SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On February 21, 1995, Commerce published the AD order on stainless steel bar from India.^[1] On February 3, 2025, Commerce published a notice of opportunity to request an administrative review of the Order.^[2] On April 9, 2024, based on timely requests for administrative reviews, Commerce initiated an administrative review of the Order,^[3] and subsequently selected the Venus Group and Laxcon as the mandatory respondents.

Due to the lapse in appropriations and Federal Government shutdown, on November 14, 2025, Commerce tolled all deadlines in administrative proceedings by 47 days.^[4] Additionally, due to a backlog of documents that were electronically filed via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS), Commerce tolled all deadlines in administrative proceedings by an additional 21 days.^[5] On December 8, 2025, Commerce extended the deadline for the preliminary results by 120 days.^[6] Thus, the deadline for the preliminary results of this administrative review is May 7, 2026.

Scope of the Order

The product covered by this Order is stainless steel bar from India. For a full description of the scope, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.^[7]

Methodology

Commerce is conducting this review in accordance with section 751(a)(1)(B) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). Export price and constructed export price are calculated in accordance with section 772 of the Act. NV is calculated in accordance with section 773 of the Act.

For a full description of the methodology underlying our conclusions, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. A list of the topics discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum is included as the appendix to this notice. The Preliminary Decision Memorandum is a public document and is made available to the public via ACCESS. ACCESS is available to registered users at https://access.trade.gov. In addition, a complete version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at https://access.trade.gov/​frnotices. ( printed page 27010)

Rescission of Administrative Review, in Part

Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.213(d)(1), Commerce will rescind an administrative review, in whole or in part, if the parties that requested the review withdraw their review requests within 90 days of the date of publication of the notice of initiation for the requested review.^[8] On June 26, 2025, the petitioners ^[9] withdrew their request for the review of Ambica Steel Limited within the 90-day deadline.^[10] No other parties requested an administrative review of this company. Therefore, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.213(d)(1), Commerce is rescinding the administrative review of Ambica Steel Limited.

Rate for Non-Examined Companies

The statute and Commerce's regulations do not address the establishment of a rate to be applied to companies not selected for examination when Commerce limits its examination in an administrative review pursuant to section 777A(c)(2) of the Act. Generally, Commerce looks to section 735(c)(5) of the Act, which provides instructions for calculating the all-others rate in a market economy investigation, for guidance when calculating the rate for companies which were not selected for individual examination in an administrative review. Under section 735(c)(5)(A) of the Act, the all-others rate is normally an amount equal to the weighted average of the estimated weighted-average dumping margins established for exporters and producers individually investigated, excluding any zero or de minimis margins, and any margins determined entirely on the basis of facts available. Where the rates for individually investigated companies are all zero or de minimis, or determined entirely using facts otherwise available, section 735(c)(5)(B) of the Act instructs Commerce to rely on “any reasonable method to establish the estimated all-others rate for exporters and producers not individually investigated, including averaging the estimated weighted-average dumping margins determined for exporters and producers individually investigated.”

In this review, Commerce has preliminarily determined to apply adverse facts available (AFA) to the Venus Group, pursuant to section 776 of the Act, and assign it a 30.92 percent dumping margin, and calculated an estimated weighted-average dumping margin for Laxcon, and its affiliates, Ocean Steels Private Limited, Metlax International Private Limited, Parvati Private Limited, and Mega Steels Private Limited, and Meltroll Engineering Pvt. Ltd of 0.00 percent. Thus, we are preliminarily applying to the non-examined companies, Aamor Inox Limited, Bhansali Bright Bars Pvt. Ltd., Chandan Steel Limited, Mangalam Alloys Limited, and Welspun Specialty Solutions, Ltd., the rate of 15.46 percent, which is the simple average of the rate we preliminarily calculated for Laxcon and the dumping margin we preliminarily assigned to the Venus Group, determined entirely under section 776 of the Act.^[11]

Preliminary Results of Review

We preliminarily determine that the following weighted-average dumping margins exist for the period February 1, 2024, through January 31, 2025:

Disclosure

Commerce intends to disclose its calculations and analysis performed to interested parties in these preliminary results within five days of any public announcement or, if there is no public announcement, within five days of the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register , in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).

Public Comment

Interested parties will be provided an opportunity to submit written comments ( i.e., case briefs) at a date to be determined by Commerce, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.309(c) Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in the case briefs, may be filed not later than five days after the date for filing case briefs.^[14] Interested parties who submit case or rebuttal briefs in this proceeding must submit: (1) a table of contents listing each issue; and (2) a table of authorities.^[15]

As provided under 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2)(iii) and (d)(2)(iii), we request that interested parties provide at the beginning of their briefs a public, executive summary for each issue raised in their briefs.^[16] Further, we request that interested parties limit their executive ( printed page 27011) summary of each issue to no more than 450 words, not including citations. We intend to use the executive summaries as the basis of the comment summaries included in the issues and decision memorandum that will accompany the final results in this administrative review. We request that interested parties include footnotes for relevant citations in the executive summary of each issue. Note that Commerce has amended certain of its requirements pertaining to the service of documents in 19 CFR 351.303(f).^[17]

Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), interested parties who wish to request a hearing must submit a written request to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, filed electronically via ACCESS. Requests should contain: (1) the party's name, address, and telephone number; (2) the number of participants and whether any participant is a foreign national; and (3) a list of issues to be discussed. Issues raised in the hearing will be limited to those raised in the respective briefs. If a request for a hearing is made, parties will be notified of the time and date for the hearing.^[18] Parties should confirm by telephone the date, time, and location of the hearing two days before the scheduled date.

All submissions, including case and rebuttal briefs, as well as hearing requests, must be filed via ACCESS.^[19] An electronically filed document must be received successfully in its entirety in ACCESS by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the established deadline. Note that Commerce has amended certain of its requirements pertaining to the service of documents in 19 CFR 351.303(f).^[20]

Assessment Rates

Upon issuance of the final results, Commerce shall determine, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shall assess, antidumping duties on all appropriate entries covered by this review.^[21] If a respondent's weighted-average dumping margin is above de minimis in the final results of this review, we will calculate an importer-specific assessment rate based on the ratio of the total amount of dumping calculated for each importer's examined sales and the total entered value of the sales in accordance with 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1).^[22] If a respondent's weighted-average dumping margin or an importer-specific assessment rate is zero or de minimis in the final results of review, we will instruct CBP to liquidate the appropriate entries without regard to antidumping duties in accordance with the Final Modification for Reviews.^[23]

For entries of subject merchandise during the POR produced by the Venus Group or Laxcon for which they did not know their merchandise was destined for the United States, we will instruct CBP to liquidate unreviewed entries at the all-others rate if there is no rate for the intermediate company(ies) involved in the transaction.

For the company for which this review is rescinded with these preliminary results, we will instruct CBP to assess antidumping duties on all appropriate entries at a rate equal to the cash deposit of antidumping duties required at the time of entry, or withdrawal from warehouse, for consumption, during the POR in accordance with 19 CFR 351.212(c)(1)(i). Commerce intends to issue these rescission instructions to CBP no earlier than 35 days after the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register .

The final results of this administrative review shall be the basis for the assessment of antidumping duties on entries of merchandise under review and for future deposits of estimated duties, where applicable.

We intend to issue assessment instructions to CBP no earlier than 35 days after the date of publication of the final results of this review in the Federal Register . If a timely summons is filed at the U.S. Court of International Trade, the assessment instructions will direct CBP not to liquidate relevant entries until the time for parties to file a request for a statutory injunction has expired ( i.e., within 90 days of publication).

Cash Deposit Requirements

The following cash deposit requirements for estimated antidumping duties will be effective upon publication of the notice of final results of this review for all shipments of stainless steel bar from India entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of publication as provided by section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act: (1) the cash deposit rate for the companies listed above will be established in the final results of this review, except if the rate is less than 0.50 percent and, therefore, de minimis within the meaning of 19 CFR 351.106(c)(1), in which case the cash deposit rate will be zero; (2) for merchandise exported by companies not covered in this review but covered in a prior segment of this proceeding, the cash deposit rate will continue to be the company-specific rate published for the most recent period; (3) if the exporter is not a firm covered in this review, a prior review, or the original less-than-fair-value (LTFV) investigation but the producer is, the cash deposit rate will be the rate established for the most recently completed segment for the producer of the merchandise; (4) the cash deposit rate for all other producers or exporters will continue to be the 12.45 percent, the all-others rate established in the LTFV investigation.^[24] These cash deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until further notice.

Final Results of Review

Unless otherwise extended, Commerce intends to issue the final results of this administrative review, including the results of its analysis of issues raised in written briefs, no later than 120 days after the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register , pursuant to 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.213(h)(1).

Notification to Importers

This notice serves as a preliminary reminder to importers of their responsibility under 19 CFR 351.402(f)(2) to file a certificate regarding the reimbursement of antidumping duties prior to liquidation of the relevant entries during this POR. Failure to comply with this requirement could result in Commerce's presumption that reimbursement of antidumping duties occurred and the subsequent assessment of double antidumping duties.

Notification to Interested Parties

Commerce is issuing and publishing these preliminary results in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.221(b)(4).

Appendix

List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum

I. Summary

II. Background

III. Scope of the Order

IV. Affiliation and Collapsing

V. Application of Facts Available and Use of Adverse Inference

VI. Rate for Non-Examined Companies

VII. Discussion of the Methodology

VIII. Currency Conversion

IX. Recommendation

91 FR 27009