19-4-4012 Foreign producers' questionnaire

OMB No. 3117-0016/USITC No. 19-4-4012; Expiration Date: 6/30/2020
(No response is required if currently valid OMB control number is not displayed)

FOREIGN PRODUCERS’/EXPORTERS’ QUESTIONNAIRE
CARBON AND ALLOY STEEL THREADED ROD
This questionnaire must be received by the Commission by March 7, 2019
See last page for filing instructions.
The information called for in this questionnaire is for use by the United States International Trade Commission in
connection with its countervailing and antidumping duty investigations concerning carbon and alloy steel
threaded rod (“threaded rod”) from China, India, Taiwan, and Thailand (Inv. Nos. 701-TA-618-619 and 731-TA1441-1444 (Preliminary)). The information requested in the questionnaire is requested under the authority of
the Tariff Act of 1930, title VII.

Name of firm
Address
Website
Has your firm produced or exported threaded rod (as defined on next page) at any time since January 1, 2016?

NO

(Sign the certification below and promptly return only this page of the questionnaire to the Commission)

YES

(Complete all parts of the questionnaire, and return the entire questionnaire to the Commission)

Data reported in this questionnaire relate to (Check one):
China

India

Taiwan

Thailand

Return questionnaire via the Commission Drop Box by clicking on the following link:
https://dropbox.usitc.gov/oinv/. (PIN: TROD)
CERTIFICATION
I certify that the information herein supplied in response to this questionnaire is complete and correct to the best of my
knowledge and belief and understand that the information submitted is subject to audit and verification by the Commission. By
means of this certification I also grant consent for the Commission, and its employees and contract personnel, to use the
information provided in this questionnaire and throughout this proceeding in any other import-injury proceedings conducted by
the Commission on the same or similar merchandise.
I, the undersigned, acknowledge that information submitted in response to this request for information and throughout this
proceeding or other proceedings may be disclosed to and used: (i) by the Commission, its employees and Offices, and contract
personnel (a) for developing or maintaining the records of this or a related proceeding, or (b) in internal investigations, audits,
reviews, and evaluations relating to the programs, personnel, and operations of the Commission including under 5 U.S.C.
Appendix 3; or (ii) by U.S. government employees and contract personnel, solely for cybersecurity purposes. I understand that all
contract personnel will sign appropriate nondisclosure agreements.
Name of Authorized Official

Title of Authorized Official

Date

Signature

Phone

Email address

Business Proprietary
Foreign Producers’ Questionnaire – Threaded Rod

Page 2

PART I.—GENERAL INFORMATION
Background.--This proceeding was instituted in response to petitions filed on February 21, 2019, by
Vulcan Steel Products Inc., Pelham, Alabama. Countervailing and antidumping duties may be assessed
on the subject imports as a result of these proceedings if the Commission makes an affirmative
determination of injury, threat, or material retardation, and if the U.S. Department of Commerce
(“Commerce”) makes an affirmative determination of subsidization and/or dumping. Questionnaires
and other information pertinent to this proceeding are available at
https://www.usitc.gov/investigations/701731/2019/carbon_and_alloy_steel_threaded_rod_china_india
/preliminary.htm
Threaded rod covered by these investigations is carbon and alloy steel threaded rod. Steel threaded rod
is certain threaded rod, bar, or studs, of carbon or alloy steel, having a solid, circular cross section of any
diameter, in any straight length. Steel threaded rod is normally drawn, cold-rolled, threaded, and
straightened, or it may be hot-rolled. In addition, the steel threaded rod, bar, or studs subject to these
investigations are non-headed and threaded along greater than 25 percent of their total actual length. A
variety of finishes or coatings, such as plain oil finish as a temporary rust protectant, zinc coating (i.e.,
galvanized, whether by electroplating or hot-dipping), paint, and other similar finishes and coatings, may
be applied to the merchandise.
Steel threaded rod is normally produced to American Society for Testing and Materials
(“ASTM”) specifications ASTM A36, ASTM A193 B7/B7m, ASTM A193 B16, ASTM A307, ASTM A320
L7/L7M, ASTM A320 L43, ASTM A354 BC and BD, ASTM A449, ASTM F1554-36, ASTM F1554-55, ASTM
F1554 Grade 105, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (“ASME”) specification ASME B18.31.3, and
American Petroleum Institute (“API”) specification API 20E. All steel threaded rod meeting the physical
description set forth above is covered by the scope of these investigations, whether or not produced
according to a particular standard.
Subject merchandise includes material matching the above description that has been finished,
assembled, or packaged in a third country, including by cutting, chamfering, coating, or painting the
threaded rod, by attaching the threaded rod to, or packaging it with, another product, or any other
finishing, assembly, or packaging operation that would not otherwise remove the merchandise from the
scope of the investigation if performed in the country of manufacture of the threaded rod.
Carbon and alloy steel threaded rod are also included in the scope of this investigation whether or not
imported attached to, or in conjunction with, other parts and accessories such as nuts and washers. If
carbon and alloy steel threaded rod are imported attached to, or in conjunction with, such non-subject
merchandise, only the threaded rod is included in the scope.
Excluded from the scope of these investigations are: (1) threaded rod, bar, or studs which are threaded
only on one or both ends and the threading covers 25 percent or less of the total actual length; and (2)
stainless steel threaded rod, defined as steel threaded rod containing, by weight, 1.2 percent or less of
carbon and 10.5 percent or more of chromium, with or without other elements.
Excluded from the scope of the antidumping investigation on steel threaded rod from the People’s
Republic of China is any merchandise covered by the existing antidumping order on Certain Steel
Threaded Rod from the People’s Republic of China. See Certain Steel Threaded Rod from the People’s
Republic of China: Notice of Antidumping Duty Order, 74 Fed. Reg. 17,154 (Dep’t Commerce Apr. 14,
2009).

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Foreign Producers’ Questionnaire – Threaded Rod

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Steel threaded rod is currently imported under statistical reporting numbers 7318.15.5051,
7318.15.5056, and 7318.15.5090 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (“HTSUS”).
Subject merchandise may also be imported under statistical reporting numbers 7318.15.2095 and
7318.19.0000 of the HTSUS. The HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and U.S. Customs
purposes only. The written description of the scope is dispositive.
Reporting of information.-- If information is not readily available from your records, provide carefully
prepared estimates. If your firm is completing more than one questionnaire (i.e., a producer, importer,
purchaser and/or foreign producer questionnaire), you need not respond to duplicated questions.
Confidentiality.--The commercial and financial data furnished in response to this questionnaire that
reveal the individual operations of your firm will be treated as confidential by the Commission to the
extent that such data are not otherwise available to the public and will not be disclosed except as may
be required by law (see 19 U.S.C. §1677f). Such confidential information will not be published in a
manner that will reveal the individual operations of your firm; however, general characterizations of
numerical business proprietary information (such as discussion of trends) will be treated as confidential
business information only at the request of the submitter for good cause shown.
Verification.--The information submitted in this questionnaire is subject to audit and verification by the
Commission. To facilitate possible verification of data, please keep all files, worksheets, and supporting
documents used in the preparation of the questionnaire response. Please also retain a copy of the final
document that you submit.
Release of information.--The information provided by your firm in response to this questionnaire, as
well as any other business proprietary information submitted by your firm to the Commission in
connection with this proceeding, may become subject to, and released under, the administrative
protective order provisions of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. § 1677f) and section 207.7 of the
Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR § 207.7). This means that certain lawyers and
other authorized individuals may temporarily be given access to the information for use in connection
with this proceeding or other import-injury proceedings conducted by the Commission on the same or
similar merchandise; those individuals would be subject to severe penalties if the information were
divulged to unauthorized individuals.
Valid number error messages.--If you are completing this form in a country that uses periods (“.”) to
delineate multiples of 1000 (e.g., one million would appear as $1.000.000 rather than $1,000,000), you
may be unable to enter in numbers greater than 999 in numeric form fields. The solution to this data
entry issue is to temporarily change your operating system’s number formatting to be consistent with
the U.S. number formatting system while you complete this form. Detailed instructions on how to
resolve this issue is provided at the end of this questionnaire and is available upon request from Keysha
Martinez (202-205-2136, [email protected]).

Business Proprietary
Foreign Producers’ Questionnaire – Threaded Rod
I-1.

Page 4

OMB statistics.--Please report below the actual number of hours required and the cost to your
firm of completing this questionnaire
Hours

Dollars

The questions in this questionnaire have been reviewed with market participants to ensure that
issues of concern are adequately addressed and that data requests are sufficient, meaningful,
and as limited as possible. Public reporting burden for this questionnaire is estimated to average
20 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering data, and
completing and reviewing the questionnaire.
We welcome comments regarding the accuracy of this burden estimate, suggestions for
reducing the burden, and any suggestions for improving this questionnaire. Please attach such
comments to your response or send to the Office of Investigations, USITC, 500 E St. SW,
Washington, DC 20436.
I-2.

Establishments covered.--Provide the name and address of establishment(s) covered by this
questionnaire. If your firm is publicly traded, please specify the stock exchange and trading
symbol.
“Establishment”-- Each facility of a firm in China, India, Taiwan, or Thailand involved in the
production or export of threaded rod, including auxiliary facilities operated in conjunction with
(whether or not physically separate from) such facilities. Firms operating more than one
establishment in China, India, Taiwan, or Thailand should combine the data for all
establishments into a single report.

I-3.

Related producers.--Does your firm or any related firm produce, have the capability to produce,
or have any plans to produce threaded rod in the United States or other countries?

No

I-4.

Yes

If yes, please name the firm(s) and country(ies) below and, if U.S.
producer(s), ensure that they complete the Commission’s producer
questionnaire.

Related U.S. importers.--Does your firm or any related firm import or have any plans to import
threaded rod into the United States?

No

Yes

If yes, please name the firm(s) below and ensure that they complete the
Commission’s importer questionnaire.

Business Proprietary
Foreign Producers’ Questionnaire – Threaded Rod
I-5.

U.S. importers.--Please provide the names, contacts, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses
of the FIVE largest U.S. importers of your firm’s threaded rod in 2018.

Importer’s name
1
2
3
4
5

Page 5

Contact person

Email

Telephone

Share of your
firm’s 2018 U.S.
exports (%)

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Foreign Producers’ Questionnaire – Threaded Rod

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PART II.--TRADE AND RELATED INFORMATION
Further information on this part of the questionnaire can be obtained from Keysha Martinez (202-2052136, [email protected]). Supply all data requested on a calendar-year basis.
II-1.

Contact information.--Please identify the responsible individual and the manner by which
Commission staff may contact that individual regarding the confidential information submitted
in part II.
Name
Title
Email
Telephone
Fax

II-2a.

Changes in operations.--Please indicate whether your firm has experienced any of the following
changes in relation to the production of threaded rod since January 1, 2016.
(check as many as appropriate)
plant openings
plant closings
relocations
expansions
acquisitions
consolidations
prolonged shutdowns or
production curtailments
revised labor agreements
other (e.g., technology)

(If checked, please describe; leave blank if not applicable)

Business Proprietary
Foreign Producers’ Questionnaire – Threaded Rod
II-2b.

Anticipated changes in operations.--Does your firm anticipate any changes in the character of
its operations or organization (as noted above) relating to the production of threaded rod in the
future?

No

II-3a.

Page 7

Yes

If yes, supply details as to the time, nature, and significance of such
changes and provide underlying assumptions.

Production using same machinery.-- Please report your firm’s production of products using the
same equipment, machinery, or employees as used to produce threaded rod, and the combined
production capacity on this shared equipment, machinery, or employees in the periods
indicated.
“Overall production capacity” or “capacity” –The level of production that your
establishment(s) could reasonably have expected to attain during the specified periods for all
products manufactured in that establishment using the same manufacturing equipment.
Assume normal operating conditions (i.e., using equipment and machinery in place and ready to
operate; normal operating levels (hours per week/weeks per year) and time for downtime,
maintenance, repair, and cleanup).
Note.--If your firm does not produce any out-of-scope merchandise on the same machinery and
equipment as scope merchandise then the "overall production capacity" numbers reported in
this question should be exactly equal to the "average production capacity" numbers reported in
question II-8. If, however, your firm does produce out-of-scope merchandise using the same
machinery and equipment as scope mercandhise, then the "average production capacity"
reported in question II-8 should exclude the portion of "overall production capacity" that was
used to produce this out-of-scope merchandise.
“Production” --All production in your establishment(s) in China, India, Taiwan, or Thailand,
including production consumed internally within your firm.
Quantity (in 1,000 pounds)
Calendar years
Item

2016

2017

2018

Overall production capacity
Production of:
Threaded rod 1
Other products
Total
1
2

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

Data entered for production of threaded rod will populate here once reported in question II-8.
Please identify these products:
.

Business Proprietary
Foreign Producers’ Questionnaire – Threaded Rod
II-3b.

Page 8

Operating parameters.--The production capacity reported in II-3a is based on the following
operating paramaters:
Hours per week

Weeks per year

II-3c.

Capacity calculation.--Please describe the methodology used to calculate overall production
capacity reported in II-4a, and explain any changes in reported capacity.

II-3d.

Production constraints.--Please describe the constraint(s) that set the limit(s) on your firm’s
production capacity.

II-3e.

Product shifting.—
(i).

Is your firm able to switch production (capacity) between threaded rod and other products
using the same equipment and/or labor?

No

(ii).

Yes

If yes—(i.e., have produced other products or are able to produce other
products) Please identify other actual or potential products.

Please describe the factors that affect your firm’s ability to shift production capacity
between products (e.g., time, cost, relative price change, etc.), and the degree to which
these factors enhance or constrain such shifts.

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Foreign Producers’ Questionnaire – Threaded Rod

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II-4.

Share of sales.--What percentage of your firm’s total sales in its most recent fiscal year was
represented by sales of threaded rod?
percent.

II-5.

Firm's estimated share of production in China, India, Taiwan, or Thailand.--Please estimate the
percentage of total production of threaded rod in the country specified on the certification page
accounted for by your firm’s production in 2018.
percent.

II-6.

Firm's estimated share of country's exports.--Please estimate the percentage of total exports to
the United States of threaded rod from the country specified on the certification page
accounted for by your firm’s exports in 2018.
percent.

II-7.

Third country trade actions.--Is the threaded rod exported by your firm subject to
antidumping/countervailing duty/safeguard findings, remedies, or proceedings?

No

Yes

If yes--List the products(s), countries affected, and the date of such
findings/remedies/proceedings.

Business Proprietary
Foreign Producers’ Questionnaire – Threaded Rod
II-8.

Page 10

Trade data.--Report your firm’s production capacity, production, shipments, and inventories
related to the production of threaded rod in your establishment(s) in China, India, Taiwan, or
Thailand during the specified periods. Do not include resales of threaded rod that your firm did
not produce in this question; those data to the degree they are exported to the United States
should only be reported in question II-9.
Do not submit data by manufacturing facility if they are in the same country. If your firm has
multiple manufacturing establishments within one country, you are required to combine data
for those establishments within one foreign producer questionnaire response.
Do not submit data on multiple countries combined. The establishments reported here should
all be located in the country of the firm’s address reported on the certification page.
Multinational companies with production in multiple subject countries should submit separate
foreign producer questionnaire responses for each subject country.
“Average production capacity” or “capacity” –The level of production that your
establishment(s) could reasonably have expected to attain during the specified periods for all
products manufactured in that establishment using the same manufacturing equipment.
Assume normal operating conditions (i.e., using equipment and machinery in place and ready to
operate; normal operating levels (hours per week/weeks per year) and time for downtime,
maintenance, repair, and cleanup; and a typical or representative product mix).
“Production” --All production in your establishment(s) in China, India, Taiwan, or Thailand,
including production consumed internally within your firm.
“Shipments”--Shipments of products produced in your establishment(s) in China, India, Taiwan,
or Thailand. Quantities
reported should be net of returns.
“Home market commercial shipments”--Shipments, other than internal consumption and
transfers to related firms, within China, India, Taiwan, or Thailand.
“Home market internal consumption/transfers to related firms”--Shipments made to
related firms in China, India, Taiwan, or Thailand, including product consumed internally by your
firm.
“Export shipments”--Shipments to destinations outstide of the country indicacted on page 1
(China, India, Taiwan, or Thailand), including shipments to related firms.
“Inventories”--Finished goods inventory, not raw materials or work-in-progress.
Note: As requested in Part I of this questionnaire, please keep all supporting documents/records
used in the preparation of the trade data, as Commission staff may contact your firm regarding
questions on the trade data. The Commission may also request that your company submit copies
of the supporting documents/records (such as production and sales schedules, inventory records,
etc.) used to compile these data.

Business Proprietary
Foreign Producers’ Questionnaire – Threaded Rod
II-8.

Page 11

Trade data.--Continued.
Quantity (in 1,000 pounds)

Item

Actual experience

Projections1

Calendar year

Calendar year

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2

Average production capacity (A)
Beginning-of-period inventories
(B)
Production (C)
Home market shipments:
Internal consumption/
transfers (D)
Commercial shipments (E)
Exports to the United States (F)
Exports to all other markets3 (G)
Total exports (H)
(should equal F+G)

0

0

0

0

0

Total shipments (I)
(should equal D+E+F+G)

0

0

0

0

0

End-of-period inventories (J)
1

Please explain the basis for your firm’s projections.
.
The production capacity reported is based on operating
hours per week,
weeks per
year. Please describe the methodology used to calculate production capacity, and explain any changes
in reported capacity.
.
3
Identify principal other export markets.
.
2

RECONCILIATION OF SHIPMENTS, PRODUCTION, AND INVENTORY.--Generally, the data reported for the
end-of-period inventories (i.e., line J) should be equal to the beginning-of-period inventories (i.e., line B),
plus production (i.e., line C), less total shipments (i.e., lines D, E, F, and G). Please ensure that any
differences are not due to data entry errors in completing this form, but rather actually reflect your firm’s
records; and also provide any likely explanations for any differences (e.g., theft, loss, damage, record
systems issues, etc.) if they exist.

Item

2016

Actual experience

Projections

Calendar year

Calendar year

2017

2018

2019

2020

B + C – D – E – F –G – J = should
equal zero ("0") or provide an
explanation.1
0
0
0
0
1
Explanation if the calculated fields above are returning values other than zero (i.e., “0”) but are
nonetheless accurate:

0

Business Proprietary
Foreign Producers’ Questionnaire – Threaded Rod
II-9.

Page 12

Exports to the United States not produced by your firm.--Report your firm’s exports to the
United States of threaded rod that was produced in China, India, Taiwan, or Thailand but not by
your firm during the specified periods. Note these data should not be included in question II-8.
Quantity (in 1,000 pounds)

Item

2016

Actual experience

Projections

Calendar year

Calendar year

2017

2018

2019

2020

Exports of threaded rod to
the United States not
produced by your firm1
1

List the producer(s).

II-10.

Other explanations.--If your firm would like to further explain a response to a question in Part II
for which a narrative box was not provided, please note the question number and the
explanation in the space provided below. Please also use this space to highlight any issues your
firm had in providing the data in this section, including but not limited to technical issues with
the MS Word questionnaire.

Business Proprietary
Foreign Producers’ Questionnaire – Threaded Rod

Page 13

Correcting Valid number error messages.--If you are completing a Commission

questionnaire in a country that uses periods (“.”) to delineate multiples of 1000 (e.g., one million would
appear as $1.000.000 instead of as $1,000,000), you may be unable to enter in numbers greater than
999 in numeric form fields. This issues stem from your computer number formatting setting (e.g., not
the MS Word document itself, but the computer from which you are opening up the document). In the
United States commas (,) delineate multiples of 1000 and periods (.) delineate fractions less than one.
Many EU countries use the reverse where multiples of 1000 are delineated with periods (.) and
fractions less than one are delineated with commas (,). The US International Trade Commission’s
questionnaires are set-up in the United States with the U.S. number formatting. When this formatting
interacts with a computer set to EU number formatting, we believe this may cause this issue.
The solution to this data entry issue is to temporarily change your operating system’s number
formatting to be consistent with the U.S. number formatting system while you complete the
questionnaire.
To temporarily change your computer’s number settings to U.S. settings, please do the following (for
Microsoft Windows Operating system):






START
Control Panel
Region and Language (under Clock, Language, and Region category)
Format tab
Change the Format from your existing one (e.g. “Italian (Italy)”) to “English (United States)” (see
screen shots below)

When you do this the number “twelve million dollars and thirty five cents” would change from
$12.000.000,35 (Italy format) to $12,000,000.35 (U.S. format), and then there will be no conflict with
the USITC foreign producer questionnaire form. When you finish reporting the data then you can close
the questionnaire and switch back to Italy settings.

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Foreign Producers’ Questionnaire – Threaded Rod

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HOW TO FILE YOUR QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSE
This questionnaire is available as a “fillable” form in MS Word format on the
Commission’s website at:
https://www.usitc.gov/investigations/701731/2019/carbon_and_alloy_steel_threaded_
rod_china_india/preliminary.htm
Please do not attempt to modify the format or permissions of the questionnaire
document. Please submit the completed questionnaire using one of the methods noted
below. If your firm is unable to complete the MS Word questionnaire or cannot use one
of the electronic methods of submission, please contact the Commission for further
instructions.
• Upload via Secure Drop Box.—Upload the MS Word questionnaire along with a scanned copy of the
signed certification page (page 1) through the Commission’s secure upload facility:
Web address: https://dropbox.usitc.gov/oinv/

Pin: TROD

• E-mail.—E-mail your questionnaire to [email protected]; include a scanned copy of the
signed certification page (page 1). Submitters are strongly encouraged to encrypt nonpublic documents
that are electronically transmitted to the Commission to protect your sensitive information from
unauthorized disclosure. The USITC secure drop-box system and the Electronic Document Information
System (EDIS) use Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 cryptographic algorithms to
encrypt data in transit. Submitting your nonpublic documents by a means that does not use these
encryption algorithms (such as by email) may subject your firm’s nonpublic information to unauthorized
disclosure during transmission. If you choose a non-encrypted method of electronic transmission, the
Commission warns you that the risk of such possible unauthorized disclosure is assumed by you and not
by the Commission.
If your firm did not produce or export this product, please fill out page 1, print, sign, and submit a
scanned copy to the Commission.
Parties to this proceeding.—If your firm is a party to this proceeding, you are required to serve a copy of
the completed questionnaire on parties to the proceeding that are subject to administrative protective
order (see 19 CFR § 207.7). A list of such parties may be obtained from the Commission’s Secretary (202205-1803). A certificate of service must accompany the completed questionnaire you submit (see 19 CFR
§ 207.7). Service of the questionnaire must be made in paper form.