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AA Metals Engaged in AD/CVD Duty Evasion on Aluminum Sheet, CBP Finds

AA Metals Engaged in evasion of antidumping duty and countervailing duty orders on aluminum sheet from China by purchasing re-rolled sheet from Turkey, CBP said in a final determination dated March 21. The investigation, initiated in June 2020, followed a March 2020 allegation by Texarkana Aluminum that AA Metals was importing Chinese-origin aluminum sheet re-rolled by two Turkish companies, Teknik and PMS.

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Because the thickness of the sheets was very close to the maximum thickness covered by the scope of the orders, CBP referred the decision on scope to the Commerce Department. Commerce concluded that the scope of the orders required that both the aluminum sheet input exported from China to Turkey and the aluminum sheet further processed in Turkey and exported to the U.S. meet the physical description of the scope in order to be categorized as covered merchandise. The aluminum sheets re-rolled by PMS were covered by the scope of the orders but aluminum sheets re-rolled by Teknik were not because the aluminum sheet input exported from China to Turkey was thicker than that covered by the scope, Commerce said.

Given Commerce's findings, CBP concluded that AA Metals engaged in evasion of AD/CVD with respect to imports from PMS in Turkey. CBP will suspend the liquidation of all entries imported by AA Metals that have been manufactured by PMS subject to EAPA investigation 7469. For those entries previously extended in accordance with the interim measures, CBP will rate-adjust and change those entries to type 03 and continue suspension. For AA Metals’ entries that were manufactured by Teknik, CBP will reverse any actions taken with respect to those entries subject to the investigation. CBP also will evaluate AA Metals’ continuous bonds and may require single transaction bonds as appropriate.