The US Department of Commerce (DOC) has announced its affirmative preliminary determinations in the antidumping duty investigations on imports of welded stainless pressure pipe from Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand.

The DOC determined that welded stainless pressure pipes from these countries have been sold in the US at dumping margins, the Vietnam Competition Authority reported on Tuesday, citing a December 31 statement from the US department.

In the Vietnam case, the DOC has calculated preliminary dumping margins at 17.72 percent for Sonha International Corporation and Mejonson Industrial Vietnam Co Ltd, and 53.91 percent for all other Vietnamese producers and exporters, according to the document.

Steel producers and exporters in Malaysia were found to have preliminary dumping margins of 22.70 percent and 167.11 percent, while the figures for the Thai businesses are 7.16 percent, 7.22 percent, and 10.92 percent respectively.

The DOC will instruct the US Customs and Border Protection to require cash deposits based on the preliminary rates calculated in these investigations going forward from the date of the preliminary ruling.

The petitioners for these investigations are Bristol Metals LLC (TN), Felker Brothers Corp. (WI), and Outokumpu Stainless Pipe, Inc. (IL). The product covered by the scope of these investigations is circular welded austenitic stainless pressure pipes of less than 14 inches in outside diameter.

The DOC is scheduled to announce its final determinations on or around May 17 and the US International Trade Commission will make its final injury determination in July.

According to data from the DOC, the US imported $18 million worth of welded stainless pressure pipes from Vietnam in 2012, while the respective figures for Malaysia and Thailand were $18.6 million and $22.9 million.

Also on Tuesday, the Brazil Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade released its final conclusion on the antidumping duty investigations of imports of rubber motorcycle tyres from Vietnam, Thailand, and China.

The Vietnamese products are subject to antidumping duties ranging from 1.8 percent to 7.79 percent.