Israel Magnesium: New AD/CVD Investigations Deadlines & Scope

The Commerce Department issued Federal Register notices on its recently initiated antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on magnesium from Israel (A-508-812/C-508-813). The agency will determine whether imports of Israeli magnesium are being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value or are illegally subsidized. The CV duty investigation covers entries Jan. 1, 2017, through Dec. 31, 2017. The AD duty investigation covers entries Oct. 1, 2017, through Sept. 30, 2018.

The International Trade Commission will conduct a concurrent investigation to determine whether imports of dumped and illegally subsidized magnesium from Israel are injuring U.S. industry. If the ITC finds no injury in its preliminary injury determination, due Dec. 10, the investigations will immediately end. If Commerce finds dumping or illegal subsidization in the preliminary determinations of these investigations, due in January for CV duties and April for AD duties, it will set AD and/or CV duty cash deposit requirements for imports of merchandise subject to the investigation. If both Commerce and the ITC reach affirmative final determinations, Commerce will issue an AD and/or CV duty order making duties permanent and beginning a process of annual administrative reviews to set final assessments of AD/CV duties on importers and potentially change AD/CV duty cash deposit rates.

AD/CVD Respondent Selection

Commerce said it will individually investigate and assign an AD/CV duty rate to the only known producer of magnesium from Israel, Dead Sea Magnesium, Ltd. Any other producers will be subject to the "all-others" rate calculated in this investigation.

Scope of the AD/CVD Investigations

The products covered by this investigation are primary and secondary pure and alloy magnesium metal, regardless of chemistry, raw material source, form, shape, or size (including, without limitation, magnesium cast into ingots, slabs, t-bars, rounds, sows, billets, and other shapes, and magnesium ground, chipped, crushed, or machined into raspings, granules, turnings, chips, powder, briquettes, and any other shapes). Magnesium is a metal or alloy containing at least 50 percent by actual weight the element magnesium. Primary magnesium is produced by decomposing raw materials into magnesium metal. Secondary magnesium is produced by recycling magnesium-based scrap into magnesium metal. The magnesium covered by this investigation also includes blends of primary magnesium, scrap, and secondary magnesium.

The subject merchandise includes the following pure and alloy magnesium metal products made from primary and/or secondary magnesium: (1) products that contain at least 99.95 percent magnesium, by actual weight (generally referred to as “ultra-pure” or “high purity” magnesium); (2) products that contain less than 99.95 percent but not less than 99.8 percent magnesium, by actual weight (generally referred to as “pure” magnesium); and (3) chemical combinations of magnesium and other material(s) in which the magnesium content is 50 percent or greater, but less than 99.8 percent, by actual weight, whether or not conforming to an “ASTM Specification for Magnesium Alloy.”

The scope of this investigation excludes mixtures containing 90 percent or less magnesium in granular or powder form by actual weight and one or more of certain non-magnesium granular materials to make magnesium-based reagent mixtures, including lime, calcium metal, calcium silicon, calcium carbide, calcium carbonate, carbon, slag coagulants, fluorspar, nepheline syenite, feldspar, alumina (A1203), calcium aluminate, soda ash, hydrocarbons, graphite, coke, silicon, rare earth metals/mischmetal, cryolite, silica/fly ash, magnesium oxide, periclase, ferroalloys, dolomite lime, and colemanite.

The merchandise subject to this investigation is classifiable under items 8104.11.0000, 8104.19.0000, and 8104.30.0000 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). Although the HTSUS items are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the merchandise under investigation is dispositive.

Participants in the AD/CVD investigations may submit comments on product coverage under the scope of the investigations. Comments on the scope are due by Dec. 3

Investigations Timetable

*If the ITC makes a negative determination of injury, the investigations are terminated.

†These deadlines may be extended under the governing statute.

‡This will take place only in the event of Commerce Department final affirmative determinations.

+This will take place only in the event of Commerce and ITC final affirmative determinations.

The AD duty initiation notice is (here).

The CV duty initiation notice is (here).

The Commerce Department fact sheet on the initiation of these investigations is (here).

(Federal Register 11/20/18)