TRADE CASES HEADLINESTrade Cases
Commerce Finds Unfair Dumping of Small-Diameter Graphite Electrodes from China
Aug. 20, 2008 The U.S. Department of Commerce announced its affirmative preliminary determination in the antidumping duty investigation of imports of graphite electrodes from China.
Dumping occurs when a foreign company sells a product in the United States at less than normal value.
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Commerce determined that Chinese exporters sold small-diameter graphite electrodes in the United States at less than normal value. Chinese mandatory respondents, Fushun Jinly Petrochemical Carbon Co., Ltd., and the Fangda Group received preliminary antidumping margins of 132.80% and 147.80%, respectively. Eleven additional Chinese respondents qualified for a separate rate of 140.30%. All other Chinese exporters are subject to the China-wide rate of 159.34%.
Based on this preliminary determination, Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to suspend liquidation of entries of these products and to collect a cash deposit or bond based on the preliminary rates.
“Foreign exporters unfairly undercut American manufacturers by dumping imports of graphite electrodes,” said Assistant Secretary for Import Administration David Spooner. “The Administration is committed to aggressively enforcing America's trade remedy laws in order to achieve strong and fair relationships with our trading partners.”
Petitioners for this investigation are SGL Carbon LLC of Charlotte, N.C., and Superior Graphite Co. of Chicago, Ill.
The investigations covered all small-diameter graphite electrodes of any length, finished or unfinished, of a kind used in furnaces, with a nominal or actual diameter of 400 millimeters (16 inches) or less. Product may or may not be attached to a graphite pin joining system or any other type of joining system or hardware. Graphite electrodes are typically applied in primary melting, ladle metallurgy and specialty industrial furnace applications such as foundries, smelters and steel refining operations.