US sets duties on steel wire, wheels from China

01/09/2011 12:00 - 441 Views

WASHINGTON Aug 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Commerce Department said on Tuesday it was setting preliminary duties on galvanized steel wire and certain steel wheels from China to offset Chinese government subsidies.

The department said it was putting duties of 21.59 to 253.07 percent on the steel wire and 26.24 to 46.59 percent on the steel wheels. The United States imported about $54 million of the wire and $80 million of the wheels in 2010.

Earlier this year, the department imposed duties on drill pipe and wood flooring from China. But on the whole, there have been fewer anti-dumping and countervailing duty cases against China in 2011 than in many recent years.

The steel wire case was brought by a group of companies in five states, including Davis Wire Corp., Johnston Wire Technologies and Mid-South Wire Company.
Two other companies -- Accuride Corporation of Indiana and and Hayes Lemmerz International of Michigan -- filed the steel wheels case.

The Commerce Department will make a final decision on the size of countervailing duties in the two case in January.

Tue Aug 30, 2011 7:12pm GMT
By Doug Palmer;
Editing by Sandra Maler & Bill Trott
Source: reuters.com