FACT SHEET

Antidumping Investigations:
Certain Hot-Rolled Carbon Steel Flat Productsfrom Argentina and South Africa;
Countervailing Duty Investigation:
Certain Hot-Rolled Carbon Steel Flat Products from Argentina

On July 10, 2001, the Department of Commerce announced the final determinations in the above-referenced investigations. These cases are part of a larger group of antidumping (AD) investigations involving hot-rolled steel from India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, the People's Republic of China, Romania, Taiwan, Thailand and the Ukraine and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations involving India, Indonesia, South Africa and Thailand. These three cases now go to the International Trade Commission (ITC) which will determine whether these dumped and subsidized imports injure the U.S. hot-rolled steel industry. The due dates in the final determinations in the other investigations have been extended; these final determinations will be announced no later than September 18, 2001.

Neither the Government of Argentina nor Siderar, the Argentine producer and exporter of hot-rolled steel, responded to the Department's questionnaires. Two South African producers, Saldanha and Iscor, also failed to respond to the Department's questionnaire, and a third producer, Highveld, submitted several late and/or incomplete responses to the Department's questionnaire but never provided a usable response. As a result, for these three determinations, the final results are based on the adverse facts available as contained in the petitions.

PETITIONERS

The petitions were filed on behalf of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Gallatin Steel Company, IPSCO Steel Inc., LTV Steel Company, Inc., National Steel Corporation, Nucor Corporation, Steel Dynamics, Inc., U.S. Steel Group (a unit of USX Corporation), Weirton Steel Corporation, Independent Steelworkers Union, and the United Steel Workers of America.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The merchandise subject to these investigations is certain hot-rolled steel (HRS) products of a rectangular shape. Specifically included within the scope are vacuum degassed, fully stabilized (commonly referred to as interstitial-free (IF)) steels, high strength low alloy (HSLA) steels, and the substrate for motor lamination steels. Universal mill plate of a thickness not less than 4.0 mm is not included within the scope of these investigations. For a complete description of the scope of the investigations, please see the Department's Final Determination notices in the Federal Register.

CASE CALENDAR

Petitions Filed: November 13, 2000

Preliminary Determinations (CVD): April 13, 2001

Preliminary Determinations (AD): April 23, 2001

Final Determinations (Public Release): July 10, 2001

ITC Final Determinations

(Argentina AD/CVD and South Africa AD): August 23, 2001*

Orders (if ITC determination is affirmative): August 30, 2001*

Note: The final determinations for the other on-going hot-rolled investigations
will be announced on September 18, 2001.

*Estimated: Since the Department has made affirmative final determinations, the ITC must make final injury determinations within 45 days after our final determinations on these three cases. If these determinations are affirmative, the Department will publish duty orders within seven days. For all of the other investigations, the ITC will have 45 days from September 18 to issue its final injury determinations if the Department's determinations are affirmative.

FINAL DUMPING AND SUBSIDY RATES

VOLUME AND VALUE OF IMPORTS