Commerce Department Announces Preliminary Antidumping Duties on Imports of Steel Nails from the UAE

The U.S. Department of Commerce today announced preliminary antidumping duties on all imports of certain steel nails from the United Arab Emirates. These duties, which range from 19.23 percent to 61.54 percent, are the result of an investigation that was requested March 31, 2011 by one of the largest U.S. producers of steel nails, Mid Continent Nail Corporation of Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

Commerce's investigation covers the entire UAE industry, with three UAE producers/exporters specifically named in the preliminary results. Dubai Wire FZE has been assigned a preliminary antidumping duty margin of 27.73 percent of the entered value of the goods. Precision Fasteners LLC has been assigned a preliminary antidumping duty margin of 19.23 percent of the entered value of the goods. Tech Fast International LLC has been assigned a preliminary antidumping duty margin of 61.54 percent of the entered value of the goods. Exports from all other UAE producers are subject to a dumping duty margin of 23.48 percent of the entered value of the goods.

These preliminary duty margins will take effect as soon as the formal notice of the determination is published in the Federal Register. Publication is expected within the next seven days. Upon publication, U.S. importers of the steel nails that are covered by this investigation will be required to deposit estimated duties in an amount equal to the producer's duty rate multiplied by the declared value of the imports.

"We are very pleased with the preliminary dumping margins that have been announced today," said David W. Libla, founder and President of Mid Continent. "The Commerce Department's determination should bring some badly needed relief to the U.S. industry. The flood of dumped nails from the UAE over the past three years has materially injured our industry. The imposition of duties will start the process of allowing Mid Continent and the other remaining U.S. producers to compete on their merits, without being injured by the UAE industry's unfair trade practices."

The investigation covers certain steel nails up to 12 inches long that are produced from any type of steel. The steel nails covered by the petition can have a variety of finishes, heads, shanks, points and sizes, and may be sold in bulk or collated into strips or coils using materials such as plastic, paper or wire. Commerce's final determination in this case will be announced no later than March 13, 2012.

Mid Continent Nail Corporation is a family-owned business founded in 1987, with over 270 employees in several locations throughout the United States. Mid Continent is one of the largest producers of steel nails in the United States, with customers throughout the country. Mid Continent offers a full range of steel nails for construction and industrial applications.