MESSAGE NO: 9190115 DATE: 07 09 1999
CATEGORY: ADA TYPE: INI
REFERENCE: REFERENCE DATE:
CASES: A - 427 - 816 A - 533 - 817
A - 560 - 805 A - 475 - 826
A - 588 - 847 A - 580 - 836

PERIOD COVERED: 06 16 1999 TO

LIQ SUSPENSION DATE:

TO: DIRECTORS OF FIELD OPERATIONS
PORT DIRECTORS

FROM: DIRECTOR, TRADE ENFORCEMENT & CONTROL

RE: INITIATION OF ANTIDUMPING INVESTIGATIONS OF CERTAIN
CUT TO LENGTH CARBON QUALITY STEEL PLATE FROM FRANCE,
INDIA, INDONESIA, ITALY, JAPAN AND REPUBLIC OF KOREA

1. ON MARCH 16, 1999, THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE PUBLISHED IN
THE FEDERAL REGISTER ITS INITIATION OF AD INVESTIGATIONS OF
CERTAIN CUT-TO-LENGTH CARBON-QUALITY STEEL PLATE FROM THE
AFOREMENTIONED COUNTRIES.

2. SCOPE OF INVESTIGATIONS

THE PRODUCTS COVERED BY THIS SCOPE ARE CERTAIN HOT-ROLLED
CARBON-QUALITY STEEL: (1) UNIVERSAL MILL PLATES (I.E.,
FLAT-ROLLED PRODUCTS ROLLED ON FOUR FACES OR IN A CLOSED BOX
PASS, OF A WIDTH EXCEEDING 150 MM BUT NOT EXCEEDING 1250 MM,
AND OF A NOMINAL OR ACTUAL THICKNESS OF NOT LESS THAN 4 MM,
WHICH ARE CUT-TO-LENGTH (NOT IN COILS) AND WITHOUT PATTERNS
IN RELIEF), OF IRON OR NON-ALLOY-QUALITY STEEL; AND (2)
FLAT-ROLLED PRODUCTS, HOT-ROLLED, OF A NOMINAL OR ACTUAL
THICKNESS OF 4.75 MM OR MORE AND OF A WIDTH WHICH EXCEEDS
150 MM AND MEASURES AT LEAST TWICE THE THICKNESS, AND WHICH
ARE CUT-TO-LENGTH (NOT IN COILS).

STEEL PRODUCTS TO BE INCLUDED IN THIS SCOPE ARE OF
RECTANGULAR, SQUARE, CIRCULAR OR OTHER SHAPE AND OF
RECTANGULAR OR NON-RECTANGULAR CROSS-SECTION WHERE SUCH NON-
RECTANGULAR CROSS-SECTION IS ACHIEVED SUBSEQUENT TO THE
ROLLING PROCESS (I.E., PRODUCTS WHICH HAVE BEEN "WORKED
AFTER ROLLING") -- FOR EXAMPLE, PRODUCTS WHICH HAVE BEEN
BEVELED OR ROUNDED AT THE EDGES. STEEL PRODUCTS THAT MEET
THE NOTED PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS THAT ARE PAINTED,
VARNISHED OR COATED WITH PLASTIC OR OTHER NON-METALLIC
SUBSTANCES ARE INCLUDED WITHIN THIS SCOPE. ALSO,
SPCEIFICALLY INCLUDED IN THIS SCOPE ARE HIGH STRENGTH, LOW
ALLOY (HSLA) STEELS. HSLA STEELS ARE RECOGNIZED AS STEELS
WITH MICRO-ALLOYING LEVELS OF ELEMENTS SUCH AS CHROMIUM,
COPPER, NIOBIUM, TITANIUM, VANADIUM, AND MOLYBDENUM.

STEEL PRODUCTS TO BE INCLUDED INT HIS SCOPE, REGARDLESS OF
HARMONIZED TARIFF SCHEDULE OF THE UNITED STATES (HTSUS)
DEFINITIONS, ARE PRODUCTS IN WHICH: (1) IRON PREDOMINATES,
BY WEIGHT, OVER EACH OF THE OTHER CONTAINED ELEMENTS, (2)
THE CARBON CONTENT IS TWO PERCENT OR LESS, BY WEIGHT, AND
(3) NONE OF THE ELEMENTS LISTED BELOW IS EQUAL TO OR EXCEEDS
THE QUANTITY, BY WEIGHT, RESPECTIVELY INDICATED:
1.80 PERCENT OF MANGANESE, OR
1.50 PERCENT OF SILICON, OR
1.00 PERCENT OF COPPER, OR
0.50 PERCENT OF ALUMINUM, OR
1.25 PERCENT OF CHROMIUM, OR
0.30 PERCENT OF COBALT, OR
0.40 PERCENT OF LEAD, OR
1.25 PERCENT OF NICKEL, OR
0.30 PERCENT OF TUNGSTEN, OR
0.10 PERCENT OF MOLYBDENUM, OR
0.10 PERCENT OF NIOBIUM, OR
0.41 PERCENT OF TITANIUM, OR
0.15 PERCENT OF VANADIUM, OR
0.15 PERCENT ZIRCONIUM.

ALL PRODUCTS THAT MEET THE WRITTEN PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION, AND
IN WHICH THE CHEMISTRY QUANTITIES DO NOT EQUAL OR EXCEED
ANY ONE OF THE LEVELS LISTED ABOVE, ARE WITHIN THE SCOPE OF
THESE INVESTIGATIONS UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFICALLY EXCLUDED.
THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS ARE SPECIFICALLY EXCLUDED FROM THESE
INVESTIGATIONS: (1) PRODUCTS CLAD, PLATED, OR COATED WITH
METAL, WHETHER OR NOT PAINTED, VARNISHED OR COATED WITH
PLASTIC OR OTHER NON-METALLIC SUBSTANCES; (2) SAE GRADES
(FORMERLY AISI GRADES) OF SERIES 2300 AND ABOVE; (3)
PRODUCTS MADE TO ASTM A710 AND A736 OR THEIR PROPRIETARY
EQUIVALENTS; (4) ABRASION-RESISTANT STEELS (I.E., USS AR
400, USS AR 500); (5) PRODUCTS MADE TO ASTM A202, A225, A514
GRADE S, A517 GRADE S, OR THEIR PROPRIETARY EQUIVALENTS; (6)
BALL BEARING STEELS; (7) TOOL STEELS; AND (8) SILICON
MANGANESE STEEL OR SILICON ELECTRIC STEEL.

THE MERCHANDISE SUBJECT TO THESE INVESTIGATIONS IS
CLASSIFIED IN THE HTSUS UNDER SUBHEADINGS:
7208.40.3030, 7208.40.3060, 7208.51.0030, 7208.51.0045,
7208.51.0060, 7208.52.0000, 7208.53.0000, 7208.90.0000,
7210.70.3000, 7210.90.9000, 7211.13.0000, 7211.14.0030,
7211.14.0045, 7211.90.0000, 7212.40.1000, 7212.40.5000,
7212.50.0000, 7225.40.3050, 7225.40.7000, 7225.50.6000,
7225.99.0090, 7226.91.5000, 7226.91.7000, 7226.91.8000,
7226.99.0000.

ALTHOUGH THE HTSUS SUBHEADINGS ARE PROVIDED FOR CONVENIENCE
AND CUSTOMS PURPOSES, THE WRITTEN DEDCRIPTION OF THE
MERCHANDISE UNDER INVESTIGATION IS DISPOSITIVE.

3. FOR FURTHER REPORTING PURPOSES THESE CASES HAVE BEEN
ASSIGNED THE FOLLOWING INVESTIGATION NUMBERS:

FRANCE A-427-816
INDIA A-533-817
INDONESIA A-560-805
ITALY A-475-826
JAPAN A-588-847
REPUBLIC OF KOREA A-580-836

4. IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS MATTER BY CUSTOMS
OFFICERS, PLEASE CONTACT VIA E-MAIL, THROUGH THE APPROPRIATE
SUPERVISORY CHANNELS, OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCY LIAISON, USING
THE ATTRIBUTE "HQ OAB". THE IMPORTING PUBLIC AND OTHER
INTERESTED PARTIES SHOULD CONTACT THE CASE ANALYST IN CHARGE
(LISTED BELOW) AT IMPORT ADMINISTRATION, INTERNATIONAL TRADE
ADMINISTRATION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, 14TH STREET AND
CONSTITUTION AVENUE, N.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20230
FOR AD: JAMES TERPSTRA (FRANCE, INDIA, AND THE REPUBLIC OF
KOREA) AT (202) 482-3965; WENDY FRANKEL (TALY, JAPAN)
AT (ITALY, JAPAN) AT (202) 482-5849; BRIAN SMITH,
(INDONESIA) AT (202) 482-1766.

5. THERE ARE NO RESTRICTIONS ON THE RELEASE OF THIS
INFORMATION.

PAUL SCHWARTZ