Labourers work at a steel plant.

Washington : The US Commerce Department has launched an anti-dumping and countervailing duty probes against imports of stainless steel flanges from India and China.

The probes were initiated on Wednesday based on petitions filed by the Coalition of American Flange Producers and its two members, Xinhua news agency quoted the Department as saying.

They alleged that the Indian and Chinese producers were dumping stainless steel flanges in the US market with margins ranging from 78.49 per cent to 257.11 per cent.

They also claimed that the Indian and Chinese governments were providing “unfair” subsidies to domestic producers of stainless steel flanges, it added.

The US International Trade Commission (ITC), is scheduled to make its preliminary inquiry determinations around October 2.

The probe will continue if the ITC determines that there is a reasonable indication that imports of stainless steel flanges from these two countries materially injure or threaten the domestic industry of the United States.

In 2016, imports of these products from India and China were estimated at about $32.1 million and $16.3 million, respectively, according to the department.

President Donald Trump’s administration has initiated 62 anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations so far this year, up 41 per cent year-on-year, the Department added.

—IANS