Boltless Steel Shelving: New AD Investigations Deadlines & Scope

The Commerce Department issued a Federal Register notice on its recently initiated antidumping duty investigations on beltless steel shelving prepackaged for sale from India (A-533-914), Malaysia (A-557-824), Taiwan (A-583-871), Thailand (A-549-846) and Vietnam (A-552-835). The agency will determine whether imports of beltless steel shelving are being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value. The investigations cover entries from India, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand during the period April 1, 2022, through March 31, 2023, and entries from Vietnam during the period Oct. 1, 2022, through March 31, 2023.

The International Trade Commission will conduct a concurrent investigation to determine whether imports of dumped beltless steel shelving from India, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam are injuring U.S. industry. If the ITC finds no injury in its preliminary injury determinations, due June 9, the investigations will immediately end. If Commerce finds dumping in the preliminary determinations of these investigations, due in October, it will set AD 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 AD duty orders making duties permanent and beginning a process of annual administrative reviews to set final assessments of AD duties on importers and potentially change AD duty cash deposit rates.

AD Respondent Selection

Commerce intends to use CBP data to pick respondents to its AD duty investigations on India, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand. For its investigation on Vietnam, Commerce will send quantity and value questionnaires to each potential respondent, and will base respondent selection on the responses it receives. Exporters that don't get a quantity and value questionnaire can submit one using the forms available on Commerce's website. Responses are due by May 30.

Scope of the AD/CVD Investigations

"The scope of these investigations covers boltless steel shelving units prepackaged for sale, with or without decks (boltless steel shelving). The term “prepackaged for sale” means that, at a minimum, the steel vertical supports (i.e., uprights and posts) and steel horizontal supports (i.e., beams, braces) necessary to assemble a completed shelving unit (with or without decks) are packaged together for ultimate purchase by the end-user. The scope also includes add-on kits. Add-on kits include, but are not limited to, kits that allow the end-user to add an extension shelving unit onto an existing boltless steel shelving unit such that the extension and the original unit will share common frame elements (e.g., two posts). The term “boltless” refers to steel shelving in which the vertical and horizontal supports forming the frame are assembled primarily without the use of nuts and bolts, or screws. The vertical and horizontal support members for boltless steel shelving are assembled by methods such as, but not limited to, fitting a rivet, punched or cut tab, or other similar connector on one support into a hole, slot or similar receptacle on another support. The supports lock together to form the frame for the shelving unit, and provide the structural integrity of the shelving unit separate from the inclusion of any decking. The incidental use of nuts and bolts, or screws to add accessories, wall anchors, tie-bars or shelf supports does not remove the product from scope. Boltless steel shelving units may also come packaged as partially assembled, such as when two upright supports are welded together with front-to-back supports, or are otherwise connected, to form an end unit for the frame. The boltless steel shelving covered by these investigations may be commonly described as rivet shelving, welded frame shelving, slot and tab shelving, and punched rivet (quasi-rivet) shelving as well as by other trade names. The term “deck” refers to the shelf that sits on or fits into the horizontal supports (beams or braces) to provide the horizontal storage surface of the shelving unit.

"The scope includes all boltless steel shelving meeting the description above, regardless of: (1) vertical support or post type (including but not limited to open post, closed post and tubing); (2) horizontal support or beam/brace profile (including but not limited to Z-beam, C-beam, L-beam, step beam and cargo rack); (3) number of supports; (4) surface coating (including but not limited to paint, epoxy, powder coating, zinc and other metallic coating); (5) number of levels; (6) weight capacity; (7) shape (including but not limited to rectangular, square, and corner units); (8) decking material (including but not limited to wire decking, particle board, laminated board or no deck at all); or (9) the boltless method by which vertical and horizontal supports connect (including but not limited to keyhole and rivet, slot and tab, welded frame, punched rivet and clip).

"Specifically excluded from the scope are:

• Wall-mounted shelving, defined as shelving that is hung on the wall and does not stand on, or transfer load to, the floor. The addition of a wall bracket or other device to attach otherwise freestanding subject merchandise to a wall does not meet the terms of this exclusion;
• Wire shelving units, which consist of shelves made from wire that incorporates both a wire deck and wire horizontal supports (taking the place of the horizontal beams and braces) into a single piece with tubular collars that slide over the posts and onto plastic sleeves snapped on the posts to create the finished shelving unit;
• Bulk-packed parts or components of boltless steel shelving units; and
• Made-to-order shelving systems.

"Subject boltless steel shelving enters the United States through Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) statistical subheading 9403.20.0075. While the HTSUS subheading is provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the scope of these investigations is dispositive."

Participants in the AD investigations may submit comments on product coverage under the scope of the investigations. Comments on the scope are due by June 5.

Investigations Timetable

These deadlines may be, and usually are, extended. The Commerce Department fact sheet on the initiation of these investigations is here. See 2304250077 for a summary of the petition requesting these investigations.