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2).
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As provided under 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2)(iii) and (d)(2)(iii), in
prior proceedings we have encouraged interested parties to provide an
executive summary of their brief 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 in their briefs.\15\
Further, we request that
[[Page 1267]]
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 in this investigation. We request that interested
parties include footnotes for relevant citations in the 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).\16\
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\15\ We use the term ``issue'' here to describe an argument that
Commerce would normally address in a comment of the Issues and
Decision Memorandum.
\16\ 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. Oral presentations at the
hearing will be limited to issues raised in the briefs. 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.
U.S. International Trade Commission Notification
In accordance with section 703(f) of the Act, Commerce will notify
the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) of its 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 the final determination, whether imports of rebar from
Vietnam 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 703(f) and 777(i) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.205(c).
Dated: January 8, 2026.
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 merchandise subject to this investigation is steel concrete
reinforcing bar imported in either straight length or coil form
(rebar) regardless of metallurgy, length, diameter, or grade or lack
thereof.
The subject merchandise includes rebar that has been further
processed in the subject countries or a third country, including but
not limited to cutting, grinding, galvanizing, painting, coating, or
any other processing that would not otherwise remove the merchandise
from the scope of this investigation if performed in the country of
manufacture of the rebar.
Specifically excluded are plain rounds (i.e., nondeformed or
smooth rebar).
The subject merchandise is classifiable in the Harmonized Tariff
Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) primarily under item numbers
7213.10.0000, 7214.20.0000, and 7228.30.8010. The subject
merchandise may also enter under other HTSUS numbers including
7221.00.0017, 7221.00.0018, 7221.00.0030, 7221.00.0045,
7222.11.0001, 7222.11.0057, 7222.11.0059, 7222.30.0001,
7227.20.0080, 7227.90.6030, 7227.90.6035, 7227.90.6040,
7228.20.1000, and 7228.60.6000. HTSUS numbers are provided for
convenience and customs purposes; however, the written description
of the scope remains dispositive.
Appendix II
List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum
I. Summary
II. Background
III. Injury Test
IV. Subsidies Valuation Information
V. Interest Rate and Discount Rate Benchmarks
VI. Analysis of Programs
VII. Recommendation
[FR Doc. 2026-00495 Filed 1-12-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P
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