The Department of Commerce (DoC) announced on Jan. 3 that its preliminary determination in its antidumping duty (AD) investigation of imports of collated steel staples from China found that such suppliers had sold at less than fair value.

A press release said that DoC assigned a preliminary dumping rate of 301.64% for mandatory respondent Tianjin Hweschun Fasteners Manufacturing Co., Ltd. and Tianjin Jin Xin Sheng Long Metal Products Co., Ltd. as well as to “non-selected respondents eligible for a separate rate and the China-wide entity.”

The penalties had been sought by Kyocera Senco Industrial Tools, Inc., of Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2018, imports of collated steel staples from China were valued at an estimated $88.8 million.

If DoC makes an affirmative final determination and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) follows with a similar finding, the order will go into effect. The DoC is scheduled to vote on May 18 and the ITC on July 2. Per DoC, in 2018, China shipped 63,640,957 kg of such steel staples, up from 57,512,126 in 2017 and 52,507,421 in 2016.