Large Diameter Welded Pipe Imports Increase in Advance of Final Dumping and Subsidy Determinations at the Department of Commerce 

February 8, 2019

Washington, DC—Recently issued U.S. import statistics show a substantial increase in imports of large diameter welded pipe (LDWP) from Canada, Greece, Korea and Turkey in January 2019, as compared to the same month the previous year.

These increases are occurring in advance of final determinations by the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce), expected on or around February 19, 2019, in antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations on LDWP from Canada, Greece, Korea, and Turkey. 

The American Line Pipe Producers Association (ALPPA), a domestic coalition of large diameter welded pipe producers that petitioned for the investigations, urges Commerce to calculate AD and CVD margins for these countries that accurately reflect the full extent of the dumping and subsidies. Wiley Rein LLP represents ALPPA on international trade matters.

Continued increases in LDWP imports from Canada, Greece, Korea and Turkey demonstrate that the preliminary AD and CVD duty rates may not be sufficient to prevent surges of unfairly traded imports of line pipe and structural pipe. It is particularly notable that these increases are occurring even with Section 232 duties also in place on LDWP imports, at levels of 25% for Canada, Greece and Korea, and 50% for Turkey.

Commerce has already issued its final determinations in AD/CVD investigations on LDWP from China and India, with strong dumping margins of 132.63% for China and 50.55% for India, and subsidy margins of 198.49% for China and 541.15% for India. Imports of large diameter welded pipe from those two countries decreased significantly in January 2019.

ALPPA also looks forward to affirmative final determinations for the remaining four countries at the International Trade Commission, which will vote and issue its findings later this spring.