New AD/CV Duties Requested on Aluminum Extrusions From 14 More Countries, Exempt China Goods

The petitions seek new antidumping duties on aluminum extrusions from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. They also seek countervailing duties on subject products from Indonesia, Mexico and Turkey.

The petitions also seek additional AD/CVD orders on aluminum extrusions from China that would cover extrusions that are currently exempt from the existing AD/CVD orders on China, issued in 2011.

Filed by the U.S. Aluminum Extruders Coalition and the United Steelworkers labor union, the petitions come “in response to large and increasing volumes of unfairly priced imports of aluminum extrusions since 2019 that have injured American producers and workers, including thousands of USW workers in the industry,” according to a news release from law firm Wiley, which is representing the petitioners before Commerce and the ITC.

The scope requested by the new AD/CVD investigations is different from that of the existing AD/CVD orders on aluminum extrusions from China. It includes explicit language on aspects of the scope that were the subject of litigation since the AD/CVD orders on China were issued, including language addressing subassemblies and how fasteners are considered when determining whether aluminum extrusion components are subject to AD/CV duties.

The scope also specifically covers products that were the subject to scope disputes, and some that Commerce or the ITC had found excluded from the China AD/CVD orders. These include heat sinks, shower door kits, vehicle roof rails and sun/moon roof framing, solar panel racking rails and framing, tradeshow display fixtures and framing, parts for tents or clear span structures, fence posts, drapery rails or rods, electrical conduits, door thresholds, flooring trim, electric vehicle battery trays, heat sinks, signage or advertising poles, picture frames, telescoping poles and cleaning system components.

Proposed Scope

The petition proposes the following scope for the investigations:

"The merchandise subject to this investigation is aluminum extrusions, regardless of form, finishing, or fabrication, whether assembled with other parts or unassembled, whether coated, painted, anodized, or thermally improved. Aluminum extrusions are shapes and forms, produced by an extrusion process, made from aluminum alloys having metallic elements corresponding to the alloy series designations published by the Aluminum Association commencing with the numbers 1, 3, and 6 (or proprietary equivalents or other certifying body equivalents). Specifically, subject aluminum extrusions made from an aluminum alloy with an Aluminum Association series designation commencing with the number 1 contain not less than 99 percent aluminum by weight. Subject aluminum extrusions made from an aluminum alloy with an Aluminum Association series designation commencing with the number 3 contain manganese as the major alloying element, with manganese accounting for not more than 3.0 percent of total materials by weight. Subject aluminum extrusions made from an aluminum alloy with an Aluminum Association series designation commencing with the number 6 contain magnesium and silicon as the major alloying elements, with magnesium accounting for at least 0.1 percent but not more than 2.0 percent of total materials by weight, and silicon accounting for at least 0.1 percent but not more than 3.0 percent of total materials by weight. The scope also includes merchandise made from an aluminum alloy with an Aluminum Association series designation commencing with the number 5 (or proprietary equivalents or other certifying body equivalents) that have a magnesium content accounting for up to but not more than 2.0 percent of total materials by weight.

"The country of origin of the aluminum extrusion is determined by where the metal is extruded (i.e., pressed through a die).

"Aluminum extrusions are produced and imported in a wide variety of shapes and forms, including, but not limited to, hollow profiles, other solid profiles, pipes, tubes, bars, and rods. Aluminum extrusions that are drawn subsequent to extrusion (drawn aluminum) are also included in the scope.

"Subject aluminum extrusions are produced and imported with a variety of coatings and surface treatments, and types of fabrication. The types of coatings and treatments applied to aluminum extrusions include, but are not limited to, extrusions that are mill finished (i.e., without any coating or further finishing), brushed, buffed, polished, anodized (including brightdip), liquid painted, electroplated, chromate converted, powder coated, sublimated, wrapped, and/or bead blasted. Subject aluminum extrusions may also be fabricated, i.e., prepared for assembly, or thermally improved. Such operations would include, but are not limited to, extrusions that are cut-to-length, machined, drilled, punched, notched, bent, stretched, stretch-formed, hydroformed, knurled, swedged, mitered, chamfered, threaded, and spun. Performing such operations in third countries does not otherwise remove the merchandise from the scope of the investigation.

"The types of products that meet the definition of subject merchandise include but are not limited to, vehicle roof rails and sun/moon roof framing, solar panel racking rails and framing, tradeshow display fixtures and framing, parts for tents or clear span structures, fence posts, drapery rails or rods, electrical conduits, door thresholds, flooring trim, electric vehicle battery trays, heat sinks, signage or advertising poles, picture frames, telescoping poles, or cleaning system components. Heat sinks are included in the scope, regardless of whether the design and production of the heat sinks are organized around meeting specified thermal performance requirements and regardless of whether they have been tested to comply with such requirements.

"Merchandise that is comprised solely of aluminum extrusions or aluminum extrusions and fasteners, whether assembled at the time of importation or unassembled, is covered by the scope in its entirety.

"The scope also covers aluminum extrusions that are imported with non-extruded aluminum components beyond fasteners, whether assembled at the time of importation or unassembled, that are designed to be a part or subassembly of a larger product or system. Only the aluminum extrusion portion of the merchandise described in this paragraph, whether assembled or unassembled, is subject to duties. Examples of merchandise that is designed to be a part or subassembly of a larger product or system include, but are not limited to, window parts or subassemblies; door unit parts or subassemblies; shower and bath system parts or subassemblies; solar panel mounting systems; fenestration system parts or subassemblies, such as curtain wall and window wall units and parts or subassemblies of storefronts; furniture parts or subassemblies; appliance parts or subassemblies, such as fin evaporator coils and systems for refrigerators; railing or deck system parts or subassemblies; fence system parts or subassemblies; motor vehicle parts or subassemblies, such as bumpers for motor vehicles; trailer parts or subassemblies, such as side walls, flooring, and roofings; electric vehicle charging station parts or subassemblies; or signage or advertising system parts or subassemblies.

"The scope excludes assembled merchandise containing non-extruded aluminum components beyond fasteners that is not a part or subassembly of a larger product or system and that is used as imported, without undergoing after importation any processing, fabrication, finishing, or assembly or the addition of parts or material, regardless of whether the additional parts or material are interchangeable. Examples of such excluded assembled merchandise include windows with glass, door units with door panel and glass, motor vehicles, trailers, furniture, appliances, and solar panels.

"The scope also includes aluminum extrusions that have been further processed in a third country, including, but not limited to, the finishing and fabrication processes described above, assembly, whether with other aluminum extrusion components or with non-aluminum extrusion components, or any other processing that would not otherwise remove the merchandise from the scope if performed in the country of manufacture of the in-scope product. Third-country processing; finishing; and/or fabrication, including those processes described in the scope, does not alter the country of origin of the subject aluminum extrusions.

"The following aluminum extrusion products are excluded: aluminum extrusions made from an aluminum alloy with an Aluminum Association series designations commencing with the number 2 (or proprietary equivalents or other certifying body equivalents) and containing in excess of 1.5 percent copper by weight; aluminum extrusions made from an aluminum alloy with an Aluminum Association series designation commencing with the number 5 (or proprietary equivalents or other certifying body equivalents) and containing in excess of 2.0 percent magnesium by weight; and aluminum extrusions made from an aluminum alloy with an Aluminum Association series designation commencing with the number 7 (or proprietary equivalents or other certifying body equivalents) and containing in excess of 2.0 percent zinc by weight.

"The scope also excludes aluminum alloy sheet or plates produced by means other than the extrusion process, such as aluminum products produced by a method of continuous casting or rolling. Cast aluminum products are also excluded. The scope also excludes unwrought aluminum in any form.

"The scope also excludes collapsible tubular containers composed of metallic elements corresponding to alloy code 1080A as designated by the Aluminum Association where the tubular container (excluding the nozzle) meets each of the following dimensional characteristics: (1) length of 37 millimeters ("mm") or 62 mm, (2) outer diameter of 11.0 mm or 12.7 mm, and (3) wall thickness not exceeding 0.13 mm.

"Also excluded from the scope of these investigations is certain rectangular wire, imported in bulk rolls or precut strips and produced from continuously cast rolled aluminum wire rod, which is subsequently extruded to dimension to form rectangular wire with or without rounded edges. The product is made from aluminum alloy grade 1070 or 1370, with no recycled metal content allowed. The dimensions of the wire are 2.95 mm to 6.05 mm in width, and 0.65 mm to 1.25 mm in thickness. Imports of rectangular wire are provided for under HTSUS categories 7605.19.0000, 7604.29.1090, or 7616.99.5190.

"Also excluded from the scope of these investigations are all products covered by the scope of the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on Aluminum Extrusions from the People's Republic of China. See Aluminum Extrusions from the People's Republic of China: Antidumping Duty Order, 76 FR 30,650 (May 26, 2011); Aluminum Extrusions from the People's Republic of China: Countervailing Duty Order, 76 FR 30,653 (May 26, 2011).

"Imports of the subject merchandise are primarily provided for under the following categories of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS): 7604.10.1000; 7604.10.3000; 7604.10.5000; 7604.21.0010; 7604.21.0090; 7604.29.1010; 7604.29.1090; 7604.29.3060; 7604.29.3090; 7604.29.5050; 7604.29.5090; 7608.10.0030; 7608.10.0090; 7608.20.0030; 7608.20.0090; 7609.00.0000; 7610.10.0010; 7610.10.0020; 7610.10.0030; 7610.90.0040; and 7610.90.0080.

"Imports of the subject merchandise, including subject merchandise entered as parts of other products, may also be classifiable under the following additional HTSUS categories, as well as other HTSUS categories: 6603.90.8100; 7606.12.3091; 7606.12.3096; 7615.10.2015; 7615.10.2025; 7615.10.3015; 7615.10.3025; 7615.10.5020; 7615.10.5040; 7615.10.7125; 7615.10.7130; 7615.10.7155; 7615.10.7180; 7615.10.9100; 7615.20.0000; 7616.10.9090; 7616.99.1000; 7616.99.5130; 7616.99.5140; 7616.99.5190; 8302.10.3000; 8302.10.6030; 8302.10.6060; 8302.10.6090; 8302.20.0000; 8302.30.3010; 8302.30.3060; 8302.41.3000; 8302.41.6015; 8302.41.6045; 8302.41.6050; 8302.41.6080; 8302.42.3010; 8302.42.3015; 8302.42.3065; 8302.49.6035; 8302.49.6045; 8302.49.6055; 8302.49.6085; 8302.50.0000; 8302.60.9000; 8305.10.0050; 8306.30.0000; 8414.59.6590; 8415.90.8045; 8418.99.8005; 8418.99.8050; 8418.99.8060; 8419.50.5000; 8419.90.1000; 8422.90.0640; 8424.90.9080; 8473.30.2000; 8473.30.5100; 8479.89.9599; 8479.90.8500; 8479.90.9596; 8481.90.9060; 8481.90.9085; 8486.90.0000; 8487.90.0080; 8503.00.9520; 8508.70.0000; 8513.90.2000; 8515.90.2000; 8516.90.5000; 8516.90.8050; 8517.71.0000; 8517.79.0000; 8529.90.7300; 8529.90.9760; 8536.90.8585; 8538.10.0000; 8541.90.0000; 8543.90.8885; 8708.10.3050; 8708.29.5160; 8708.80.6590; 8708.99.6890; 8807.30.0060; 9013.90.7000; 9013.90.8000; 9013.90.9195; 9401.99.9081; 9403.10.0040; 9403.20.0086; 9403.91.0005; 9403.91.0010; 9403.91.0080; 9403.99.1040; 9403.99.1050; 9403.99.1085; 9403.99.2040; 9403.99.2080; 9403.99.3005; 9403.99.3010; 9403.99.3080; 9403.99.4004; 9403.99.4010; 9403.99.5010; 9403.99.4080; 9403.99.5005; 9403.99.5010; 9403.99.5080; 9403.99.9010; 9403.99.9015; 9403.99.9020; 9403.99.9040; 9403.99.9045; 9403.99.9051; 9403.99.9061; 9405.99.4020; 9506.11.4080; 9506.51.4000; 9506.51.6000; 9506.59.4040; 9506.70.2090; 9506.91.0010; 9506.91.0020; 9506.91.0030; 9506.99.0510; 9506.99.0520; 9506.99.0530; 9506.99.1500; 9506.99.2000; 9506.99.2580; 9506.99.2800; 9506.99.5500; 9506.99.6080; 9507.30.2000; 9507.30.4000; 9507.30.6000; 9507.30.8000; 9507.90.6000; and 9603.90.8050.

"While HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the scope is dispositive."

Commerce Accepting Comments on Petition Support

The Commerce Department is accepting comments on domestic industry support for the petitions to determine whether the petitions meet the dual requirements of support by domestic producers or workers accounting for (1) at least 25% of the total production of the domestic-like product and (2) more than 50% of the production of the domestic-like product produced by that portion of the industry expressing support for, or opposition to, the petition. If the petitions meet these requirements, among others, Commerce will initiate antidumping and countervailing duty investigations. Commerce has not yet set a due date for comments on industry support.