20-3-4351 U.S. purchasers' questionnaire

OMB No. 3117-0016/USITC No. 20-3-4351; Expiration Date: 6/30/2023
(No response is required if currently valid OMB control number is not displayed)

U.S. PURCHASERS’ QUESTIONNAIRE
ULTRA-HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLYETHYLENE FROM KOREA
This questionnaire must be received by the Commission by November 30, 2020
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 antidumping investigation concerning ultra-high molecular height polyethylene (“UHMWPE”) from
Korea (inv. No. 731-TA-1474 (Final)). The information requested in the questionnaire is requested under the authority of
the Tariff Act of 1930, title VII. This report is mandatory and failure to reply as directed can result in a subpoena or other
order to compel the submission of records or information in your possession (19 U.S.C. § 1333(a)). Further information
on this questionnaire can be obtained from Kyle Westmoreland (202-205-2184, [email protected])

Name of firm
Address
City

State

Zip Code

Website
Has your firm purchased, or imported for its own use, UHMWPE (as defined on next page) from any source
(domestic or foreign) at any time since January 1, 2017?

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)

Return questionnaire via the U.S. International Trade Commission Drop Box by clicking on the
following link: https://dropbox.usitc.gov/oinv/. (PIN: UHMWPE)
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

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - UHMWPE (Final)

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PART I.—GENERAL INFORMATION
Background.-- This proceeding was instituted in response to a petition filed effective March 4, 2020, by
Celanese Corporation, Irving, Texas. Antidumping duties may be assessed on the subject imports as a
result of this proceeding 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 dumping. Questionnaires and other information pertinent to this proceeding are
available at:
https://www.usitc.gov/investigations/701731/2020/ultra_high_molecular_weight_polyethylene_korea/
final.htm
Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE). The merchandise covered by the scope is ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene. Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene is a linear polyethylene,
in granular or powder form is defined by its molecular weight, as defined by Margolie's Equation, of
greater than 1.0 × 106 g/mol. Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene may also be defined by its melt
mass-flow rate of <0.1 g/10 min, measured at 190 °C and 21.6 kg load, based on the methods and
calculations set forth in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards 21304-1 and
21304-2. Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene has a Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) registry
number of 9002-88-4.
The scope includes all ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene in granular or powder forms meeting
the above specifications regardless of additives introduced in the manufacturing process. Ultra-high
molecular weight polyethylene blended with other products is included in the scope of this investigation
where ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene accounts for more than 50 percent, by actual weight, of
the blend and the resulting blend maintains a molecular weight, as defined by Margolie's Equation, of
greater than 1.0 × 106 g/mol and/or a melt mass-flow rate of <0.1 g/10 min.
Excluded from the scope of the investigation is medical-grade ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene.
Medical grade ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene has a minimum viscosity of 2000 ml/g at a
concentration of 0.02% at 135 °C (275 °F) in decahydronaphthalene and an elongational stress of 0.2
MPa or greater. Medical-grade ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene is further defined by its ash
and trace element content, which shall not exceed the following maximum quantities as set forth in ISO5834-1: Ash (125 mg/kg), titanium (40 mg/kg), calcium (5 mg/kg), chlorine (30 mg/kg), and aluminum
(20 mg/kg). ISO 5834-1 further defines medical grade ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene by its
particulate matter content, which requires that there shall be no more than three particles of
contaminant per 300 ± 20 g tested. Each of the above criteria is calculated based on the standards and
methods used in ISO 5834-1.
Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene is classifiable under the HTSUS statistical reporting numbers
3901.10.1000 and 3901.20.1000. Although the HTSUS statistical reporting numbers and CAS registry
number are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the scope is
dispositive.
Purchaser.--Any firm engaged, either directly or through a parent company or subsidiary, in purchasing
UHMWPE from another firm that produces, imports, or otherwise distributes UHMWPE.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - UHMWPE (Final)

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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,
and/or purchaser 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.
D-GRIDS tool.--The Commission has a tool that firms can use to move data from their own MS Excel
compilation files into self-contained data tables within this MS Word questionnaire, thereby reducing
the amount of cell-by-cell data entry that would be required to complete this form. This tool is a macroenabled MS Excel file available for download from the Commission's generic questionnaires webpage
(https://www.usitc.gov/trade_remedy/question.htm) called the "D-GRIDs tool." Use of this tool to help
your firm complete this questionnaire is optional. Firms opting to use the D-GRIDs tool to populate their
data into this questionnaire will need the D-GRIDs specification sheet PDF file specific to this proceeding
(available on the case page which is linked under the "Background" above) which includes the necessary
references relating to this questionnaire, as well as the macro-enable MS Excel D-GRIDs tool itself from
the generic questionnaires page. More detailed instructions on how to use the D-GRIDs tool are
available within the D-GRIDs tool itself.

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - UHMWPE (Final)
I-1a.

Page 4

Establishments covered.--Provide the name and address of your U.S. establishment(s) covered
by this questionnaire, if different from that listed on the cover page. Firms operating more than
one establishment should combine the data for all establishments into a single response.
“Establishment”--Each facility of a firm involved in the purchase of UHMWPE, including auxiliary
facilities operated in conjunction with (whether or not physically separate from) such facilities.

I-1b.

Stock symbol information.-- If your firm or parent firm is publicly traded, please specify the
stock exchange and trading symbol:
.

I-1c.

External counsel.-- If your firm or parent firm is represented by external counsel in relation to
this proceeding, please specify the name of the law firm and the lead attorney(s).
Law firm:
Lead attorney(s):

I-2.

Ownership.--Is your firm owned, in whole or in part, by any other firm?
No

Yes--List the following information, relating to the ultimate parent/owner.
Firm name

Country

Extent of ownership
(percent)

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - UHMWPE (Final)
I-3.

Related importers/exporters.--Does your firm have any related firms, either domestic or
foreign, which import UHMWPE into the United States or which export UHMWPE to the United
States?
No

Yes--List the following information.
Firm name

I-4.

Page 5

Country

Affiliation

Related producers.--Does your firm have any related firms, either domestic or foreign, which
produce UHMWPE?
No

Yes--List the following information.
Firm name

Country

Affiliation

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - UHMWPE (Final)

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PART II.--PURCHASES
Contact information.--Please identify the responsible individual and the manner by which Commission
staff may contact that individual regarding the confidential information submitted in this questionnaire.
Name
Title
Email
Telephone
II-1.

Purchases and imports.--Report separately your firm’s domestic purchases and imports of
UHMWPE.
“Purchase” – Purchase from a U.S. entity such as a U.S. producer, a U.S. importer, or other U.S.
firm.
“Import” – Purchase directly from a foreign supplier and your firm is the importer of record.
JanuarySeptember

Calendar year
2017

2018

Item

2019

2020

Quantity (in pounds)

Purchases of UHMWPE
produced in—
United States
Korea
All other countries1
Sources unknown2
Total purchases

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Imports of UHMWPE from—
Korea
All other countries1
Total imports3
1

Please identify these countries:
.
Please indicate the firm(s) from which you purchased this merchandise:
.
3
If your firm imported UHMWPE at any time since January 1, 2017, please also complete and return a U.S.
importers' questionnaire in this proceeding.
2

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - UHMWPE (Final)
II-2.

Page 7

Changes in purchasing patterns.--Please indicate how the shares of your firm’s purchases of
UHMWPE from different sources have changed since January 1, 2017.
Source of
purchases

Did not
purchase Decreased Increased Constant Fluctuated

Explanation for trend

United States
Korea
All other countries
Sources unknown
II-3.

Country knowledge.--Please indicate the countries of origin with which your firm has
experience or information in the UHMWPE market.
United
States

II-4.

Korea

Brazil

Germany

Japan

Netherlands

Other
countries

Other countries
(specify)

Supplier identification.--Please list your firm’s FIVE largest suppliers for UHMWPE since January
1, 2017. Also, provide the share of the quantity of your firm’s total purchases of UHMWPE that
each of these suppliers accounted for in 2019.

No.

Supplier’s name

City and state

Share of quantity of
2019 purchases

1

%

2

%

3

%

4

%

5

%

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PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES
III-1.

Firm type.--Which of the following best describes your firm as a purchaser of UHMWPE (check
all that apply)?
End user

Distributor

Other

Describe other

If your firm is a distributor of UHMWPE, please answer questions III-2 and III-3.
III-2.

Competition for sales.--Does your firm compete for sales to customers with the manufacturers
or importers from which your firm purchases UHMWPE?
No

III-3.

Yes

If yes, please describe.

Types of customers.--What are the major types of consumers to which your firm sells
UHMWPE?

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - UHMWPE (Final)

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If your firm is an end user of UHMWPE, please answer questions III-4 and III-5.
III-4.

End uses.--For each product your firm makes using UHMWPE, estimate the percent of your total
production cost that is accounted for by UHMWPE and by other inputs (such as labor, energy,
and other raw materials). Leave blank if your firm does not make the product.
Share of total cost in each of the product(s) your
firm produces accounted for by
Product(s)

UHMWPE

Total
(should
sum to
100.0%
across)

Other inputs

Battery separators

%

+

%

=

0.0 %

High performance ballistic
fibers or plates

%

+

%

=

0.0 %

Food and beverage storage
containers

%

+

%

=

0.0 %

Pipes

% +

%

=

0.0 %

Materials processing1

% +

%

=

0.0 %

Sports applications2

% +

%

=

0.0 %

Materials handling
equipment and systems3

% +

%

=

0.0 %

Rope or other UHMWPE
fibers and yarns

%

+

%

=

0.0 %

Paper machines

% +

%

=

0.0 %

Other4

% +

%

=

0.0 %

1

Such as rollers, guides, plates, conveyor belts, liners, hoppers, dump trucks, ships’ holds, or dock
fenders.
2
Such as skis, snowboards, ice skating rinks, or bowling alleys.
3
Including gears, pulleys, and bearings.
4
Please list these products:
.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - UHMWPE (Final)
III-5.

Page 10

Demand for end-use products.-(a)

Has the demand for your firm’s final products incorporating UHMWPE changed since
January 1, 2017?

Product(s)

Increased

No
No change Decreased Fluctuated knowledge

Battery separators
High performance ballistic
fibers or plates
Food and beverage storage
containers
Pipes
Materials processing
Sports applications
Materials handling
equipment and systems
Rope or other UHMWPE
fibers and yarns
Paper machines
Other1
1

(b)

Please list these products:

.

Has this had any effect on your firm’s demand for UHMWPE?
No

Yes

Explain

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - UHMWPE (Final)
III-6.

Page 11

Substitutes.--Can other products be substituted for UHMWPE?
No

Yes--Please fill out the table.

End use in which this
substitute is used

Substitute

Have changes in the price of this substitute
affected the price for UHMWPE?
No Yes

Explanation

1.
2.
3.
III-7.

Demand trends.--Indicate how demand within the United States and outside of the United
States for UHMWPE has changed since January 1, 2017. Explain any trends and describe the
principal factors that have affected these changes in demand.

Overall
increase

Market

No
change

Fluctuate
Overall
with no
No
decrease clear trend knowledge

Explanation and factors

Within the
United States
Outside the
United States
III-8.

Country preferences.--Do you or your customers ever specifically order UHMWPE from one
country in particular over other possible sources of supply?
No

Yes

If yes, identify the countries and explain.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - UHMWPE (Final)

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III-9. Importance of purchasing domestic product.--Please fill out the table below, estimating the
percentage of your firm’s total 2019 purchases of UHMWPE that required UHMWPE produced in the
United States.
Estimated percentage of
your firm’s total 2019
purchases of UHMWPE
Purchases that did not require domestic product

%

Purchases that were required by law or regulation to be domestic product
(e.g., government purchases under “Buy American” provisions)

%

Purchases that were not required by law or regulation, but were required by
your customers to be domestic product

%

Purchases that were required to be domestic product for other reasons
(explain:
.)

%

Total (should sum to 100.0%)

0.0 %

III-10. Conditions of competition.-(a)

Is the UHMWPE market subject to business cycles (other than general economy-wide
conditions) and/or other conditions of competition distinctive to UHMWPE?

Check all that apply.

Please describe.

No

Skip to question III-11.

Yes-Business cycles (e.g.
seasonal business)
Yes-Other distinctive
conditions of competition
(b)

Have there been any changes in the business cycles or conditions of competition for
UHMWPE since January 1, 2017?
No

Yes

If yes, describe.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - UHMWPE (Final)

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III-11. Decisions based on producer and country-of-origin.--How often does your firm, and if known,
do your customers, make purchasing decisions involving UHMWPE based on its producer or
country of origin?
Item

Always

Usually

Sometimes

Never

If at least sometimes, explain.

Decision based on producer
Your firm
Your
customers
Decision based on country of origin
Your firm
Your
customers
III-12. Availability of supply.--Has the availability of UHMWPE in the U.S. market changed since
January 1, 2017?
Availability in the U.S.
Please explain, noting the countries and reasons for the
market
No Yes changes.
U.S.-produced product
Subject imports
Nonsubject imports
III-13. Supply constraints.--Has any firm refused, declined, or been unable to supply your firm with
UHMWPE since January 1, 2017 (examples include placing customers on allocation or
“controlled order entry,” declining to accept new customers or renew existing customers,
delivering less than the quantity promised, being unable to meet timely shipment commitments,
etc.)?
No

Yes

If yes, please describe.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - UHMWPE (Final)

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III-14. Availability of specific product types.--How Are certain grades/types/sizes of UHMWPE only
available from certain country sources?
No

Yes

If yes, please identify the countries and the grade/type/size.

III-15. Purchases by packaging.--Please report whether your firm has purchased domestic UHMWPE
and/or subject UHMWPE in the packaging types listed below since January 1, 2017.
Purchases of:

Domestic UHMWPE

Subject UHMWPE

25 kg. or similar size bag
Supersack (500 kg ±10%)
Bulk (truck or railcar)
III-16. Purchasing frequency.-(a)

How frequently does your firm make purchases of UHMWPE (check one)?
Daily

(b)

Weekly

Monthly

Quarterly

Annually

Other

Has this purchasing frequency changed since January 1, 2017?
No

Yes

If yes, please describe.

If other, specify

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - UHMWPE (Final)

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III-17. Raw material prices.—
(a)

Is your firm familiar with the prices for raw materials used in the production of
UHMWPE?
No

(b)

Yes – please answer (b)

Has information on raw material prices affected your firm’s negotiations or contracts to
purchase UHMWPE since 2017?

No

Explain, noting how raw material price changes have affected prices for
Yes UHMWPE

III-18. Number of suppliers contacted.--How many suppliers does your firm generally contact before
making a purchase? Between
and
firms
III-19. Supplier negotiations.--Do your firm’s purchases of UHMWPE usually involve negotiations
between supplier and purchaser?

No

Yes

If yes, explain the factors your firm generally negotiates and note whether
your firm quotes competing prices during negotiations.

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III-20. Change in suppliers.--Has your firm changed suppliers since January 1, 2017?

No

Yes

If yes, please list the supplier(s), whether the firm was added or dropped,
and the reasons for the change.

III-21. New suppliers.--Are you aware of any new suppliers, either foreign or domestic, that have
entered the market since January 1, 2017?
No

Yes

If yes, please identify the firms.

III-22. Supplier qualification.--Do you require your suppliers to be or to become certified or qualified
to sell UHMWPE to your firm?
If yes, provide the following information.
 The number of days to qualify a new supplier.
 A general description of the certification or qualification process. Also, a brief
description of the factors that you consider when qualifying a new supplier (e.g., quality
of product, reliability of supplier, etc.).

No

Yes

Number
of days Process and factors

III-23. Failure to certify.--Since January 1, 2017, have any domestic or foreign producers failed in their
attempts to certify or qualify their UHMWPE with your firm or have any producers lost their
approved status?

No

Yes

If yes, please identify these firms, the countries where they are located,
and the reasons why they failed the certification/qualification.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - UHMWPE (Final)

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III-24. Major purchasing factors.--Please list, in order of their importance, the main factors your firm
considers in deciding from whom to purchase UHMWPE (examples include availability,
extension of credit, contracts, price, quality, range of supplier’s product line, traditional supplier,
etc.).
1.
2.
3.
Please list any other factors that are very important in your purchase decisions:
III-25. Purchasing factors.--Please rate the importance of the following factors in your firm’s
purchasing decisions for UHMWPE.

Factor
Availability
Delivery terms
Delivery time
Discounts offered
Minimum quantity requirements
Packaging
Molecular weight
Payment terms
Price
Product consistency
Product range
Quality meets industry standards
Quality exceeds industry standards
Reliability of supply
Technical support/service
U.S. transportation costs

Very
important

Somewhat
important

Not
important

.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - UHMWPE (Final)

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III-26. Quality characteristics.--What characteristics does your firm consider when determining the
quality of UHMWPE?

III-27. Minimum quality.--How often does UHMWPE from the following countries meet minimum
quality specifications for your uses or your customers’ uses?

Source

Always

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely or
never

Don’t
know

United States
Korea
Other:
III-28. Frequency of decisions based on price.--How often does your firm purchase the UHMWPE that
is offered at the lowest price?
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Never

III-29. Price leaders.--A price leader is defined as (1) one or more firms that initiate a price change,
either upward or downward, that is followed by other firms, or (2) one or more firms that have a
significant impact on prices. A price leader is not necessarily the lowest-priced supplier.
Please list the names of any firms you considered price leaders in the UHMWPE market since
January 1, 2017.

Firm(s)

Describe how the firm(s) exhibited price leadership, how price changes are
communicated to the market, and any impact announced price changes have
on your business operations.

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III-30. Purchasing subject imports rather than domestic products.—
(a)

Since January 2017, did your firm import and/or purchase imports of UHMWPE from
Korea instead of purchasing U.S.-produced UHMWPE?
Source

Yes
(also respond to parts (b) and (c))

No
(If “No”, skip to next question)

Korea
(b)

If you responded “Yes” to part (a), was the imported product priced lower than the
domestic product?
Source

Yes

No

Korea
(c)

If you responded “Yes” to part (a), was price a primary reason for importing and/or
purchasing subject imports rather than domestic product?

Source

Yes

If Yes, estimate the quantity
of imports purchased and/or
imported instead of domestic
product since January 2017
(in pounds)

No

If No, please indicate the
reason your firm imported
and/or purchased imports
instead of domestic product

Korea
III-31. U.S. producers and import competition.—
(a)

Since January 1, 2017, in connection with a sale or offer to sell UHMWPE to your firm,
did U.S. producers reduce their prices of domestically produced UHMWPE in order to
compete with lower-priced imports of UHMWPE from the subject countries?
Source

Yes (also respond to
question part (b))

No (If “No”, skip to next
question)

Don’t know

Korea
(b)

If your firm responded “yes”, please provide an estimate of the reduction in U.S.
producers’ prices, and any additional explanations, such as timing (e.g., months/years),
frequency of price reductions, or other market/competitive factors.

Source
Korea

Estimated
reduction in U.S.
prices
(percent)
%

Additional explanation, including such information as
timing (e.g., months/years), frequency of price
reductions, or other market/competitive factors

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - UHMWPE (Final)

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PART IV.—PRODUCT COMPARISONS
IV-1.

Interchangeability.--Is UHMWPE produced in the United States and in other countries
interchangeable (i.e., can they physically be used in the same applications)?
Please indicate A, F, S, N, or 0 in the table below:
A = the products from a specified country-pair are always interchangeable
F = the products are frequently interchangeable
S = the products are sometimes interchangeable
N = the products are never interchangeable
0 = no familiarity with products from a specified country-pair
Country-pair

Korea

Other countries

United States
Korea
For any country-pair producing UHMWPE which is sometimes or never
interchangeable, please identify the country-pair and explain the factors that limit or
preclude interchangeable use:

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - UHMWPE (Final)
IV-2.

Page 21

Factors other than price.--Are differences other than price (e.g., quality, availability,
transportation network, product range, technical support, etc.) between UHMWPE produced in
the United States and in other countries a significant factor in your firm’s purchases of the
products?
Please indicate A, F, S, N, or 0 in the table below:
A = such differences are always significant
F = such differences are frequently significant
S = such differences are sometimes significant
N = such differences are never significant
0 = no familiarity with products from a specified country-pair
Country-pair

Korea

Other countries

United States
Korea
For any country-pair for which factors other than price always or frequently are a
significant factor in your firm’s purchases of UHMWPE, identify the country-pair and
report the advantages or disadvantages imparted by such factors:

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - UHMWPE (Final)
IV-3.

Page 22

Factor country comparisons.--For the factors listed below, please rate how UHMWPE produced
in each country you identified in your response to the first question in Part IV compares with
UHMWPE produced in each of the other countries you identified.

If you are unfamiliar with the product from a particular country, please leave the boxes for those
country comparisons blank.

Availability
Delivery terms
Delivery time
Discounts offered
Minimum quantity requirements
Molecular weight
Packaging
Payment terms
Price2
Product consistency
Product range
Quality meets industry
standards
Quality exceeds industry
standards
Reliability of supply
Technical support/service
U.S. transportation costs2
1

If your answers would vary depending on which other country you are comparing, please explain:
A rating of superior on price and U.S. transportation costs indicates that the first country generally has lower
prices/U.S. transportation costs than the second country.
2

Inferior

Comparable

Product from
Korea compared to
product from
all other countries

Superior

Inferior

Comparable

Product from
United States
compared to
product from
all other countries1

Superior

Inferior

Comparable

Factor

Superior

Product from
United States
compared to product
from
Korea

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - UHMWPE (Final)

Page 23

PART V.—ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
V-1.

Other explanations.--If your firm would like to further explain a response to any question that
for which a narrative response box was not provided, please note the question number and the
explanation in the space provided below.

V-2.

OMB statistics.--Please report 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
25 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.

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - UHMWPE (Final)

Page 24

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/701731/2020/ultra_high_molecular_weight_
polyethylene_korea/final.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: UHMWPE

• E-mail.—E-mail the MS Word 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 does not purchase 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, it is 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 your firm submits (see
19 CFR § 207.7). Service of the questionnaire must be made in paper form.