OMB No. 3117-0016/USITC No. 16-3-3450; Expiration Date: 6/30/2017
(No response is required if currently valid OMB control number is not displayed)
U.S. PURCHASERS’ QUESTIONNAIRE
CERTAIN CORROSION-RESISTANT STEEL PRODUCTS FROM CHINA, INDIA, ITALY, KOREA, AND TAIWAN
This questionnaire must be received by the Commission by March 22, 2016
See last page for filing instructions.
The information called for in this questionnaire is for use by the United States International Trade Commission in connection with its countervailing duty and antidumping duty investigations concerning certain corrosion-resistant steel products (“corrosion-resistant steel”) from China, India, Italy, Korea, and Taiwan (Inv. Nos. 701-TA-534-538 and 731-TA-1274-1278 (Final)). The information requested in the questionnaire is requested under the authority of the Tariff Act of 1930, title VII. This report is mandatory and failure to reply as directed can result in a subpoena or other order to compel the submission of records or information in your possession (19 U.S.C. § 1333(a)). Further information on this questionnaire can be obtained from Lauren Gamache (202-205-3489, ).
Name of firmAddress
City State Zip Code
Website
Has your firm purchased corrosion-resistant steel (as defined on next page) from any source (domestic or foreign) at any time since January 1, 2013?
NO (Sign the certification below and promptly return only this page of the questionnaire to the Commission)
YES (Complete all parts of the questionnaire, and return the entire questionnaire to the Commission)
Return questionnaire via the U.S. International Trade Commission Drop Box by clicking on the following link: https://dropbox.usitc.gov/oinv/. (PIN: CORE)
CERTIFICATION
I certify that the information herein supplied in response to this questionnaire is complete and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief and understand that the information submitted is subject to audit and verification by the Commission. By submitting this certification I also grant consent for the Commission, and its employees and contract personnel, to use the information provided in this questionnaire and throughout this proceeding in any other import-injury proceedings conducted by the Commission on the same or similar merchandise.
I, the undersigned, acknowledge that information submitted in response to this request for information and throughout this investigation or other proceeding may be disclosed to and used: (i) by the Commission, its employees and Offices, and contract personnel (a) for developing or maintaining the records of this or a related proceeding, or (b) in internal investigations, audits, reviews, and evaluations relating to the programs, personnel, and operations of the Commission including under 5 U.S.C. Appendix 3; or (ii) by U.S. government employees and contract personnel, solely for cybersecurity purposes. I understand that all contract personnel will sign appropriate nondisclosure agreements.
Name of Authorized Official Title of Authorized Official Date
Signature Phone: Email address
Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Corrosion-Resistant Steel Page 26
Background. This proceeding was instituted in response to petitions filed on June 3, 2015, by United States Steel Corporation (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), Nucor Corporation (Charlotte, North Carolina), Steel Dynamics Inc. (Fort Wayne, Indiana), California Steel Industries (Fontana, California), ArcelorMittal USA LLC (Chicago, Illinois), and AK Steel Corporation (West Chester, Oregon). Countervailing and/or antidumping duties may be assessed on the subject imports as a result of these proceedings if the Commission makes an affirmative determination of injury, threat, or material retardation, and if the U.S. Department of Commerce makes an affirmative determination of subsidization and/or dumping. Questionnaires and other information pertinent to this proceeding are available at https://usitc.gov/investigations/701731/2016/corrosion_resistant_steel_products_china_india/final.htm.
Corrosion-resistant steel.—The products covered by the scope are certain flat-rolled steel products, either clad, plated, or coated with corrosion-resistant metals such as zinc, aluminum, or zinc-, aluminum-, nickel- or iron-based alloys, whether or not corrugated or painted, varnished, laminated, or coated with plastics or other non-metallic substances in addition to the metal coating. The products covered include coils that have a width of 12.7 mm or greater, regardless of form of coil (e.g., in successively superimposed layers, spirally oscillating, etc.). The products covered also include products not in coils (e.g., in straight lengths) of a thickness less than 4.75 mm and a width that is 12.7 mm or greater and that measures at least 10 times the thickness. The products covered also include products not in coils (e.g., in straight lengths) of a thickness 4.75 mm or more than a width exceeding 150 mm and measuring at least twice the thickness. The products described above may be rectangular, square, circular, or other shape and include products of either rectangular or non-rectangular cross-section where such cross-section is achieved subsequent to the rolling process, i.e., products which have been “worked after rolling” (e.g., products which have been beveled or rounded at the edges).
For purposes of the width and thickness requirements referenced above: (1) where the nominal and actual measurements vary, a product is within the scope if application of either the nominal or actual measurement would place it within the scope based on the definitions set for above, and (2) where the width and thickness vary for a specific period (e.g., the thickness of certain products with non-rectangular cross-section, the width of certain products with nonrectangular shape, etc.), the measurement at its greatest width or thickness applies.
Steel products included in the scope in this investigation are products in which: (1) Iron predominates, by weight, over each of the other contained elements; (2) the carbon content is 2 percent or less, by weight; (3) none of the elements listed below exceeds the quantity, by weight, respectively indicated:
• 2.50 percent of manganese, or
• 3.30 percent of silicon, or
• 1.50 percent of copper, or
• 1.50 percent of aluminum, or
• 1.25 percent of chromium, or
• 0.30 percent of cobalt, or
• 0.40 percent of lead, or
• 2.00 percent of nickel, or
• 0.30 percent of tungsten (also called wolfram), or
• 0.80 percent of molybdenum, or
• 0.10 percent of niobium (also called columbium), or
• 0.30 percent of vanadium, or
• 0.30 percent of zirconium
Unless specifically excluded, products are included in this scope regardless of levels of boron and titanium.
For example, specifically included in this scope are vacuum degassed, fully stabilized (commonly referred to interstitial-free (“IF”)) steels and high strength low alloy (“HSLA”) steels. IF steels are recognized as low carbon steels with micro-alloying levels of elements such as titanium and/or niobium added to stabilize carbon and nitrogen elements.
HSLA steels are recognized as steels with micro-alloying levels of elements such as chromium, copper, niobium, titanium, vanadium, and molybdenum. Furthermore, this scope also includes Advanced High Strength Steels (“AHSS”) and Ultra High Strength Steels (“UHSS”), both of which are considered high tensile strength and high elongation steels.
Subject merchandise also includes corrosion-resistant steel that has been further processed in a third country, including but not limited to annealing, tempering, painting, varnishing, trimming, cutting, punching and/ or slitting or any other processing that would not otherwise remove the merchandise from the scope of the investigations if performed in the country of manufacture of the in-scope corrosion resistant steel.
All products that meet the written physical description, and in which the chemistry quantities do not exceed any one of the noted element levels listed above, are within the scope of this proceeding unless specifically excluded. The following products are outside of and/or specifically excluded from the scope of this investigation:
• Flat-rolled steel products either plated or coated with tin, lead, chromium, chromium oxides, both tin and lead (“terne plate”), or both chromium and chromium oxides (“tin free steel”), whether or not painted, varnished or coated with plastics or other non-metallic substances in addition to the metallic coating;
• Clad products in straight lengths of 4.7625 mm or more in composite thickness and of a width which exceeds 150 mm and measure at least twice the thickness; and
• Certain clad stainless flat-rolled products, which are three-layered corrosion-resistant steel flat-rolled steel products less than 4.75 mm in composite thickness that consist of a flat-rolled steel product clad on both sides with stainless steel in a 20%-60%-20% ratio.
Reporting of information. If information is not readily available from your records, provide carefully prepared estimates. If your firm is completing more than one questionnaire (i.e., a producer, importer, and/or purchaser questionnaire), you need not respond to duplicated questions.
Confidentiality.--The commercial and financial data furnished in response to this questionnaire that reveal the individual operations of your firm will be treated as confidential by the Commission to the extent that such data are not otherwise available to the public and will not be disclosed except as may be required by law (see 19 U.S.C. § 1677f). Such confidential information will not be published in a manner that will reveal the individual operations of your firm; however, general characterizations of numerical business proprietary information (such as discussion of trends) will be treated as confidential business information only at the request of the submitter for good cause shown.
Verification.The information submitted in this questionnaire is subject to audit and verification by the Commission. To facilitate possible verification of data, please keep all files, worksheets, and supporting documents used in the preparation of the questionnaire response. Please also retain a copy of the final document that you submit.
Release of information.--The information provided by your firm in response to this questionnaire, as well as any other business proprietary information submitted by your firm to the Commission in connection with this proceeding, may become subject to, and released under, the administrative protective order provisions of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. § 1677f) and section 207.7 of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR § 207.7). This means that certain lawyers and other authorized individuals may temporarily be given access to the information for use in connection with this proceeding or other import-injury proceedings conducted by the Commission on the same or similar merchandise; those individuals would be subject to severe penalties if the information were divulged to unauthorized individuals.
I-1. OMB statistics.--Please report the actual number of hours required and the cost to your firm of completing this questionnaire.
Hours / DollarsThe questions in this questionnaire have been reviewed with market participants to ensure that issues of concern are adequately addressed and that data requests are sufficient, meaningful, and as limited as possible. Public reporting burden for this questionnaire is estimated to average 25 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering data, and completing and reviewing the questionnaire.
We welcome comments regarding the accuracy of this burden estimate, suggestions for reducing the burden, and any suggestions for improving this questionnaire. Please attach such comments to your response or send to the Office of Investigations, USITC, 500 E St. SW, Washington, DC 20436.
I-2. Establishments covered.-- Provide the name and address of your U.S. establishment(s) covered by this questionnaire, if different from that listed on the cover page. Firms operating more than one establishment should combine the data for all establishments into a single report.
“Establishment”Each facility of a firm involved in the purchase of corrosion-resistant steel, including auxiliary facilities operated in conjunction with (whether or not physically separate from) such facilities.
I-3. Ownership.--Is your firm owned, in whole or in part, by any other firm?
No Yes--List the following information.
Firm name / Address / Extent of ownership (percent)I-4. Related SUBJECT importers/exporters.--Does your firm have any related firms, either domestic or foreign, which import corrosion-resistant steel from China, India, Italy, Korea, and/or Taiwan into the United States or which export corrosion-resistant steel from China, India, Italy, Korea, and/or Taiwan to the United States?
No Yes--List the following information.
Firm name / Address / AffiliationI-5. Related NONSUBJECT importers/exporters.--Does your firm have any related firms, either domestic or foreign, which import corrosion-resistant steel from countries other than China, India, Italy, Korea, and/or Taiwan into the United States or which export corrosion-resistant steel from countries other than China, India, Italy, Korea, and/or Taiwan to the United States?
No Yes--List the following information.
Firm name and country / Address / AffiliationI-6. Related producers.--Does your firm have any related firms, either domestic or foreign, which produce corrosion-resistant steel?
No Yes--List the following information.
Firm name / Address / AffiliationPART II.--PURCHASES
Contact information.-- Please identify the responsible individual and the manner by which Commission staff may contact that individual regarding the confidential information submitted in this questionnaire.
NameTitle
Telephone
Fax
II-1. Purchases.—
(a) Report your firm’s total U.S. purchases of corrosion-resistant steel, and indicate your firm’s share of total purchases through annual or longer term contracts in 2015. (Do not include imports for which your firm was the importer of record; such imports should be reported in your U.S. importer’s questionnaire).
Item / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / Percent share of 2015 purchases through contracts(percent)1
Purchases of corrosion-resistant steel produced in-- / Quantity
(short tons)
United States
China
India
Italy
Korea
Taiwan
All other countries:2
Sources unknown
1 Each line in the last column of data can be a value from 0.0 to 100.0 percent. Do not type in the percent sign in the cell (%).
2 Please identify these countries:
II-1. Purchases.—Continued
(b) Report your firm’s 2015 purchases of the following types of corrosion-resistant steel.
2015Quantity (in short tons)
Steel type / Did not purchase / United States / China / India / Italy / Korea / Taiwan / All other sources / Name of producers, if known
55% Al-Zn alloy coated (e.g. Galvalume), 0.018 inches and thinner, less than 45 inches in width
EG Steel with a maximum zinc coating per side of 20g/m2, or 40g/m2 on both sides
AHSS 490
AHSS 1180
II-2. Changes in purchasing patterns.--Please indicate how the shares of your firm’s purchases of corrosion-resistant steel from different sources have changed since January 1, 2013.
Source of purchases / Did not purchase / Decreased / Increased / Constant / Fluctuated / Explanation for trendUnited States
China
India
Italy
Korea
Taiwan
All other countries
Sources unknown
II-3. Purchases from one country only.--If your firm has purchased corrosion-resistant steel from only one country, please explain the reasons for doing so.