Certain Steel Nails From Malaysia: Preliminary Results and Partial Rescission of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2014-2016

AGENCY:

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

SUMMARY:

The Department of Commerce (the Department) is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain steel nails from Malaysia. The period of review covers December 29, 2014, through June 30, 2016. The review covers three producers/exporters of the subject merchandise. We preliminarily determine that sales of subject merchandise by the collapsed entities Inmax and Region, both of which were selected for individual examination, were made at less than normal value during the period of review. We are rescinding the review with respect to 16 companies for which the request for review was timely withdrawn. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

DATES:

Applicable August 7, 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Edythe Artman or Madeline Heeren, AD/CVD Operations, Office VI, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-3931 or (202) 482-9179, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

These preliminary results of review are made in accordance with section 751 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). On September 12, 2016, the Department published the notice of initiation for the administrative review. For a complete description of the events that followed the initiation of the review, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. 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 https://access.trade.gov and to all parties in the Central Records Unit, located in Room B8094 of the main Department of Commerce building. In addition, a complete version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/. The signed and the electronic versions of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum are identical in content.

Scope of the Order

The products covered by the scope of the order are certain steel nails from Malaysia. For a complete description of the scope, see Appendix I of this notice.

Partial Rescission of Administrative Review

In the Initiation Notice, we initiated a review of 19 companies. However, the petitioner, Mid Continent Steel & Wire, Inc., withdrew its request for review of 16 of the companies on December 12, 2016. No other parties had requested a review of these companies. Thus, in response to the petitioner's timely filed withdrawal request and pursuant to 19 CFR 351.213(d)(1), we are rescinding this administrative review for the following companies: Apex Container Line (M) Sdn Bhd; Astrotech Steels Private Ltd.; C.H. Robinson Freight Services Ltd.; Caribbean International Co. Ltd.; Chia Pao Metal Co. Ltd.; Expeditors (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd; Flyjac Logistics Private Ltd.; Hanjin Logistics India Private Ltd.; Hecny Transportation (M) Sdn Bhd; Honour Lane Logistics Sdn Bhd; Jinhai Hardware Co. Ltd.; Nora Freight Services Sdn Bhd; Orient Containers Sdn Bhd; Orient Star Transport Sdn Bhd; Sino Connections Logistics Co. Ltd.; and Swift Freight Private Ltd.

Methodology

The Department is conducting this review in accordance with section 751(a)(1)(B) of the Act. For a full description of the methodology underlying the preliminary results, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.

Preliminary Results of Review

We preliminarily determine that, for the period December 29, 2014, through June 30, 2016, the following weighted-average dumping margins exist:

Disclosure and Public Comment

The Department will disclose to parties to the proceeding any calculations performed in connection with these preliminary results of review within five days after the date of publication of this notice. Interested parties may submit case briefs not later than 30 days after the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register. 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. Parties who submit case or rebuttal briefs in this proceeding are encouraged to submit with each argument: (1) A statement of the issue; (2) a brief summary of the argument; and (3) a table of authorities. Case and rebuttal briefs should be filed using ACCESS.

Interested parties who wish to request a hearing must submit a written request to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance within 30 days of 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 (3) a list of issues parties intend to discuss. Issues raised in the hearing will be limited to those raised in the respective case and rebuttal briefs. If a request for a hearing is made, the Department intends to hold the hearing at the U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230, at a date and time to be determined. Parties should confirm by telephone the date, time, and location of the hearing two days before the scheduled date.

Unless extended, the Department intends to issue the final results of this administrative review, which will include the results of our analysis of all issues raised in the case briefs, within 120 days of publication of these preliminary results in the Federal Register, pursuant to section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act.

Assessment Rates

Upon issuance of the final results, the Department will determine, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shall assess, antidumping duties on all appropriate entries covered by this review. If a respondent's weighted-average dumping margin is not zero or de minimis in the final results of this review and the respondent reported reliable entered values, we will calculate importer-specific ad valorem assessment rates for the merchandise based on the ratio of the total amount of dumping calculated for the examined sales made during the period of review to each importer to the total entered value of those same sales in accordance with 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1). If the respondent has not reported reliable entered values, we will calculate a per-unit assessment rate for each importer by dividing the total amount of dumping for the examined sales made during the period of review to that importer by the total sales quantity associated with those transactions. Where an importer-specific ad valorem assessment rate is zero or de minimis, we will instruct CBP to liquidate the appropriate entries without regard to antidumping duties in accordance with 19 CFR 351.106(c)(2). If the respondent's weighted-average dumping margin is zero or de minimis in the final results of review, we will instruct CBP not to assess duties on any of its entries in accordance with the Final Modification for Reviews, i.e., “{w}here the weighted-average margin of dumping for the exporter is determined to be zero or de minimis, no antidumping duties will be assessed.”

Regarding entries of subject merchandise during the period of review that were produced by Inmax and Region and for which they did not know that the merchandise was destined for the United States, we will instruct CBP to liquidate un-reviewed entries at the all-others rate of 2.66 percent, as established in the less-than-fair-value investigation of the order, if there is no rate for the intermediate company(ies) involved in the transaction. For a full discussion of this matter, see Assessment Policy Notice.

For the firms covered by this review, we intend to issue liquidation instructions to CBP 15 days after publication of the final results of this review. For the non-reviewed firms for which we are rescinding this administrative review, the Department intends to instruct CBP 15 days after publication of these preliminary results of review to assess antidumping duties at rates equal to the rates of cash deposits for estimated antidumping duties required at the time of entry, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption, during the period December 29, 2014, through June 30, 2016, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.212(c)(2).

Cash Deposit Requirements

The following cash deposit requirements will be effective upon publication of the final results of this administrative review for all shipments of the subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the publication date of the final results of this administrative review, as provided by section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act: (1) The cash deposit rate for Inmax and Region and other companies listed above will be equal to the weighted-average dumping margin established in the final results of this administrative review; (2) for previously reviewed or investigated companies not listed above, the cash deposit rate will continue to be the company-specific rate published for the most recently completed segment of this proceeding in which they were reviewed; (3) if the exporter is not a firm covered in this review, a prior review, or in the investigation but the producer is, the cash deposit rate will be the rate established for the most recently completed segment of this proceeding for the producer of the merchandise; and (4) the cash deposit rate for all other producers or exporters will continue to be the all-others rate of 2.66 percent. These cash deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until further notice.

Notification to Importers

This notice also serves as a reminder to importers of their responsibility under 19 CFR 351.402(f)(2) to file a certificate regarding the reimbursement of antidumping duties prior to liquidation of the relevant entries during this review period. Failure to comply with this requirement could result in the Department's presumption that reimbursement of antidumping duties occurred and the subsequent assessment of double antidumping duties.

Notification to Interested Parties

We are issuing and publishing this notice in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.221(b)(4).

Appendix I

Scope of the Order

The merchandise covered by the antidumping duty order is certain steel nails having a nominal shaft length not exceeding 12 inches. Certain steel nails include, but are not limited to, nails made from round wire and nails that are cut from flat-rolled steel. Certain steel nails may be of one piece construction or constructed of two or more pieces. Certain steel nails may be produced from any type of steel, and may have any type of surface finish, head type, shank, point type and shaft diameter. Finishes include, but are not limited to, coating in vinyl, zinc (galvanized, including but not limited to electroplating or hot dipping one or more times), phosphate, cement, and paint. Certain steel nails may have one or more surface finishes. Head styles include, but are not limited to, flat, projection, cupped, oval, brad, headless, double, countersunk, and sinker. Shank styles include, but are not limited to, smooth, barbed, screw threaded, ring shank and fluted. Screw-threaded nails subject to this proceeding are driven using direct force and not by turning the nail using a tool that engages with the head. Point styles include, but are not limited to, diamond, needle, chisel and blunt or no point. Certain steel nails may be sold in bulk, or they may be collated in any manner using any material.

Excluded from the scope of this order are certain steel nails packaged in combination with one or more non-subject articles, if the total number of nails of all types, in aggregate regardless of size, is less than 25. If packaged in combination with one or more non-subject articles, certain steel nails remain subject merchandise if the total number of nails of all types, in aggregate regardless of size, is equal to or greater than 25, unless otherwise excluded based on the other exclusions below.

Also excluded from the scope are certain steel nails with a nominal shaft length of one inch or less that are (a) a component of an unassembled article, (b) the total number of nails is sixty (60) or less, and (c) the imported unassembled article falls into one of the following eight groupings: (1) Builders' joinery and carpentry of wood that are classifiable as windows, French-windows and their frames; (2) builders' joinery and carpentry of wood that are classifiable as doors and their frames and thresholds; (3) swivel seats with variable height adjustment; (4) seats that are convertible into beds (with the exception of those classifiable as garden seats or camping equipment); (5) seats of cane, osier, bamboo or similar materials; (6) other seats with wooden frames (with the exception of seats of a kind used for aircraft or motor vehicles); (7) furniture (other than seats) of wood (with the exception of (i) medical, surgical, dental or veterinary furniture; and (ii) barbers' chairs and similar chairs, having rotating as well as both reclining and elevating movements); or (8) furniture (other than seats) of materials other than wood, metal, or plastics (e.g., furniture of cane, osier, bamboo or similar materials). The aforementioned imported unassembled articles are currently classified under the following Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) subheadings: 4418.10, 4418.20, 9401.30, 9401.40, 9401.51, 9401.59, 9401.61, 9401.69, 9403.30, 9403.40, 9403.50, 9403.60, 9403.81 or 9403.89.

Also excluded from the scope of this order are steel nails that meet the specifications of Type I, Style 20 nails as identified in Tables 29 through 33 of ASTM Standard F1667 (2013 revision).

Also excluded from the scope of this order are nails suitable for use in powder-actuated hand tools, whether or not threaded, which are currently classified under HTSUS subheadings 7317.00.20.00 and 7317.00.30.00.

Also excluded from the scope of this order are nails having a case hardness greater than or equal to 50 on the Rockwell Hardness C scale (HRC), a carbon content greater than or equal to 0.5 percent, a round head, a secondary reduced-diameter raised head section, a centered shank, and a smooth symmetrical point, suitable for use in gas-actuated hand tools.

Also excluded from the scope of this order are corrugated nails. A corrugated nail is made up of a small strip of corrugated steel with sharp points on one side.

Also excluded from the scope of this order are thumb tacks, which are currently classified under HTSUS subheading 7317.00.10.00.

Certain steel nails subject to this order are currently classified under HTSUS subheadings 7317.00.55.02, 7317.00.55.03, 7317.00.55.05, 7317.00.55.07, 7317.00.55.08, 7317.00.55.11, 7317.00.55.18, 7317.00.55.19, 7317.00.55.20, 7317.00.55.30, 7317.00.55.40, 7317.00.55.50, 7317.00.55.60, 7317.00.55.70, 7317.00.55.80, 7317.00.55.90, 7317.00.65.30, 7317.00.65.60 and 7317.00.75.00. Certain steel nails subject to this order also may be classified under HTSUS subheadings 7907.00.60.00, 7806.00.80.00, 7318.29.00.00, 8206.00.00.00 or other HTSUS subheadings.

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

Appendix II

List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum

1. Background

2. Scope of the Order

3. Partial Rescission of Administrative Review

4. Company Not Selected for Individual Examination

5. Collapsing of Affiliated Companies

6. Date of Sale

7. Comparisons to Normal Value

A. Determination of Comparison Method

B. Results of the Differential Pricing Analysis

8. Product Comparisons

9. Export Price

10. Normal Value

A. Home Market Viability as Comparison Market

B. Level of Trade

C. Sales to Affiliates

D. Cost of Production

1. Calculation of Cost of Production

2. Test of Comparison Market Sales Prices

3. Results of the Cost of Production Test

E. Calculation of Normal Value Based on Comparison Market Prices

F. Price-to-Constructed Value Comparison

11. Currency Conversion

12. Recommendation