On October 18, 2012, the International Trade Administration (ITA) issued a Fact Sheet announcing the initiation of an Antidumping and Countervailing investigation of hardwood and decorative plywood from China, for a period covering January 1 through June 30, 2012.

The Fact Sheet explains that "the merchandise covered by these investigations is a panel composed of an assembly of two or more layers or plies of wood veneer(s) in combination with a core. The several layers, along with the core, are glued or otherwise bonded together to form a finished product. A hardwood and decorative plywood panel can be composed of one or more species of hardwoods, softwoods, or bamboo."

ITA also issued a letter to all Chinese exporters and manufacturers with questions on the quantity and U.S. dollar sales value of hardwood and plywood for the investigation period, which is due by November 7, 2012. The International Trade Commission (ITC) is schedule to have its preliminary determination of the case by November 13, 2012.

The tariffs covered under this investigation fall under Chapter 44. The alleged dumping margins fall between 298.36 and 321.68 percent.

The ITA Fact Sheet is available online here.

The ITA letter to exporters and producers in China can be found here.