# Finished Carbon Steel Flanges From India: Preliminary Results and Rescission, in Part, of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2023
**AGENCY:**
Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.
**SUMMARY:**
The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that countervailable subsidies were provided to certain producers and/or exporters of finished carbon steel flanges (steel flanges) from India. The period of review (POR) is January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.
**DATES:**
Applicable February 3, 2026.
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
Amber Hodak, AD/CVD Operations, Office VI, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 842-8034.
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
**Background**
On September 20, 2024, Commerce published in the *Federal Register* a notice of initiation of an administrative review of the countervailing duty (CVD) order on steel flanges from India. [^1] On October 29, 2024, Commerce selected Norma (India) Ltd. (Norma) and R. N. Gupta & Company Limited (RNG) as mandatory respondents in this review. [^2] On December 9, 2024, Commerce tolled the deadline to issue the preliminary results in this administrative review by 90 days. [^3] On July 16, 2025, Commerce extended the deadline for the preliminary results by 110 days, until November 19, 2025, in accordance with section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.213(h)(2). [^4] Due to the lapse in appropriations and Federal Government shutdown, on November 14, 2025, Commerce tolled all deadlines in this administrative proceedings by 47 days. [^5] Additionally, due to a backlog of documents that were electronically filed via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS) during the Federal Government shutdown, on November 24, 2025, Commerce tolled all deadlines in administrative proceedings by an additional 21 days, to January 26, 2026. [^6] Finally, due to the closure of Commerce offices due to inclement weather, the deadline for these preliminary results, is postponed until the next business day, [^7]*i.e.,* January 28, 2026.
[^1]*See Initiation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Administrative Reviews,* 89 FR 77079, 77086 (September 20, 2024); *see also Finished Carbon Steel Flanges from India: Countervailing Duty Order,* 82 FR 40138 (August 24, 2017) ( *Order* ).
[^2]*See* Memorandum, “Respondent Selection,” dated October 29, 2024.
[^3]*See* Memorandum, “Tolling of Deadlines for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings,” dated December 9, 2024.
[^4]*See* Memorandum, “Extension of Deadline for Preliminary Results of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review,” dated July 16, 2025.
[^5]*See* Memorandum, “Deadlines Affected by the Shutdown of the Federal Government,” dated November 14, 2025.
[^6]*See* Memorandum, “Tolling of all Case Deadlines,” dated November 24, 2025.
[^7]*See Notice of Clarification: Application of “Next Business Day” Rule for Administrative Determination Deadlines Pursuant to the Tariff Act of 1930, As Amended,* 70 FR 24533 (May 10, 2005).
For a complete description of the events that followed the initiation of this review, *see* the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. [^8] A list of topics discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum is provided as an appendix to this notice. The Preliminary Decision Memorandum is a public document and is on file electronically via ACCESS. ACCESS is available to registered users at *https://access.trade.gov.* In addition, a complete version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at *https://access.trade.gov/public/FRNoticesListLayout.aspx.*
[^8]*See* Memorandum, “Decision Memorandum for the Preliminary Results of the Countervailing Duty Administrative Review of Finished Carbon Steel Flanges from India; 2023,” dated concurrently with, and hereby adopted by, this notice (Preliminary Decision Memorandum).
**Scope of the Order**
The product covered by the *Order* is steel flanges from India. For a complete description of the scope of the *Order, see* the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.
**Rescission of Administrative Review, in Part**
In accordance with 19 CFR 351.213(d)(1), Commerce will rescind an administrative review, in whole or in part, if all parties that requested the review withdraw their requests within 90 days of the date of publication of the notice of initiation of the requested review. Commerce received timely filed withdrawal requests with respect to Balkrishna Steel Forge Pvt. Ltd., Cetus Engineering Private Limited, and Jai Auto Pvt. Ltd., pursuant to 19 CFR 351.213(d)(1). Because the withdrawal requests were timely filed, and no other parties requested a review of these companies, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.213(d)(1), Commerce is rescinding this administrative review with respect to these three companies.
**Methodology**
Commerce is conducting this administrative review in accordance with section 751(a)(l)(A) of the Act. For each of the subsidy programs found to be countervailable, Commerce preliminarily determines that there is a subsidy, *i.e.,* a financial contribution by an “authority” that give rise to a benefit to the recipient, and that the subsidy is specific. [^9] For a full description of the methodology underlying our conclusions, including our reliance, in part, on facts otherwise available with adverse inferences pursuant to sections 776(a) and (b) of the Act, *see* the accompanying Preliminary Decision Memorandum.
[^9]*See* sections 771(5)(B) and (D) of the Act regarding financial contribution; section 771(5)(E) of the Act regarding benefit; and section 771(5A) of the Act regarding specificity.
**Companies Not Selected for Individual Review
10**
[^10]*See* Appendix II for a list of companies not selected for individual examination.
The Act and Commerce's regulations do not address the establishment of a rate to apply companies not selected for individual examination when Commerce limits its examination in an administrative review pursuant to section 777A(e)(2) of the Act. However, Commerce normally determines the rates for non-selected companies in reviews in a manner that is consistent with section 705(c)(5) of the Act, which provides instructions for calculating the all-others rate in an investigation. Section 777A(e)(2) of the Act provides that “the individual countervailable subsidy rates determined under subparagraph (A) shall be used to determine the all-others rate under section 705(c)(5) {of the Act}.” Section 705(c)(5)(A) states that for companies not investigated, in general, we will determine an all-others rate by weight averaging the countervailable subsidy rates established for each of the companies individually investigated, excluding zero and *de minimis* rates or any rates based solely on the facts available.
Three companies under review were not selected as mandatory respondents or found to be cross-owned with a mandatory respondent: (1) BFN Forgings Private Limited, (2) Echjay Industries Pvt. Ltd., and (3) Munish Forge Private Limited. [^11] Accordingly, to determine the rate for companies not selected for individual examination, Commerce's practice is to weight-average the countervailable subsidy rates for the selected mandatory respondents, excluding rates that are zero, *de minimis,* or based entirely on facts available. [^12] In this review, Commerce calculated preliminary individual estimated subsidy rates for Norma and RNG that are not zero, *de minimis,* or based entirely on facts otherwise available. Commerce calculated the rate assigned to the companies under review that were not selected for individual examination using a weighted average of the individual estimated subsidy rates calculated for the examined respondents using each company's publicly ranged values for the merchandise under consideration. [^13]
[^11] As noted in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum, this company filed a letter notifying Commerce of its company name change. However, Commerce requires additional time to assess if any changes have been made to its operations, ownership and legal structure.
[^12] With two respondents under examination, Commerce normally calculates: (A) a weighted-average of the estimated subsidy rates calculated for the examined respondents; (B) a simple average of the estimated subsidy rates calculated for the examined respondents; and (C) a weighted-average of the estimated subsidy rates calculated for the examined respondents using each company's publicly-ranged U.S. sale values for the merchandise under consideration. Commerce then compares (B) and (C) to (A) and selects the rate closest to (A) as the most appropriate rate for all other producers and exporters. *See, e.g., Ball Bearings and Parts Thereof from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Reviews, Final Results of Changed-Circumstances Review, and Revocation of an Order in Part,* 75 FR 53661, 53662 (September 1, 2010), and accompanying Issues and Decision Memorandum at Comment 1.
[^13] As complete publicly ranged sales data were available, Commerce based the all-others rate on the publicly ranged sales data of the mandatory respondents. For a complete analysis of the data, *see* Memorandum, “Preliminary Results Calculation of Subsidy Rate for Non-Selected Companies Under Review,” dated concurrently with this notice.
**Preliminary Results of Review**
As a result of this review, we preliminarily determine the following net countervailable subsidy rates exist for the POR, January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023: [^14]
[^14] As discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum, Commerce has found the following companies to be cross owned with Norma (India) Ltd.: USK Export Private Limited; Uma Shanker Khandelwal and Co.; and Bansidhar Chiranjilal. This rate applies to all cross-owned companies.
| Company | Subsidy rate |
| --- | --- |
| Norma (India) Ltd.; USK Export Private Limited; Uma Shanker Khandelwal and Co.; and Bansidhar Chiranjilal | 2.40 |
| R.N. Gupta & Co. Ltd | 2.27 |
| Companies Not Selected for Review | 2.32 |
**Disclosure**
Commerce intends to disclose its calculations and analysis performed to interested parties for these preliminary results within five days of any public announcement, or if there is no public announcement, within five days of the date of publication of this notice in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).
**Public Comment**
Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.309(c)(1)(ii), we have modified the deadline for interested parties to submit case briefs to Commerce to no later than 21 days after the date of publication of this notice. Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in the case briefs, may be filed not later than five days after the date for filing case briefs. [^15] Interested parties who submit case briefs or rebuttal briefs in this proceeding must submit: (1) table of contents listing each issue; and (2) a table of authorities. [^16] All briefs must be filed electronically using ACCESS. An electronically filed document must be received successfully in its entirety in ACCESS by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the established deadline.
[^15]*See* 19 CFR 351.309(d); *see also Administrative Protective Order, Service and Other Procedures in Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings,* 88 FR 67069, 67077 (September 29, 2023) ( *APO and Service Procedures* ).
[^16]*See* 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and 351.309(d)(2).
As provided under 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2)(iii) and (d)(2)(iii), we request that interested parties provide at the beginning of their briefs a public, executive summary for each issue raised in their briefs. [^17] Further, we request that interested parties limit their executive summary of each issue to no more than 450 words, not including citations. We intend to use the executive summaries as the basis of the comment summaries included in the issues and decision memorandum that will accompany the final results in this administrative review. We request that interested parties include footnotes for relevant citations in the public executive summary of each issue. Note that Commerce has amended certain of its requirements pertaining to the service of documents in 19 CFR 351.303(f). [^18]
[^17] We use the term “issue” here to describe an argument that Commerce would normally address in a comment of the Issues and Decision Memorandum.
[^18]*See APO and Service Procedures.*
Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), interested parties who wish to request a hearing must submit a written request to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, filed electronically via ACCESS by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time within 30 days after the date of publication of this notice. Requests should contain: (1) the party's name, address and telephone number; (2) the number of participants; and (3) a list of issues to be discussed. Oral presentations at the hearing will be limited to issues raised in the briefs. If a request for a hearing is made, Commerce will inform parties of the scheduled date for the hearing. [^19]
[^19]*See* 19 CFR 351.310(d).
**Assessment Rates**
Consistent with section 751(a)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.212(b)(2), upon issuance of the final results, Commerce shall determine, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shall assess, countervailing duties on all appropriate entries covered by this review.
For the companies listed above for which the review is being rescinded, Commerce will instruct CBP to assess countervailing duties on all appropriate entries at a rate equal to the cash deposit of estimated countervailing duties required at the time of entry, or withdrawal from warehouse for consumption, during the period January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023 in accordance with 19 CFR 351.212(c)(1)(i). Commerce intends to issue rescission instructions to CBP no earlier than 35 days after the date of publication of this notice in the *Federal Register* .
For the companies remaining in the review, Commerce will instruct CBP to assess countervailing duties on all appropriate entries at the subsidy rates calculated in the final results of this review. Commerce intends to issue assessment instructions to CBP no earlier than 35 days after the date of publication of the final results of this review in the *Federal Register* . If a timely summons is filed at the U.S. Court of International Trade, the assessment instructions will direct CBP not to liquidate relevant entries until the time for parties to file a request for a statutory injunction has expired ( *i.e.,* without 90 days of publication).
**Cash Deposit Requirements**
Pursuant to section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act, Commerce intends to instruct CBP to collect cash deposits of estimated countervailing duties in the amount indicated above with regard to shipments of subject merchandise entered, withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of publication of the final results of this review. For all non-reviewed firms, we will instruct CBP to continue to collect cash deposits of estimated countervailing duties at the most recent company-specific or all-others rate applicable to the company, as appropriate. These cash deposit instructions, when imposed, shall remain in effect until further notice.
**Final Results**
Unless the deadline is extended pursuant to section 751(a)(3)(a) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.213(h)(2), Commerce intends to issue the final results of this administrative review, which will include the results of its analysis of issues raised in the case briefs, within 120 days of publication of these preliminary results in the *Federal Register* , pursuant to Section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act.
**Notification to Interested Parties**
We are issuing and publishing these preliminary results in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.221(b)(4).
Dated: January 28, 2026.
Christopher Abbott,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Negotiations, performing the non-exclusive functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.
**Appendix**
**List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum**
I. Summary
II. Background
III. Scope of the *Order*
IV. Munish Forge Private Corporate Name Change
V. Diversification of India's Economy
VI. Use of Facts Otherwise Available and Application of Adverse Inferences
VII. Subsidies Valuation
VIII. Benchmarks and Interest Rates
IX. Analysis of Programs
X. Recommendation