Certain Biaxial Integral Geogrid Products from China Injure U.S. Industry, Says USITC

February 7, 2017
News Release 17-025
Inv. No(s). 701-TA-554 and 731-TA-1309 (Final)
Contact: Peg O'Laughlin, 202-205-1819

The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) today determined that a U.S. industry is materially injured by reason of imports of certain biaxial integral geogrid products from China that the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) has determined are subsidized and sold in the United States at less than fair value.

All six Commissioners voted in the affirmative. 

As a result of the USITC’s affirmative determinations, Commerce will issue antidumping and countervailing duty orders on imports of these products from China.

The Commission also made negative findings with respect to critical circumstances with regard to imports of this product from China.  As a result, goods that entered the United States from China prior to the dates of Commerce’s affirmative preliminary determinations, will not be subject to retroactive antidumping or countervailing duties.

The Commission’s public report Certain Biaxial Integral Geogrid Products from China (Investigation Nos. 701-TA-554 and 731-TA-1309 (Final), USITC Publication 4670, February 2017) will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the investigations.

The report will be available by March 14, 2017; when available, it may be accessed on the USITC website at: http://pubapps.usitc.gov/applications/publogs/qry_publication_loglist.asp.

 

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UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20436

FACTUAL HIGHLIGHTS

Certain Biaxial Integral Geogrid Products from China
Investigation Nos. 701-TA-554 and 731-TA-1309 (Final)

Product Description:  Biaxial integral geogrid products are a polymer grid or mesh material (whether or not finished, slit, cut‐to‐length, attached to woven or nonwoven fabric or sheet material, or packaged) in which four‐sided openings in the form of squares, rectangles, rhomboids, diamonds, or other four-sided figures predominate. The products have integral strands that have been stretched to induce molecular orientation into the material constituting the sides of the openings and integral junctions where the strands intersect.  “Integral” refers to strands and junctions that are homogenous with each other. The products covered have a tensile strength of greater than 5 kilonewtons per meter in any direction and average overall flexural stiffness of more than 100,000 milligram-centimeter. The most common use is in the construction of paved (usually asphalt) and unpaved roads.  The product interlocks with road building materials to prevent lateral movement and increases the road’s load bearing capacity.

Status of Proceedings:

1.  Type of investigation: Final antidumping and countervailing duty
2.  Tensar Corporation, Morrow, GA.
3.  Investigation instituted by USITC:  January 13, 2016.
4.  USITC hearing: December 21, 2016.
5.  USITC vote: February 7, 2017.
6.  USITC notification of Department of Commerce: February 21, 2017.

U.S. Industry:

1.  Number of U.S. producers in 2015:  Two.
2.  Location of producers’ plants:  Alabama and Georgia.
3.  Employment of production and related workers in 2015:  [1]
4.  U.S. producers’ U.S. shipments in 2015:  ¹
5.  Apparent U.S. consumption in 2015:  ¹
6.  Ratio of subject imports to apparent U.S. consumption in 2015: ¹

U.S. Imports in 2015:

1.  From the subject countries during 2015:  ¹
2.  From other countries during 2015:  $0.
3.  Leading sources during 2015: China (in terms of total value).