81 FR 87019 - Certain Carbon and Alloy Steel Cut-to-Length Plate From France: Amended Preliminary Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 232 (December 2, 2016)

On November 14, 2016, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published in the Federal Register the Preliminary Determination of the antidumping duty investigation of certain carbon and alloy steel cut-to-length plate (CTL plate) from France. The Department is amending the Preliminary Determination of the investigation to correct two significant ministerial errors.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 232 (Friday, December 2, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 87019-87021]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-28983]



[[Page 87019]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-427-428]


Certain Carbon and Alloy Steel Cut-to-Length Plate From France: 
Amended Preliminary Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value

AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, 
Department of Commerce.

SUMMARY: On November 14, 2016, the Department of Commerce (the 
Department) published in the Federal Register the Preliminary 
Determination of the antidumping duty investigation of certain carbon 
and alloy steel cut-to-length plate (CTL plate) from France. The 
Department is amending the Preliminary Determination of the 
investigation to correct two significant ministerial errors.

DATES: Effective December 2, 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brandon Custard or Terre Keaton 
Stefanova, AD/CVD Operations, Office II, Enforcement and Compliance, 
International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-
1823 or (202) 482-1280, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On November 14, 2016, the Department published in the Federal 
Register the Preliminary Determination of CTL plate from France.\1\ On 
November 14, 2016, Dillinger France S.A., (Dillinger France) a 
respondent in this investigation, alleged that the Department made a 
significant ministerial error in the Preliminary Determination.\2\
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    \1\ See Certain Carbon and Alloy Steel Cut-to-Length Plate From 
France: Preliminary Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value 
and Postponement of Final Determination, 81 FR 79437 (November 14, 
2016) (Preliminary Determination).
    \2\ See letter from Dillinger France regarding, ``Certain Carbon 
and Alloy Steel Cut-To-Length Plate from France; Ministerial Error 
Allegation,'' dated November 14, 2016 (Ministerial Error Allegation 
Letter).
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Scope of the Investigation

    The product covered by this investigation is CTL plate from France. 
For a full description of the scope of this investigation, see the 
``Scope of the Investigation,'' in Appendix I of this notice.

Significant Ministerial Error

    A ministerial error is defined in 19 CFR 351.224(f) as ``an error 
in addition, subtraction, or other arithmetic function, clerical error 
resulting from inaccurate copying, duplication, or the like, and any 
other similar type of unintentional error which the Secretary considers 
ministerial.'' Further, 19 CFR 351.224(e) provides that the Department 
``will analyze any comments received and, if appropriate, correct any 
significant ministerial error by amending the preliminary 
determination.'' A significant ministerial error is defined as a 
ministerial error, the correction of which, singly or in combination 
with other errors, would result in: (1) A change of at least five 
absolute percentage points in, but not less than 25 percent of, the 
weighted-average dumping margin calculated in the original (erroneous) 
preliminary determination; or (2) a difference between a weighted-
average dumping margin of zero or de minimis and a weighted-average 
dumping margin of greater than de minimis or vice versa.\3\
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    \3\ See 19 CFR 351.224(g)(1) and (2).
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Ministerial Error Allegation

    Dillinger France alleges that the Department erred in its 
preliminary determination by not excluding Dillinger France's intra-
company sales from its U.S. sales database, which resulted in the 
double-counting of these sales in the margin calculation. No other 
party commented on this issue. After comparing the ministerial error 
allegation against the U.S. sales databases, we agree with the 
respondent that we inadvertently double-counted its intra-company U.S. 
sales. Additionally, we identified a further error in the preliminary 
determination margin calculation. Specifically, we inadvertently failed 
to cap certain reported freight revenue and to offset the movement 
expenses by this additional capped freight revenue amount.
    Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.224(g)(2), these errors are significant 
because their correction results in a change of at least five absolute 
percentage points in, but not less than 25 percent of, the weighted-
average dumping margin calculated in the original preliminary 
determination (i.e., change from a weighted-average dumping margin of 
12.97 percent to 6.43 percent). Therefore, we are correcting these 
errors and amending our preliminary determination accordingly.\4\
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    \4\ See Memorandum to the File entitled ``Amended Preliminary 
Determination Margin Calculation for Dillinger France S.A.'' 
(Amended Preliminary Determination Memorandum), for further 
discussion of our calculations for this amended preliminary 
determination.
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Amended Preliminary Determination

    We are amending the preliminary determination of sales at less than 
fair value for CTL plate from France to reflect the correction of 
significant ministerial errors made in the margin calculation of that 
determination for Dillinger France in accordance with 19 CFR 
351.224(e). The ``All-Others'' Rate was based on the simple average of 
the margins calculated for Dillinger France and Industeel France S.A. 
(Industeel), the other mandatory respondent in this investigation. 
Thus, we are also amending the ``All-Others'' rate to account for the 
change in Dillinger France's margin. We are amending the calculation of 
the all-others rate to base it on the weighted average of the margins 
calculated for Dillinger France and Industeel using publicly-ranged 
data. Because we cannot apply our normal methodology of calculating a 
weighted-average margin due to requests to protect business-proprietary 
information, we find this rate to be the best proxy of the actual 
weighted-average margin determined for these respondents.\5\ As a 
result of the correction of the ministerial error, the revised 
weighted-average dumping margins are as follows:
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    \5\ See, e.g., Welded Line Pipe from the Republic of Turkey: 
Final Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, 80 FR 61362, 
61363 (October 13, 2015). For further discussion of the amended 
calculation of the all-others rate, see Amended Preliminary 
Determination Memorandum.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             Weighted-
                                                              average
                  Exporter/manufacturer                       dumping
                                                              margin
                                                             (percent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dillinger France S.A....................................            6.43
Industeel France S.A....................................            4.26
All Others..............................................            6.33
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amended Cash Deposits and Suspension of Liquidation

    The collection of cash deposits and suspension of liquidation will 
be revised according to the rates established in this amended 
preliminary determination, in accordance with section 733(d) of the 
Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). Because these amended rates 
result in reduced cash deposit rates, they will be effective 
retroactively to November 14, 2016, the date of publication of the 
Preliminary Determination.

International Trade Commission Notification

    In accordance with section 733(f) of the Act, we notified the 
International

[[Page 87020]]

Trade Commission of our amended preliminary determination.

Disclosure

    We intend to disclose the calculations performed to parties in this 
proceeding within five days after public announcement of the amended 
preliminary determination, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224.
    This amended preliminary determination is issued and published in 
accordance with sections 733(f) and 777(i) of the Act and 19 CFR 
351.224(e).

    Dated: November 29, 2016.
Paul Piquado,
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.

Appendix I

Scope of the Investigation

    The products covered by this investigation are certain carbon 
and alloy steel hot-rolled or forged flat plate products not in 
coils, whether or not painted, varnished, or coated with plastics or 
other non-metallic substances (cut-to-length plate). Subject 
merchandise includes plate that is produced by being cut-to-length 
from coils or from other discrete length plate and plate that is 
rolled or forged into a discrete length. The products covered 
include (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 thickness of not less than 4 mm, 
which are not in coils and without patterns in relief), and (2) hot-
rolled or forged flat steel products of a 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 not in coils, whether or not with 
patterns in relief. The covered products described above may be 
rectangular, square, circular or other shapes and include products 
of either 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'' 
(e.g., products which have been beveled or rounded at the edges).
    For purposes of the width and thickness requirements referenced 
above, the following rules apply:
    (1) Except where otherwise stated where the nominal and actual 
thickness or width measurements vary, a product from a given subject 
country is within the scope if application of either the nominal or 
actual measurement would place it within the scope based on the 
definitions set forth above; and
    (2) where the width and thickness vary for a specific product 
(e.g., the thickness of certain products with non-rectangular cross-
section, the width of certain products with non-rectangular shape, 
etc.), the measurement at its greatest width or thickness applies.
    Steel products included in the scope of this investigation are 
products in which: (1) Iron predominates, by weight, over each of 
the other contained elements; and (2) the carbon content is 2 
percent or less by weight.
    Subject merchandise includes cut-to-length plate that has been 
further processed in the subject country or a third country, 
including but not limited to pickling, oiling, levelling, annealing, 
tempering, temper rolling, skin passing, painting, varnishing, 
trimming, cutting, punching, beveling, and/or slitting, or any other 
processing that would not otherwise remove the merchandise from the 
scope of the investigation if performed in the country of 
manufacture of the cut-to-length plate.
    All products that meet the written physical description, are 
within the scope of this investigation unless specifically excluded 
or covered by the scope of an existing order. The following products 
are outside of, and/or specifically excluded from, the scope of this 
investigation:
    (1) Products clad, plated, or coated with metal, whether or not 
painted, varnished or coated with plastic or other non-metallic 
substances;
    (2) military grade armor plate certified to one of the following 
specifications or to a specification that references and 
incorporates one of the following specifications:
     MIL-A-12560,
     MIL-DTL-12560H,
     MIL-DTL-12560J,
     MIL-DTL-12560K,
     MIL-DTL-32332,
     MIL-A-46100D,
     MIL-DTL-46100-E,
     MIL-46177C,
     MIL-S-16216K Grade HY80,
     MIL-S-16216K Grade HY100,
     MIL-S-24645A HSLA-80;
     MIL-S-24645A HSLA-100,
     T9074-BD-GIB-010/0300 Grade HY80,
     T9074-BD-GIB-010/0300 Grade HY100,
     T9074-BD-GIB-010/0300 Grade HSLA80,
     T9074-BD-GIB-010/0300 Grade HSLA100, and
     T9074-BD-GIB-010/0300 Mod. Grade HSLA115,

except that any cut-to-length plate certified to one of the above 
specifications, or to a military grade armor specification that 
references and incorporates one of the above specifications, will 
not be excluded from the scope if it is also dual- or multiple-
certified to any other non-armor specification that otherwise would 
fall within the scope of this order;
    (3) stainless steel plate, containing 10.5 percent or more of 
chromium by weight and not more than 1.2 percent of carbon by 
weight;
    (4) CTL plate meeting the requirements of ASTM A-829, Grade E 
4340 that are over 305 mm in actual thickness;
    (5) Alloy forged and rolled CTL plate greater than or equal to 
152.4 mm in actual thickness meeting each of the following 
requirements:
    (a) Electric furnace melted, ladle refined & vacuum degassed and 
having a chemical composition (expressed in weight percentages):
     Carbon 0.23-0.28,
     Silicon 0.05-0.20,
     Manganese 1.20-1.60,
     Nickel not greater than 1.0,
     Sulfur not greater than 0.007,
     Phosphorus not greater than 0.020,
     Chromium 1.0-2.5,
     Molybdenum 0.35-0.80,
     Boron 0.002-0.004,
     Oxygen not greater than 20 ppm,
     Hydrogen not greater than 2 ppm, and
     Nitrogen not greater than 60 ppm;
    (b) With a Brinell hardness measured in all parts of the product 
including mid thickness falling within one of the following ranges:
    (i) 270-300 HBW,
    (ii) 290-320 HBW, or
    (iii) 320-350HBW;
    (c) Having cleanliness in accordance with ASTM E45 method A 
(Thin and Heavy): A not exceeding 1.5, B not exceeding 1.0, C not 
exceeding 0.5, D not exceeding 1.5; and
    (d) Conforming to ASTM A578-S9 ultrasonic testing requirements 
with acceptance criteria 2 mm flat bottom hole;
    (6) Alloy forged and rolled steel CTL plate over 407 mm in 
actual thickness and meeting the following requirements:
    (a) Made from Electric Arc Furnace melted, Ladle refined & 
vacuum degassed, alloy steel with the following chemical composition 
(expressed in weight percentages):
     Carbon 0.23-0.28,
     Silicon 0.05-0.15,
     Manganese 1.20-1.50,
     Nickel not greater than 0.4,
     Sulfur not greater than 0.010,
     Phosphorus not greater than 0.020,
     Chromium 1.20-1.50,
     Molybdenum 0.35-0.55,
     Boron 0.002-0.004,
     Oxygen not greater than 20 ppm,
     Hydrogen not greater than 2 ppm, and
     Nitrogen not greater than 60 ppm;
    (b) Having cleanliness in accordance with ASTM E45 method A 
(Thin and Heavy): A not exceeding 1.5, B not exceeding 1.5, C not 
exceeding 1.0, D not exceeding 1.5;
    (c) Having the following mechanical properties:
    (i) With a Brinell hardness not more than 237 HBW measured in 
all parts of the product including mid thickness; and having a Yield 
Strength of 75ksi min and UTS 95ksi or more, Elongation of 18% or 
more and Reduction of area 35% or more; having charpy V at -75 
degrees F in the longitudinal direction equal or greater than 15 ft. 
lbs (single value) and equal or greater than 20 ft. lbs (average of 
3 specimens) and conforming to the requirements of NACE MR01-75; or
    (ii) With a Brinell hardness not less than 240 HBW measured in 
all parts of the product including mid thickness; and having a Yield 
Strength of 90 ksi min and UTS 110 ksi or more, Elongation of 15% or 
more and Reduction of area 30% or more; having charpy V at -40 
degrees F in the longitudinal direction equal or greater than 21 ft. 
lbs (single value) and equal or greater than 31 ft. lbs (average of 
3 specimens);
    (d) Conforming to ASTM A578-S9 ultrasonic testing requirements 
with acceptance criteria 3.2 mm flat bottom hole; and
    (e) Conforming to magnetic particle inspection in accordance 
with AMS 2301;
    (7) Alloy forged and rolled steel CTL plate over 407 mm in 
actual thickness and meeting the following requirements:

[[Page 87021]]

    (a) Made from Electric Arc Furnace melted, ladle refined & 
vacuum degassed, alloy steel with the following chemical composition 
(expressed in weight percentages):
     Carbon 0.25-0.30,
     Silicon not greater than 0.25,
     Manganese not greater than 0.50,
     Nickel 3.0-3.5,
     Sulfur not greater than 0.010,
     Phosphorus not greater than 0.020,
     Chromium 1.0-1.5,
     Molybdenum 0.6-0.9,
     Vanadium 0.08 to 0.12
     Boron 0.002-0.004,
     Oxygen not greater than 20 ppm,
     Hydrogen not greater than 2 ppm, and
     Nitrogen not greater than 60 ppm.
    (b) Having cleanliness in accordance with ASTM E45 method A 
(Thin and Heavy): A not exceeding 1.0(t) and 0.5(h), B not exceeding 
1.5(t) and 1.0(h), C not exceeding 1.0(t) and 0.5(h), and D not 
exceeding 1.5(t) and 1.0(h);
    (c) Having the following mechanical properties: A Brinell 
hardness not less than 350 HBW measured in all parts of the product 
including mid thickness; and having a Yield Strength of 145ksi or 
more and UTS 160ksi or more, Elongation of 15% or more and Reduction 
of area 35% or more; having charpy V at -40 degrees F in the 
transverse direction equal or greater than 20 ft. lbs (single value) 
and equal or greater than 25 ft. lbs (average of 3 specimens);
    (d) Conforming to ASTM A578-S9 ultrasonic testing requirements 
with acceptance criteria 3.2 mm flat bottom hole; and
    (e) Conforming to magnetic particle inspection in accordance 
with AMS 2301.
    The products subject to the investigation are currently 
classified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States 
(HTSUS) under item numbers: 7208.40.3030, 7208.40.3060, 
7208.51.0030, 7208.51.0045, 7208.51.0060, 7208.52.0000, 
7211.13.0000, 7211.14.0030, 7211.14.0045, 7225.40.1110, 
7225.40.1180, 7225.40.3005, 7225.40.3050, 7226.20.0000, and 
7226.91.5000.
    The products subject to the investigation may also enter under 
the following HTSUS item numbers: 7208.40.6060, 7208.53.0000, 
7208.90.0000, 7210.70.3000, 7210.90.9000, 7211.19.1500, 
7211.19.2000, 7211.19.4500, 7211.19.6000, 7211.19.7590, 
7211.90.0000, 7212.40.1000, 7212.40.5000, 7212.50.0000, 
7214.10.0000, 7214.30.0010, 7214.30.0080, 7214.91.0015, 
7214.91.0060, 7214.91.0090, 7225.11.0000, 7225.19.0000, 
7225.40.5110, 7225.40.5130, 7225.40.5160, 7225.40.7000, 
7225.99.0010, 7225.99.0090, 7226.11.1000, 7226.11.9060, 
7226.19.1000, 7226.19.9000, 7226.91.0500, 7226.91.1530, 
7226.91.1560, 7226.91.2530, 7226.91.2560, 7226.91.7000, 
7226.91.8000, and 7226.99.0180.
    The HTSUS subheadings above are provided for convenience and 
customs purposes only. The written description of the scope of the 
investigation is dispositive.

[FR Doc. 2016-28983 Filed 12-1-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P