The US Department of Commerce (DOC) has announced its affirmative preliminary determinations in the antidumping duty (AD) investigations of the import of tool chests and cabinets from Viet Nam and China.

The Vietnam Competition Authority under the Ministry of Industry and Trade late last week announced that the DOC calculated a preliminary dumping rate of 230.31 per cent for Viet Nam’s producers and exporters.

The preliminary dumping rate for China is from 90.40 per cent to 168.93 per cent.

Merchandise subject to these investigations is classified under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) categories 9403.20.0021, 9403.20.0026, 9403.20.0030 and 7326.90.8688, but may also be classified under HTSUS category 7326.90.3500.

As a result of the preliminary affirmative determinations, DOC will instruct the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to require cash deposits based on these preliminary rates.

The petitioner of the case is Waterloo Industries, Inc (Waterloo), which manufactures tool chests at its production facility in Sedalia, Missouri.

DOC is currently scheduled to announce its final determinations in March 2018.

If DOC makes affirmative final determinations and the US International Trade Commission (ITC) makes affirmative final determinations that imports of tool chests and cabinets from China and Viet Nam materially injure, or threaten material injury to, the domestic industry in the United States, DOC will issue AD orders. If either the DOC or the ITC final determinations are negative, no AD orders will be issued.

The ITC is scheduled to make its final injury determinations some 45 days after DOC issues its final determinations, if affirmative.

In 2016, imports of tool chests and cabinets from China and Viet Nam were valued at an estimated US$230 million and $77 million, respectively, according to DOC. - VNS