Aluminum Extrusions From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of Changed Circumstances Reviews; Partial Revocation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders

AGENCY:

Enforcement and Compliance, formerly Import Administration, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

DATES:

Effective Date: November 12, 2010, for the antidumping duty order; September 7, 2010, for the countervailing duty order.

SUMMARY:

On November 7, 2013, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published the notice of preliminary results of changed circumstances reviews and intent to revoke, in part, the antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders on aluminum extrusions from the People's Republic of China (PRC), with respect to certain rectangular wire. We invited interested parties to comment on the Preliminary Results and received no comments other than support for partial revocation of the orders. Therefore, the final results do not differ from the preliminary results of reviews and we are revoking the orders with respect to certain rectangular wire. The partial revocations are effective November 12, 2010 (for AD) and September 7, 2010 (for CVD).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

James Terpstra, Office III, Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Operations, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone (202) 482-3965.

Background

On May 26, 2011, the Department published the AD and CVD orders in the Federal Register. On June 20, 2013, the Department received a request on behalf of 3M Company (3M) for changed circumstances reviews to revoke, in part, the Orders with respect to certain rectangular wire imported by 3M. In its request, 3M attached a letter submitted on behalf of the Aluminum Extrusion Fair Trade Committee (AEFTC), the petitioners in the less-than-fair-value and CVD investigations, and the Aluminum Extrusion Council (AEC), in which representatives of the AEFTC and AEC stated that they no longer have interest in maintaining the Orders with respect to certain rectangular wire identified in 3M's request for the changed circumstances reviews. On July 2, 2013, 3M filed a letter containing a clarification from the AEFTC and AEC in which they stated that they no longer have interest in maintaining the Orders with respect to certain rectangular wire, regardless of whether 3M or another party imports it.

On August 20, 2013, we published a notice of initiation of these changed circumstances reviews. Because the statement provided by the AEC and offered in support of 3M's request for changed circumstances reviews did not indicate whether the AEC accounts for substantially all of domestic aluminum extrusion production, in the Initiation Notice, we invited interested parties to comment on the Department's initiation. We received no comments from interested parties.

On November 7, 2013, we published the notice of preliminary results of changed circumstances reviews, and intent to revoke the Orders in part. We received no comments or briefs in opposition from interested parties.

Scope of the Orders

The merchandise covered by these Orders is aluminum extrusions which are shapes and forms, produced by an extrusion process, made from aluminum alloys having metallic elements corresponding to the alloy series designations published by The Aluminum Association commencing with the numbers 1, 3, and 6 (or proprietary equivalents or other certifying body equivalents). Specifically, the subject merchandise made from aluminum alloy with an Aluminum Association series designation commencing with the number 1 contains not less than 99 percent aluminum by weight. The subject merchandise made from aluminum alloy with an Aluminum Association series designation commencing with the number 3 contains manganese as the major alloying element, with manganese accounting for not more than 3.0 percent of total materials by weight. The subject merchandise is made from an aluminum alloy with an Aluminum Association series designation commencing with the number 6 contains magnesium and silicon as the major alloying elements, with magnesium accounting for at least 0.1 percent but not more than 2.0 percent of total materials by weight, and silicon accounting for at least 0.1 percent but not more than 3.0 percent of total materials by weight. The subject aluminum extrusions are properly identified by a four-digit alloy series without either a decimal point or leading letter. Illustrative examples from among the approximately 160 registered alloys that may characterize the subject merchandise are as follows: 1350, 3003, and 6060.

Aluminum extrusions are produced and imported in a wide variety of shapes and forms, including, but not limited to, hollow profiles, other solid profiles, pipes, tubes, bars, and rods. Aluminum extrusions that are drawn subsequent to extrusion (drawn aluminum) are also included in the scope.

Aluminum extrusions are produced and imported with a variety of finishes (both coatings and surface treatments), and types of fabrication. The types of coatings and treatments applied to subject aluminum extrusions include, but are not limited to, extrusions that are mill finished (i.e., without any coating or further finishing), brushed, buffed, polished, anodized (including bright-dip anodized), liquid painted, or powder coated. Aluminum extrusions may also be fabricated, i.e., prepared for assembly. Such operations would include, but are not limited to, extrusions that are cut-to-length, machined, drilled, punched, notched, bent, stretched, knurled, swedged, mitered, chamfered, threaded, and spun. The subject merchandise includes aluminum extrusions that are finished (coated, painted, etc.), fabricated, or any combination thereof.

Subject aluminum extrusions may be described at the time of importation as parts for final finished products that are assembled after importation, including, but not limited to, window frames, door frames, solar panels, curtain walls, or furniture. Such parts that otherwise meet the definition of aluminum extrusions are included in the scope. The scope includes the aluminum extrusion components that are attached (e.g., by welding or fasteners) to form subassemblies, i.e., partially assembled merchandise unless imported as part of the finished goods `kit' defined further below. The scope does not include the non-aluminum extrusion components of subassemblies or subject kits.

Subject extrusions may be identified with reference to their end use, such as fence posts, electrical conduits, door thresholds, carpet trim, or heat sinks (that do not meet the finished heat sink exclusionary language below). Such goods are subject merchandise if they otherwise meet the scope definition, regardless of whether they are ready for use at the time of importation.

The following aluminum extrusion products are excluded: aluminum extrusions made from aluminum alloy with an Aluminum Association series designations commencing with the number 2 and containing in excess of 1.5 percent copper by weight; aluminum extrusions made from aluminum alloy with an Aluminum Association series designation commencing with the number 5 and containing in excess of 1.0 percent magnesium by weight; and aluminum extrusions made from aluminum alloy with an Aluminum Association series designation commencing with the number 7 and containing in excess of 2.0 percent zinc by weight.

The scope also excludes finished merchandise containing aluminum extrusions as parts that are fully and permanently assembled and completed at the time of entry, such as finished windows with glass, doors with glass or vinyl, picture frames with glass pane and backing material, and solar panels. The scope also excludes finished goods containing aluminum extrusions that are entered unassembled in a “finished goods kit.” A finished goods kit is understood to mean a packaged combination of parts that contains, at the time of importation, all of the necessary parts to fully assemble a final finished good and requires no further finishing or fabrication, such as cutting or punching, and is assembled `as is' into a finished product. An imported product will not be considered a `finished goods kit' and therefore excluded from the scope of the investigation merely by including fasteners such as screws, bolts, etc. in the packaging with an aluminum extrusion product.

The scope also excludes aluminum alloy sheet or plates produced by other than the extrusion process, such as aluminum products produced by a method of casting. Cast aluminum products are properly identified by four digits with a decimal point between the third and fourth digit. A letter may also precede the four digits. The following Aluminum Association designations are representative of aluminum alloys for casting: 208.0, 295.0, 308.0, 355.0, C355.0, 356.0, A356.0, A357.0, 360.0, 366.0, 380.0, A380.0, 413.0, 443.0, 514.0, 518.1, and 712.0. The scope also excludes pure, unwrought aluminum in any form.

The scope also excludes collapsible tubular containers composed of metallic elements corresponding to alloy code 1080A as designated by the Aluminum Association where the tubular container (excluding the nozzle) meets each of the following dimensional characteristics: (1) Length of 37 millimeters (mm) or 62 mm, (2) outer diameter of 11.0 mm or 12.7 mm, and (3) wall thickness not exceeding 0.13 mm.

Also excluded from the scope of these Orders are finished heat sinks. Finished heat sinks are fabricated heat sinks made from aluminum extrusions the design and production of which are organized around meeting certain specified thermal performance requirements and which have been fully, albeit not necessarily individually, tested to comply with such requirements.

Also excluded from the scope of the order is certain rectangular wire produced from continuously cast rolled aluminum wire rod, which is subsequently extruded to dimension to form rectangular wire. The product is made from aluminum alloy grade 1070 or 1370, with no recycled metal content allowed. The dimensions of the wire are 5 mm (+/− 0.05 mm) in width and 1.0 mm (+/− 0.02 mm) in thickness. Imports of rectangular wire are provided for under HTSUS category 7605.19.000.

Imports of the subject merchandise are provided for under the following categories of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS): 7604.21.0000, 7604.29.1000, 7604.29.3010, 7604.29.3050, 7604.29.5030, 7604.29.5060, 7608.20.0030, and 7608.20.0090. The subject merchandise entered as parts of other aluminum products may be classifiable under the following additional Chapter 76 subheadings: 7610.10, 7610.90, 7615.19, 7615.20, and 7616.99 as well as under other HTSUS chapters. In addition, fin evaporator coils may be classifiable under HTSUS numbers: 8418.99.80.50 and 8418.99.80.60.

Additional subject products may be classifiable under the following HTSUS categories: 7615.19.10, 7615.19.30, 7615.19.50, 7615.19.70, 7615.19.90, 7616.99.10, 7616.99.50, 8302.10.3000, 8302.10.6030, 8302.10.6060, 8302.10.6090, 8302.30.3010, 8302.30.3060, 8302.41.3000, 8302.41.6015, 8302.41.6045, 8302.41.6050, 8302.41.6080, 8302.42.3010, 8302.42.3015, 8302.42.3065, 8302.49.6035, 8302.49.6045, 8302.49.6055, 8302.49.6085, 8302.50.0000, 8302.60.9000, 8306.30.0000, 8419.90.1000, 8479.89.98, 8479.90.94, 8513.90.20, 9403.10.00, 9403.20.00, 9403.90.1040, 9403.90.1050, 9403.90.1085, 9403.90.2540, 9403.90.2580, 9403.90.4005, 9403.90.4010, 9403.90.4060, 9403.90.5005, 9403.90.5010, 9403.90.5080, 9403.90.6005, 9403.90.6010, 9403.90.6080, 9403.90.7005, 9403.90.7010, 9403.90.7080, 9403.90.8010, 9403.90.8015, 9403.90.8020, 9403.90.8030, 9403.90.8041, 9403.90.8051, 9403.90.8061, 9506.11.4080, 9506.51.4000, 9506.51.6000, 9506.59.4040, 9506.70.2090, 9506.91.0010, 9506.91.0020, 9506.91.0030, 9506.99.0510, 9506.99.0520, 9506.99.0530, 9506.99.1500, 9506.99.2000, 9506.99.2580, 9506.99.2800, 9506.99.6080, 9507.30.2000, 9507.30.4000, 9507.30.6000, and 9507.90.6000.

While HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the scope of these Orders is dispositive.

Final Results of Changed Circumstance Reviews and Revocation, In Part, of the Orders

Based on the Department's analysis in the Preliminary Results (which we incorporate herein by reference) and in light of the fact that no interested parties submitted any comments on the Department's Preliminary Results other than to express support for the partial revocation, the Department hereby determines to revoke, in part, the Orders with respect to the certain rectangular wire that is the subject of 3M's request, pursuant to sections 751(d)(1) and 782(h)(2) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (“the Act”) and 19 CFR 351.222(g). In addition, the Department has modified the scope of the AD and CVD orders, as reflected above, consistent with these final results.

We will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to liquidate without regard to ADs and CVDs, and to refund any estimated ADs and CVDs collected, on all unliquidated entries of the product in question that are not covered by the final results of an administrative review or automatic liquidation. Specifically, because there has been no completed administrative review of the Orders, we will instruct CBP to terminate suspension of liquidation of all unliquidated entries of aluminum extrusions meeting the specifications of the product in question, entered or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption, on or after November 12, 2010 (for ADs) and September 7, 2010 (for CVDs) and liquidate such entries without regard to ADs and CVDs. Furthermore, the Department will instruct CBP to refund estimated ADs and CVDs collected on such entries, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.222(g)(4).

This notice is published in accordance with section 751(b)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.221 and 19 CFR 351.222.