Propane tank companies petition U.S. Department of Commerce

Petitions filed by Worthington Industries and Manchester Tank & Equipment Co. have prompted the U.S. Department of Commerce to initiate new antidumping duty investigations against China, Taiwan and Thailand and a new countervailing duty investigation against China.

The antidumping investigations will determine whether steel propane cylinders from China, Taiwan and Thailand are being dumped in the U.S. market at less than fair value. The countervailing duty investigation will determine if Chinese producers of steel propane cylinders are receiving unfair government subsidies.

If the Commerce Department makes affirmative findings in these investigations, and if the U.S. International Trade Commission determines that dumped and/or unfairly subsidized U.S. imports of steel propane cylinders from China, Taiwan and/or Thailand are causing injury to the U.S. industry, the Commerce Department says it will impose duties on those imports in the amount of dumping and/or unfair subsidization found to exist.

In 2017, imports of steel propane cylinders from China, Taiwan and Thailand were valued at an estimated $89.8 million, $10.1 million, and $14.1 million, respectively.