MESSAGE NO: 9190116 DATE: 07 09 1999
CATEGORY: CVD TYPE: INI
REFERENCE: REFERENCE DATE:
CASES: C - 427 - 817 C - 533 - 818
C - 560 - 806 C - 475 - 827
C - 580 - 837 - -

PERIOD COVERED: 03 16 1999 TO

LIQ SUSPENSION DATE:

TO: DIRECTORS OF FIELD OPERATIONS
PORT DIRECTORS

FROM: DIRECTOR, TRADE ENFORCEMENT & CONTROL

RE: INITIATION OF COUTERVAILING DUTY INVESTIGATIONS OF
CERTAIN CUT-TO-LENGTH QUALITY STEEL PLATE FROM
FRANCE, INDIA, INDONESIA, ITALY AND REPUBLIC OF KOREA

1. ON MARCH 16, 1999, THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE PUBLISHED IN
THE FEDERAL REGISTER ITS INITIATION OF CVD INVESTIGATIONS OF
CERTAIN CUT-TO-LENGTH CARBON-QUALITY STEEL PLATE FROM THE
AFOREMENTIONED COUNTRIES.

2. SCOPE OF INVESTIGATIONS

THE PRODUCTS COVERED BY THIS SCOPE ARE CERTAIN HOT-ROLLED
CARBON-QUALITY STEEL: (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 NOMINAL OR ACTUAL THICKNESS OF NOT LESS
THAN 4 MM, WHICH ARE CUT-TO-LENGTH (NOT IN COILS) AND
WITHOUT PATTERNS IN RELIEF), OF IRON OR NON-ALLOY-QUALITY
STEEL; AND (2) FLAT-ROLLED PRODUCTS, HOT-ROLLED, OF A
NOMINAL OR ACTUAL 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 CUT-TO-LENGTH (NOT IN
COILS).

STEEL PRODUCTS TO BE INCLUDED IN THIS SCOPE ARE OF
RECTANGULAR, SQUARE, CIRCULAR OR OTHER SHAPE AND OF
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") -- FOR EXAMPLE, RODUCTS WHICH HAVE BEEN BEVELED
OR ROUNDED A THE EDGES. STEEL PRODUCTS THAT MEET THE NOTED
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS THAT ARE PAINTED VARNISHED OR
COATED WITH PLASTIC OR OTHER NON-METALLIC
SUBSTANCES ARE INCLUDED WITHIN THIS SCOPE. ALSO,
SPECIFICALLY INCLUDED IN THIS SCOPE ARE HIGH STRENGTH,
LOW ALLOY (HSLA) STEELS. HSLA STEELS ARE RECOGNIZED AS
STEELS WITH MICRO-ALLOYING LEVELS OF ELEMENTS SUCH AS
CHROMIUM, COPPER, NIOBIUM, TITANIUM, VANADIUM,
AND MOLYBDENUM.

STEEL PRODUCTS TO BE INCLUDED IN THIS SCOPE, REGARDLESS OF
HARMONIZED TARIFF SCHEDULE OF THE UNITED STATES (HTSUS)
DEFINITIONS, ARE PRODUCTS IN WHICH: (1) IRON PREDOMINATES,
BY WEIGHT, OVER EACH OF THE OTHER CONTAINED ELEMENTS, (2)
THE CARBON CONTENT IS TWO PERCENT OR LESS, BY WEIGHT, AND
THE (3) NONE OF THE ELEMENTS LISTED BELOW IS EQUAL TO
OR EXCEEDS QUANTITY, BY WEIGHT, RESPECTIVELY,
INDICATED:
1.80 PERCENT OF MANGANESE, OR
1.50 PERCENT OF SELICON, OR
1.00 PERCENT OF COOPER, OR
0.50 PERCENT OF ALUMINUM, OR
1.25 PERCENT OF CHROMIUM, or
0.30 PERCENT OF COBALT, OR
0.40 PERCENT OF LEAD, OR
1.25 PERCENT OF NICKEL, OR
0.30 PERCENT OF TUNGSTEN, OR
0.10 PERCENT OF MOLYBDENUM, OR
0.10 PERCENT OF NIOBIUM, OR
0.41 PERCENT OF TITANIUM, OR
0.15 PERCENT OF VANADIUM, OR
0.15 PERCENT ZIRCONIUM.

ALL PRODUCTS THAT MEET THE WRITTEN PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION, AND
IN WHICH THE CHEMISTRY QUANTITIES DO NOT EQUAL OR EXCEED
ANY ONE OF THE LEVELS LISTED ABOVE, ARE WITHIN THE SCOPE OF
THESE INVESTIGATIONS UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFICALLY EXCLUDED.
THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS ARE SPECIFICALLY EXCLUDED FROM THESE
INVESTIGATIONS: (1) PRODUCTS CLAD, PLATED, OR COATED WITH
METAL, WHETHER OR NOT PAINTED, VARNISHED OR COATED WITH
PLASTIC OR OTHER NON-METALLIC SUBSTANCES; (2) SAE GRADES
(FORMERLY AISI GRADES) OF SERIES 2300 AND ABOVE; (3)
PRODUCTS MADE TO ASTM A710 AND A736 OR THEIR PROPRIETARY
EQUIVALENTS; (4) ABRASION-RESISTANT STEELS (I.E., USS AR
400, USS AR 500); (5) PRODUCTS MADE TO ASTM A202, A225, A514
GRADE S, A517 GRADE S, OR THEIR PROPRIETARY EQUIVALENTS; (6)
BALL BEARING STEELS; (7) TOOL STEELS; AND (8) SILICON
MANGANESE STEEL OR SILICON ELECTRIC STEEL.

THE MERCHANDISE SUBJECT TO THESE INVESTIGATIONS IS
CLASSIFIED IN THE HTSUS UNDER SUBHEADINGS:

7208.40.3030, 7208.40.3060, 7208.51.0030, 7208.51.0045,
7208.51.0060, 7208.52.0000, 7208.53.0000, 7208.90.0000,
7210.70.3000, 7210.90.9000, 7211.13.0000, 7211.14.0030,
7211.14.0045, 7211.90.0000, 7212.40.1000, 7212.40.5000,
7212.50.0000, 7225.40.3050, 7225.40.7000, 7225.50.6000,
7225.99.0090, 7226.91.5000, 7226.91.7000, 7226.91.8000,
7226.99.0000.

ALTHOUGH THE HTSUS SUBHEADINGS ARE PROVIDED FOR CONVENIENCE
AND CUSTOMS PURPOSES, THE WRITTEN DESCRIPTION OF THE
MERCHANSIE UNDER INVESTIGATION IS DISPOSITIVE.

3. FOR OR FURTHER REPORTING PURPOSES THESE CASES HAVE BEEN
ASSIGNED THE FOLLOWING INVESTIGATION NUMBERS:

FRANCE C-427-817
INDIA C-533-818
INDONESIA C-560-806
ITALY C-475-827
REPUBLIC OF KOREA C-580-837

4. IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS MATTER BY CUSTOMS
OFFICERS, PLEASE CONTACT VIA E-MAIL, THROUGH THE APPROPRIATE
SUPERVISORY CHANNELS, OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCY LIAISON, USING
THE ATTRIBUTE "HQ OAB". THE IMPORTING PUBLIC AND OTHER
INTERESTED PARTIES SHOULD CONTACT THE CASE ANALYST IN CHARGE
LISTED BELOW) AT IMPORT ADMINISTRATION, INTERNATIONAL
TRADE ADMINISTRATION, U.S.DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, 14TH
STREET AND CONSTITUTION AVENUE, N.W. WASHINGTON, D.C.
20230.

FOR CVD: ERIC GREYNOLDS (FRANCE) AT (202) 482-6017; ROBERT
COPYAK (INDIA) AT (202) 482-2209; KATHLEEN LOCKARD
(INDONESIA) AT (202) 482-1168; KRISTEN JOHNSON
(ITALY) AT (202) 482-4406; STEPHANIE MOORE (THE
REPUBLIC OF KOREA AT (202) 482-3962.

5. THERE ARE NO RESTRICTIONS ON THE RELEASE OF THIS
INFORMATION.

PAUL SCHWARTZ