Nearly one month after three U.S. companies filed a dumping case against welded stainless steel pressure pipes imported from Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) launched a probe a week ago into the possible dumping of this product on the U.S. market.

The DOC will investigate welded stainless steel pressure pipe shipments that came from Vietnam from October 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013, according to the Vietnam Competition Authority (VCA) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The three U.S. companies suggested anti-dumping tariffs of 89.4-90.8%, 22.67-22.73% and 23.77-24.04% on the pipe shipments from Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand respectively.

In 2012, Vietnamese steel exports to the U.S. that were investigated over dumping accusations amounted to US$17.98 million in value, the DOC reports. Meanwhile, Vietnam last year exported US$16.3 million worth of 4,627 tons of welded stainless steel pressure pipes to the U.S., holding 6.61% of America’s total import, said the three U.S. firms.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will make a preliminary conclusion on injury, if any, to the steel industry on July 1, said VCA. If ITC concluded that Malaysian, Thai and Vietnamese products cause heavy injury or threaten to cause injury to the U.S. steel industry, the investigation would continue and the DOC would make a preliminary decision in October 2013.

If neither injury nor threats of injury are found by the ITC, the investigation would be closed.

This is the third U.S. anti-dumping case against Vietnamese steel makers since 2011. The two earlier cases involved carbon-welded steel pipes and steel hangers.

As competition in the steel market is increasingly fierce, Vietnamese companies will find it hard to survive if slapped with high tariffs. There is a high possibility that Vietnamese firms would have no chances of staying in the U.S. market if they are levied high anti-dumping taxes.

Dong Nam A Hamico Export Joint Stock Company posted total sales of over VND10.4 billion in the first quarter, tumbling nearly 80% year-on-year. The sale fall was ascribed to the anti-dumping and anti-subsidy cases that the DOC filed against Vietnamese steel hangers while the U.S. is its major market. Hamico is looking for other markets to offset the slide in exports to the U.S.

The local steel industry from 2011 to 2012 struggled with five anti-dumping and two anti-subsidy cases initiated by the U.S., Brazil, Thailand and Indonesia.