Imports of stainless steel flanges from India have materially injured the US flanges industry, according to the US International Trade Commission (ITC). All five Commissioners voted in the affirmative.

The ITC vote has voted affirmatively in the final stages of its anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations following a petition filed 16 August 2017 by the Coalition of American Flange Producers (CAFP).

According to law firm Wiley Rein, the case has demonstrated that imports of stainless steel flanges from China and India are being unfairly dumped in the United States and that Chinese and Indian flange producers receive improper government subsidies, such as tax breaks and discounted raw materials. “As the ITC has recognised, these actions violate international trade rules and have caused material injury to the US stainless steel flanges industry and its workers,” the law firm said.

“The US stainless steel flanges industry and its workers are thankful for the Commission’s decision as they have been seriously injured by dumped imports from India,” said Daniel B. Pickard, counsel to the CAFP and a partner in the International Trade Practice at Wiley Rein LLP. “We appreciate that the Department and the Commission have thoroughly investigated the injury caused by the dumped and subsidised imports of Indian producers.”

On 16 August 2018, the US Department of Commerce announced its affirmative final determination in the case, finding combined AD and CVD rates of 24.08% to – 401.41% with dumping rates as high as 145.25% and subsidy rates as high as 256.16%.

According to Wiley Rein, “This means that within approximately seven days of the ITC’s vote the DOC will issue AD and CVD orders with those cash deposit rates on imports of stainless steel flanges from India. However, those cash deposit rates will not reflect the actual duties owed for imported flanges, as those duties remain contingent and changeable until the DOC concludes its post-investigation administrative review of those duties.”

The CAFP is an association of US producers of stainless steel flanges, comprised of Core Pipe Products, Inc. and Maass Flange Corporation.