U.S. cites dumping of South African aluminum

U.S. cites dumping of South African aluminum    The U.S. Commerce Department ruled that imports of aluminum plate from South Africa were dumped on the U.S. market.
   In a final affirmative determination Tuesday, the department calculated the dumping margin for the South African aluminum at 3.51 percent.
   Dumping is defined by the United States as the import of goods at a price below the home-market or a third-country price, or below the cost of production. A dumping margin represents by how much the fair-value price exceeds the dumped price.
   The imposition of antidumping duties by the U.S. government requires final affirmative determinations both from the Commerce Department that dumping occurred and from the U.S. International Trade Commission that the imports harmed U.S. industry.
   The final ITC determination is due in November. Meanwhile, Customs and Border Protection will collect a cash deposit or bond equivalent to the dumping margin on any South African aluminum plate imports, Commerce said.
   In 2003, the department estimated imports of South African aluminum plate amounted to $29.3 million, up from $7.4 million in 2002.