Petition Filed for New AD Duties on Vietnamese Copper Pipe and Tube

A coalition of domestic manufacturers filed a petition on June 30 with the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission requesting new antidumping duties on seamless refined copper pipe and tube from Vietnam. Commerce will now decide whether to begin an AD duty investigation. The investigation was requested by the American Copper Tube Coalition, which consists of Mueller Group and Cerro Flow Products.

Any AD duty order on seamless refined copper pipe and tube issued as a result of this investigation would be the third order on this product issued by Commerce. AD duty orders have been in place on seamless refined copper pipe and tube from China and Mexico since 2010.

Proposed Scope

The petition proposes the following scope for the investigations:

The products covered by the petition are all seamless circular refined copper pipes and tubes, including redraw hollows, greater than or equal to 6 inches (152.4 mm) in length and measuring less than 12.130 inches (308.102 mm) (actual) in outside diameter (“OD”), regardless of wall thickness, bore (e.g., smooth, enhanced with inner grooves or ridges), manufacturing process (e.g., hot finished, cold-drawn, annealed), outer surface (e.g., plain or enhanced with grooves, ridges, fins, or gills), end finish (e.g., plain end, swaged end, flared end, expanded end, crimped end, threaded), coating (e.g., plastic, paint), insulation, attachments (e.g., plain, capped, plugged with compression or other fitting), or physical configuration (e.g., straight, coiled, bent, wound on spools).

The scope of the petition covers, but is not limited to, seamless refined copper pipe and tube produced or comparable to the American Society for Testing and Materials (“ASTM”) ASTM-B42, ASTM-B68, ASTM-B75, ASTMB88, ASTM-B88M, ASTM-Bl88, ASTM-B251, ASTM-B251M, ASTMB280, ASTM-B302, ASTM-B306, ASTM-B359, ASTM-B743, ASTMB819 and ASTM-B903 specifications and meeting the physical parameters described therein.

Also included within the scope of the petition are all sets of covered products, including “line sets” of seamless refined copper tubes (with or without fittings or insulation) suitable for connecting an outdoor air conditioner or heat pump to an indoor evaporator unit. The phrase “all sets of covered products” denotes any combination of items put up for sale that is comprised of merchandise subject to the scope.

“Refined copper” is defined as: (1) metal containing at least 99.85 percent by weight of copper; or (2) metal containing at least 97.5 percent by weight of copper, provided that the content by weight of any other element does not exceed the following limits:

Excluded from the scope of the petition are all seamless circular hollows of refined copper less than 12 inches in length whose OD (actual) exceeds its length.

The products subject to the petition are currently classifiable under subheading 7411.10.1030 and 7411.10.1090 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (“HTSUS”). Products subject to the petition may also enter under HTSUS subheadings 7407.10.1500, 7419.99.5050, 8415.90.8065 and 8415.90.8085. Although the HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the scope of the petition is dispositive.

Commerce Accepting Comments on Petition Support

The Commerce Department is accepting comments on domestic industry support for the petitions to determine whether the petitions meet the dual requirements of support by domestic producers or workers accounting for (1) at least 25% of the total production of the domestic-like product and (2) more than 50% of the production of the domestic-like product produced by that portion of the industry expressing support for, or opposition to, the petition. If the petitions meet these requirements, among others, Commerce will initiate an antidumping duty investigation. Comments are due July 20.

Email ITTNews@warren-news.com for a copy of the petition.