Mid Continent Steel & Wire, Inc. Commends Commerce Department for Affirmative Final Determinations in Korea, Malaysia, Oman, Taiwan and Vietnam Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Investigations

News & Insights
May 15, 2015

Washington, D.C. – Mid Continent Steel & Wire, Inc., the largest U.S. producer of steel nails, today commended the U.S. Department of Commerce for its final affirmative determinations in the antidumping and countervailing duty investigations of unfairly-priced imports of certain steel nails from Korea, Malaysia, Oman, Taiwan and Vietnam.  Commerce today announced final duties on imports of certain steel nails from these countries in the following amounts:

COUNTERVAILING DUTY MARGINS

VietnamExporter/ProducerMargin Region Industries Co., Ltd. 288.56% United Nail Products Co., Ltd. 313.97% All Others 301.27%

ANTIDUMPING DUTY MARGINS

KoreaExporter/ProducerMargin Daejin Steel Company 11.80% Jinheung Steel Corporation and its affiliates, Jinsco International Corporation and Duo-Fast Korea Co. Ltd. 0.00% All Others 11.80%

MalaysiaExporter/ProducerMargin Inmax Sdn. Bhd. 39.35% Region International Co. Ltd./Region Systems 2.61% Tag Fasteners Sdn. Bhd. 39.35% All Others 2.61%

OmanExporter/ProducerMargin Oman Fasteners LLC 9.10% All Others 9.10%

TaiwanExporter/ProducerMargin PT Enterprise 2.24% Quick Advance Inc. 0.00% All Others 2.24%

VietnamExporter/ProducerMargin Region Industries Co., Ltd. 290.40% United Nail Products Co., Ltd. 290.40% Kosteel Vina Limited Company 290.40% All Others 290.40% The affirmative determination in the Taiwan case represents a significant change from the preliminary determination, which initially found no dumping.  With these determinations, imports from all five countries will be subject to duties, which may increase in the future.

“We are very pleased with these final decisions,” said Fernando Villanueva, President and CEO of Mid Continent Steel & Wire.  “The duties that will be imposed as the result of these decisions will bring badly-needed discipline to the market and encourage foreign producers and exporters in these countries, and importers and distributors in the United States, to sell these products at fair prices, especially given the potential for increased duties in the future if they do not.”

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) held a public hearing in these cases in Washington, D.C. on May 14, 2015.  The ITC’s final vote in these investigations is scheduled to be held on June 17, 2015.  If the ITC confirms its preliminary determination that imports from these countries have injured the U.S. industry, U.S. Customs and Border Protection will require U.S. importers of subject nails from these countries to make cash deposits to cover their estimated duty liability.  The amounts required will be based on the margins above.  The final amount of duties owed, however, will not be determined until future administrative reviews are completed.  This process may result in increased duties.

The current cases were filed just two years after Commerce imposed antidumping duties on imports of steel nails from the United Arab Emirates, and six years after antidumping duties were imposed on imports of steel nails from China.  Both antidumping orders remain in place, and in January 2014, Commerce renewed the China order for at least another five years.

The investigations cover certain steel nails up to 12 inches long that are produced from any type of steel.  The steel nails covered by the investigations can have any type of finish, head, shank, point and diameter, and may be sold as loose nails or collated in any manner using any type of material.

Mid Continent Steel & Wire, founded in 1987, has over 400 employees in several locations throughout the United States.  Mid Continent offers a full range of collated and bulk steel nails for construction and industrial applications.