Boltless Steel Shelving Units Prepackaged for Sale from China, Inv. No. 701-TA-523 (Preliminary)

INSTRUCTION BOOKLET
GENERAL INFORMATION, INSTRUCTIONS, AND
DEFINITIONS FOR COMMISSION QUESTIONNAIRES

Boltless Steel Shelving Units Prepackaged
for Sale (“Boltless Steel Shelving”) from China
Investigation Nos. 701-TA-523 and 731-TA-1259 (Preliminary)

Further information.--If you have any questions concerning the enclosed
questionnaire(s) or other matters related to this proceeding, you may contact
the following members of the Commission’s staff (Fax 202-205-3205):
Mary Messer, investigator (202-205-3193; Email mary.messer@usitc.gov)
regarding general questions and trade and related information;
Justin Jee, auditor (202-205-3186; Email justin.jee@usitc.gov)
regarding financial information; and
Tana Farrington, economist (202-205-2389; Email tana.farrington@usitc.gov)
regarding pricing, market, and related information.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Background.--This proceeding was instituted in response to a petition filed on August 26, 2014 by
Edsal Manufacturing Co., Inc., Chicago, IL. Countervailing and/or antidumping duties may be
assessed on the subject imports as a result of this proceeding if the Commission makes an
affirmative determination of injury, threat, or material retardation, and if the U.S. Department of
Commerce makes an affirmative determination of subsidization and/or dumping.
Questionnaires and other information pertinent to this proceeding are available at
http://www.usitc.gov/trade_remedy/731_ad_701_cvd/investigations/2014/boltless_steel_shelving/
prelimphase.htm. Please direct questions regarding the questionnaire and correspondence to Mary Messer
(mary.messer@usitc.gov, 202-205-3193) at the U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street, SW,
Washington, D.C. 20436. Correspondence may be sent to the above address or via FAX to 202-205-3205.

Hearing-impaired individuals can obtain information regarding this proceeding via the
Commission=s TDD terminal (202-205-1810).
Due date of questionnaire(s).--Please submit the completed questionnaire(s) to the United States
International Trade Commission so as to be received by no later than September 9, 2014. Because
Commission staff might contact you with questions during the course of the proceeding, save the
final version of the document(s) and retain all files and worksheets associated with the completed
questionnaire(s). Please also retain a copy of the final document that you submit.
Service of questionnaire response(s).--In the event that your firm is a party to this proceeding, you
are required to serve a copy of the questionnaire(s), once completed, on parties to the proceeding
that are subject to administrative protective order (see 19 CFR ' 207.7). A list of such parties is
maintained by the Commission=s Secretary and may be obtained by calling 202-205-1803. A
certificate of service must accompany the copy of the completed questionnaire(s) you submit (see 19
CFR ' 207.7).
Confidentiality.--The commercial and financial data furnished in response to the enclosed
questionnaire(s) that reveal the individual operations of your firm will be treated as confidential by
the Commission to the extent that such data are not otherwise available to the public and will not be
disclosed except as may be required by law (see 19 U.S.C. ' 1677f). Such confidential information
will not be published in a manner that will reveal the individual operations of your firm; however,
general characterizations of numerical business proprietary information (such as discussion of
trends) will be treated as confidential business information only at the request of the submitter for
good cause shown.
Verification.--The information submitted in the enclosed questionnaire(s) is subject to audit
and verification by the Commission. To facilitate possible verification of data, please keep all
of your files, worksheets, and supporting documents used in the preparation of the
questionnaire response(s).

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GENERAL INFORMATION--Continued
Release of information.--The information provided by your firm in response to the questionnaire(s),
as well as any other business proprietary information submitted by your firm to the Commission in
connection with this proceeding, may become subject to, and released under, the administrative
protective order provisions of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. ' 1677f) and section 207.7 of the
Commission=s Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR ' 207.7). This means that certain lawyers
and other authorized individuals may temporarily be given access to the information for use in
connection with this proceeding or other import-injury proceedings conducted by the Commission
on the same or similar merchandise; those individuals would be subject to severe penalties if the
information were divulged to unauthorized individuals. In addition, if your firm is a U.S. producer,
the information you provide on your production and imports of boltless steel shelving and your
responses to the questions in Part I of the producer questionnaire will be provided to the U.S.
Department of Commerce, upon its request, for use in connection with (and only in connection with)
its requirement pursuant to sections 702(c)(4) and 732(c)(4) of the Act (19 U.S.C. '' 1671a(c)(4)
and 1673a(c)(4)) to make a determination concerning the extent of industry support for the petition
requesting this proceeding. Any information provided to Commerce will be transmitted under the
confidentiality and release guidelines set forth above. Your response to these questions constitutes
your consent that such information be provided to Commerce under the conditions described above.
INSTRUCTIONS
Answer all questions.--Do not leave any question or section blank unless a questionnaire expressly
directs you to skip over certain questions or sections. If the answer to any question is zero or “none”,
enter the number zero or “none”. If information is not readily available from your records in
exactly the form requested, furnish carefully prepared estimates. Answers to questions and any
necessary comments or explanations should be entered in the space provided or in a separate MS
Word document submitted along with the questionnaire(s). If your firm is completing more than one
questionnaire in connection with this proceeding (i.e., a producer and/or importer questionnaire),
you need not respond to duplicated questions in the questionnaires.
Consolidate all U.S. establishments.--Report the requested data for your establishment(s) located in
the United States. Firms operating more than one establishment should combine the data for
all establishments into a single report.
Electronic completion.—Please electronically enter your responses into the Commission
provided MS Word document. The MS Word versions of all the questionnaires in this proceeding
are available online at the ITC web page or may be obtained directly from the Commission’s
Investigator, Mary Messer (mary.messer@usitc.gov or 202-205-3193).

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GENERAL INFORMATION--Continued
Electronic submission.-- Responding firms should submit their questionnaire responses
electronically in MS Word format. The submission of questionnaire responses in the MS Word
format allows the Commission to electronically extract data from questionnaires and thus, compile,
assess, and analyze submitted data more efficiently and promptly. Furthermore, the electronic
submission of questionnaires completed in MS Word facilitates the Commission’s ability to produce
documents that comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. There are three
electronic submissions options detailed below.

OPTIONS FOR FILING
This questionnaire is available as a “fillable” form in MS Word format on the Commission’s
website at
http://www.usitc.gov/trade_remedy/731_ad_701_cvd/investigations/2014/boltless_steel_sh
elving/prelimphase.htm. Please do not attempt to modify the format or permissions of the
questionnaire document. Please complete the questionnaire and submit it electronically
using one of the methods noted below. If your firm is unable to complete the MS Word
questionnaire or cannot use one of the electronic methods of submission, please contact the
Commission for further instructions.
• Upload via Secure Drop Box.—Upload the completed questionnaire in MS Word format along
with a scanned copy of the signed certification page (page 1) through the Commission’s secure
upload facility:
Web address: https://dropbox.usitc.gov/oinv/

Pin: SHLV

• E-mail.—E-mail your questionnaire to the investigator identified on page 1 of the Instruction
Booklet; include a scanned copy of the signed certification page (page 1). Type the following in the
e-mail subject line: BPI Questionnaire, Inv. No. 701-TA-523 and 731-TA-1259 (Preliminary).
Please note that submitting your questionnaire by e-mail may subject your firm’s business
proprietary information to transmission over an unsecure environment and to possible disclosure.
If you choose this option, the Commission warns you that any risk involving possible disclosure of
such information is assumed by the submitter and not by the Commission.
• Compact disc (CD).—Copy your MS Word questionnaire onto a CD. Also please include a signed
certification page (page 1), and mail to the U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E. Street, SW,
Washington, DC 20024. It is strongly recommended that you use an overnight mail service. U.S.
mail sent to government offices undergoes additional processing which not only results in
substantial delays in delivery but may also damage CDs.
Note: If you are a party to the proceeding, and service of the questionnaire is required, such
service should be made in paper form

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DEFINITIONS
Boltless Steel Shelving Units Prepackaged for Sale (“Boltless Steel Shelving”).—The scope of the
petition covers boltless steel shelving units prepackaged for sale, with or without decks. The term
“prepackaged for sale” means that the vertical supports (i.e., posts) and horizontal supports (i.e.,
beams and braces) necessary to assemble a completed shelving unit (with or without decks) are
packaged together for ultimate purchase by the end user. The scope also includes add-on kits that
allow the end user to add an extension shelving unit onto an existing boltless steel shelving unit such
that the extension and the original unit will share a set of posts. The term “boltless” refers to steel
shelving in which the vertical and horizontal supports forming the frame are assembled primarily
without the use of nuts and bolts or screws. The vertical and horizontal support members for boltless
steel shelving are typically assembled by fitting a rivet, punched or cut tab or other similar connector
on one support into a hole, slot or similar receptacle on another support. The supports lock together
to form the frame for the shelving unit. The incidental use of nuts and bolts or screws to add
accessories, wall anchors, tie-bars or shelf supports does not remove the product from scope.
Boltless steel shelving units may also come packaged as partially assembled, such as when two
upright supports are welded together with front-to-back supports, or are otherwise connected, to
form an end unit for the frame. The boltless steel shelving covered by this petition may be commonly
described as rivet shelving, welded frame shelving, slot and tab shelving, and punched rivet
(quasi-rivet) shelving as well as by other trade names.
The scope includes all boltless steel shelving meeting the description above, regardless of (1)
vertical support or post type (including but not limited to open post, closed post and tubing); (2)
horizontal support or beam/brace profile (including but not limited to Z-beam, C-beam, L-beam,
step beam and cargo rack); (3) number of supports; (4) surface coating type (including but not
limited to paint, epoxy, powder coating, zinc and other metallic coating); (5) number of levels; (6)
weight capacity; (7) shape (including but not limited to rectangular, square, and corner units); (8)
decking type (including but not limited to wire decking, particle board, laminated board or no deck
at all); or (9) the boltless method by which vertical and horizontal supports connect (including but
not limited to keyhole and rivet, slot and tab, welded frame, punched rivet and clip).
Specifically excluded from the scope are pallet racks, plastic shelving units, wall-mounted
shelving, wooden shelving units and other wooden furniture containing shelves. Also excluded from
the scope is wire shelving, which consists of a shelf made from wire that incorporates both a wire
deck and wire horizontal supports (taking the place of the horizontal beams and braces) into a single
piece with tubular collars that slide over the posts and onto plastic sleeves snapped on the posts to
create the finished shelving unit. Also excluded from the scope are bulk-packed parts or components
of boltless steel shelving units and made-to-order commercial shelving systems.
Subject boltless steel shelving enters the United States through Harmonized Tariff Schedule
of the United States (“HTSUS”) statistical reporting numbers 9403.20.0018 (metal household
furniture other than cribs and toddler enclosures etc.) and 9403.20.0020 (metal shelves other than
household or office furniture), but may also enter through HTSUS 9403.10.0040 (metal furniture of
a kind used in offices, other than filing cabinets). While HTSUS statistical reporting numbers are
provided for convenience and Customs purposes, the written description of the scope of this
investigation is dispositive.
Firm.--An individual proprietorship, partnership, joint venture, association, corporation (including
any subsidiary corporation), business trust, cooperative, trustee in bankruptcy, or receiver under
decree of any court.
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DEFINITIONS--Continued
Related firm.--A firm that your firm solely or jointly owned, managed, or otherwise controlled; a
firm that solely or jointly owned, managed, or otherwise controlled your firm; and/or a firm that was
solely or jointly owned, managed, or otherwise controlled by a firm that also solely or jointly owned,
managed, or otherwise controlled your firm.
Establishment.--Each facility of a firm involved in the production, importation, and/or purchase of
PRODUCT (as defined above), including auxiliary facilities operated in conjunction with (whether
or not physically separate from) such facilities.
United States.--For purposes of this proceeding, the 50 States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands,
and the District of Columbia.
Importer.--Any person or firm engaged, either directly or through a parent company or subsidiary,
in importing boltless steel shelving (as defined above) into the United States from a foreign
manufacturer or through its selling agent.
Imports.--Those products identified for Customs purposes as imports for consumption for which
your firm was the importer of record (i.e., was responsible for paying any import duty) or consignee
(i.e., to which the merchandise was first delivered).
Import quantities.--Quantities reported should be net of returns.
Import values.--Values reported should be landed, duty-paid values at the U.S. port of entry,
including ocean freight and insurance costs, brokerage charges, and import duties (i.e., all
charges except inland freight in the United States).
Purchaser.--Any person or firm engaged, either directly or through a parent company or subsidiary,
in purchasing boltless steel shelving (as defined above) from another firm that produces, imports, or
otherwise distributes boltless steel shelving.

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DEFINITIONS--Continued
Purchases.--Purchases from all sources, NOT including direct imports from foreign sources located
outside of the United States (which should be reported in an importer questionnaire).
Purchase quantities.--Quantities reported should be net of returns.
Purchase values.--Values reported should be net values (i.e., gross purchase values less all
discounts, allowances, rebates, and the value of returned goods), delivered to your U.S.
receiving point.
Shipments.--Shipments of products produced in or imported by your establishment(s). Include
shipments to the contracting firm of product produced by your firm under a toll agreement.
Shipment quantities.—Quantities reported should be net of returns.
Shipment values.—Values reported should be net values (i.e., gross sales values less all
discounts, allowances, rebates, prepaid freight, and the value of returned goods) in U.S.
dollars, f.o.b. your point of shipment in the United States.
Types of shipments:
U.S. shipments.--Commercial shipments, internal consumption, and transfers to related
firms within the United States.
Commercial shipments.--Shipments, other than internal consumption and transfers
to related firms, within the United States.
Internal consumption.--Product consumed internally by your firm.
Transfers to related firms.--Shipments made to related domestic firms.
Export shipments.--Shipments to destinations outside the United States, including
shipments to related firms.
Inventories.--Finished goods inventory, not raw materials or work-in-progress.

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DEFINITIONS--Continued
The following definitions apply only to the PRODUCER QUESTIONNAIRE.
Average production capacity.--The level of production that your establishment(s) could reasonably
have expected to attain during the specified periods. Assume normal operating conditions (i.e.,
using equipment and machinery in place and ready to operate; normal operating levels (hours per
week/weeks per year) and time for downtime, maintenance, repair, and cleanup; and a typical or
representative product mix).
Toll agreement.--Agreement between two firms whereby the first firm furnishes the raw materials
and the second firm uses the raw materials to produce a product that it then returns to the first firm
with a charge for processing costs, overhead, etc.
Production.--All production in your U.S. establishment(s), including production consumed
internally within your firm and production for another firm under a toll agreement.
PRWs.--Production and related workers, including working supervisors and all nonsupervisory
workers (including group leaders and trainees) engaged in fabricating, processing, assembling,
inspecting, receiving, storage, handling, packing, warehousing, shipping, trucking, hauling,
maintenance, repair, janitorial and guard services, product development, auxiliary production for
plant=s own use (e.g., power plant), recordkeeping, and other services closely associated with the
above production operations.
Average number employed.--Add the number of employees, both full-time and part-time, for the 12
pay periods ending closest to the 15th of the month and divide that total by 12. For the
January-June periods, calculate similarly and divide by 6.
Hours worked.--Include time paid for sick leave, holidays, and vacation time. Include overtime
hours actually worked; do not convert overtime pay to its equivalent in straight-time hours.
Wages paid.--Total wages paid before deductions of any kind (e.g., withholding taxes, old-age and
unemployment insurance, group insurance, union dues, bonds, etc.). Include wages paid directly by
your firm for overtime, holidays, vacations, and sick leave.
Fiscal year.--The 12-month period between settlement of your firm=s financial accounts.
Purchases other than direct imports.--Purchases from U.S. producers, U.S. importers, and other
U.S. sources.

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