The US International Trade Commission (ITC) has started the preliminary phase of antidumping and countervailing duty investigations to decide if Columbus, Ohio-based Worthington, a leading supplier of pressure cylinders, has been “materially injured or threatened with material injury” by Chinese manufacturers subsidised by their government.
Worthington is concerned about its non-refillable steel cylinders business due to the availability of low-priced Chinese imports on the US market.
The ITC is investigating whether the imports “are alleged to be sold in the United States at less than fair value and alleged to be subsidised by the Government of China”.
Non-refillable steel cylinders are portable, non-refillable steel tanks used for liquefied or compressed gases such as refrigerants, helium, and chemicals.
The merchandise covered by these petitions is certain non-refillable steel cylinders meeting the requirements of, or produced to meet the requirements of, US Department of Transportation Specifications 39, TransportCanada Specification 39M, or United Nations pressure receptacle standard ISO 11118. The non-refillable steel cylinders are portable and range from 300-cubic inch (4.9 litre) water capacity to 1,526-cubic inch (25 litre) water capacity.
The Commission will reach a decision by May 11, 2020.