Commerce Department: Common alloy aluminum sheet unfairly traded

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced March 2 its final determinations that imports of common alloy aluminum sheet from 16 countries are being sold at less than fair value in the United States and that aluminum sheet producers in three countries are benefitting from unfair government subsidies. 

Common alloy aluminum sheet is a flat-rolled aluminum product that is used in transportation, building and construction, infrastructure, electrical and marine applications where that require its strength, relatively light weight, formability and resistance to corrosion. Aluminum sheet used in the manufacture of beverage cans is excluded from the scope of the investigations.

In response to the announcement, Aluminum Association President and CEO Tom Dobbins says, “The Aluminum Association is pleased with the Commerce Department’s determination that imports of common alloy sheet from multiple countries are being sold unfairly in the United States. Common alloy sheet producers in the U.S., who have invested more than $1 billion in recent years to expand production and supply customers, are among the most competitive producers in the world.  But the industry cannot compete against products that are sold at unfairly low prices and subsidized by foreign governments.”

In its final determinations, the Commerce Department calculated antidumping and countervailing duty deposit rates for the 16 countries:

• Bahrain, 11.27 percent;
• Brazil, 49.61 to 137.06 percent;
• Croatia, 3.19 percent;
• Egypt, 12.11 percent;
• Germany, 49.4 to 242.8 percent;
• India, 4.89 to 79.89 percent;
• Indonesia, 32.12 percent;
• Italy, zero to 29.13 percent;
• Oman, 5.29 percent;
• Romania, 12.51 to 37.26 percent,
• Serbia, 11.67 to 25.84 percent;
• Slovenia, 13.43 percent;
• South Africa, 8.85 percent;
• Spain, 3.8 to 24.23 percent;
• Taiwan, 17.5 percent; and
• Turkey, 4.58 to 17.9 percent.

The Commerce Department also reached negative antidumping determinations with respect to imports from Greece and Korea, and a negative countervailing duty determination with respect to imports from Brazil, to which Dobbins says: “While we were disappointed by the negative findings, we will continue to monitor import data and take action as appropriate. We remain committed to strong and robust trade enforcement across the entire aluminum market.”

The Aluminum Association, Arlinton, Virginia, says the next step in the trade cases will be the United States International Trade Commission’s (USITC) final determination of whether imports from the 16 countries are a cause of material injury or threaten to materially injure domestic producers of common alloy sheet.  The USITC is scheduled to announce its final determination March 31.