19-2-4006 US importers' questionnaire

OMB No. 3117-0016/USITC No. 19-2-4006; Expiration Date: 6/30/2020

(No response is required if currently valid OMB control number is not displayed)

U.S. IMPORTERS’ QUESTIONNAIRE

STEEL PROPANE CYLINDERS FROM CHINA AND THAILAND

This questionnaire must be received by the Commission by March 25, 2019

See last page for filing instructions.

The information called for in this questionnaire is for use by the United States International Trade Commission in connection with its countervailing duty and antidumping investigations steel propane cylinders from China and Thailand (Inv. Nos. 701-TA-607 and 731-TA-1417 and 1419 (Final)). The information requested in the questionnaire is requested under the authority of the Tariff Act of 1930, title VII. This report is mandatory and failure to reply as directed can result in a subpoena or other order to compel the submission of records or information in your firm’s possession (19 U.S.C. § 1333(a)).

Name of firm      

Address      

City       State    Zip Code      

Website      

Has your firm imported steel propane cylinders (as defined on next page) from any country at any time since January 1, 2016?

NO (Sign the certification below and promptly return only this page of the questionnaire to the Commission)

YES (Complete all parts of the questionnaire, and return the entire questionnaire to the Commission)

Return questionnaire via the U.S. International Trade Commission Drop Box by clicking on the following link: https://dropbox.usitc.gov/oinv/. (PIN: PROP)

CERTIFICATION

I certify that the information herein supplied in response to this questionnaire is complete and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief and understand that the information submitted is subject to audit and verification by the Commission. By means of this certification I also grant consent for the Commission, and its employees and contract personnel, to use the information provided in this questionnaire and throughout this proceeding in any other import-injury proceedings conducted by the Commission on the same or similar merchandise.

I, the undersigned, acknowledge that information submitted in response to this request for information and throughout this proceeding or other proceedings may be disclosed to and used: (i) by the Commission, its employees and Offices, and contract personnel (a) for developing or maintaining the records of this or a related proceeding, or (b) in internal investigations, audits, reviews, and evaluations relating to the programs, personnel, and operations of the Commission including under 5 U.S.C. Appendix 3; or (ii) by U.S. government employees and contract personnel, solely for cybersecurity purposes. I understand that all contract personnel will sign appropriate nondisclosure agreements.

                 

Name of Authorized Official Title of Authorized Official Date

           

Signature Phone Email address

PART I.—GENERAL INFORMATION

Background.--This proceeding was instituted in response to a petition filed on May 22, 2018, by Worthington Industries, (Columbus, Ohio) and Manchester Tank & Equipment Company, (Franklin, Tennessee). Antidumping and countervailing duties may be assessed on the subject imports as a result of these proceedings if the Commission makes an affirmative determination of injury, threat, or material retardation, and if the U.S. Department of Commerce (“Commerce”) makes an affirmative determinations of dumping and/or subsidization. Questionnaires and other information pertinent to this proceeding are available at https://www.usitc.gov/investigations/701731/2018/steel_propane_cylinders_china_and_thailand/final.htm.

Steel propane cylinders for purposes of these investigations are steel cylinders for compressed or liquefied propane gas meeting the requirements of, or produced to meet the requirements of, U.S. Department of Transportation (“USDOT”) Specifications 4B, 4BA, or 4BW, or Transport Canada Specification 4BM, 4BAM, or 4BWM, or a UN pressure receptacle meeting standard ISO 4706, and range from 2.5 pound nominal gas capacity (approximate 4-6 pound tare weight) to 42 pound nominal gas capacity (approximate 28-32 pound tare weight), with up to 100 pound water capacity (“Steel Propane Cylinders”). Steel Propane Cylinders may be certified to USDOT Specification 4B, 4BA, or 4BW either before or after importation. Steel Propane Cylinders have two or fewer ports and may be imported assembled or unassembled (i.e., welded or brazed before or after importation), with or without out all components (including collars, valves, gauges, tanks, foot rings, and overfill prevention devices), and coated or uncoated.  Also included within the scope are parts of steel propane cylinders, unfinished propane cylinders, collars, and foot rings for steel propane cylinders.

These petitions also cover steel propane cylinders that meet, are produced to meet, or are certified as meeting, other U.S. or Canadian government, international, or industry standards (including, for example, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (“ASME”), or American National Standard Institute (“ANSI”)), if they also meet, are produced to meet, or are certified as meeting USDOT Specification 4B, 4BA, or 4BW, or Transport Canada Specification 4BM, 4BAM, or 4BWM, or a UN pressure receptacle meeting standard ISO 4706.

Subject merchandise also includes steel propane cylinders that have been further processed in a third country, including but not limited to attachment of collars, foot rings, or handles by welding or brazing, heat treatment, painting, testing, certification, or any other processing that would not otherwise remove the merchandise from the scope of the petitions if performed in the country of manufacture of the in-scope Steel Propane Cylinders.

Specifically excluded are seamless steel propane cylinders and propane cylinders made from stainless steel (i.e., steel containing at least 10.5 percent chromium by weight and less than 1.2 percent carbon by weight), aluminum, or composite fiber material. 

The merchandise subject to these investigations is properly classified under statistical reporting numbers 7311.00.0060 and 7311.00.0090 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS).  Although the HTSUS statistical reporting numbers are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the merchandise is dispositive.

Importer.--Any person or firm engaged, either directly or through a parent company or subsidiary, in importing steel propane cylinders (as defined above) into the United States from a foreign manufacturer or through its selling agent.

Reporting of information.--If information is not readily available from your records, provide carefully--prepared estimates. If your firm is completing more than one questionnaire (i.e., a producer, importer, and/or purchaser questionnaire), you need not respond to duplicated questions.

Confidentiality.--The commercial and financial data furnished in response to this questionnaire 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 this questionnaire is subject to audit and verification by the Commission. To facilitate possible verification of data, please keep all files, worksheets, and supporting documents used in the preparation of the questionnaire response. Please also retain a copy of the final document that you submit.

Release of information.--The information provided by your firm in response to this questionnaire, 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.

Valid number error messages.--If you are completing this form in a country that uses periods (“.”) to delineate multiples of 1000 (e.g., one million would appear as $1.000.000 rather than $1,000,000), you may be unable to enter in numbers greater than 999 in numeric form fields. The solution to this data entry issue is to temporarily change your operating system’s number formatting to be consistent with the U.S. number formatting system while you complete this form. Detailed instructions on how to resolve this issue is provided at the end of this questionnaire and is available upon request from Abu Kanu (202-205-2597, abu.kanu@usitc.gov).

D-GRIDS tool.--The Commission has a tool that firms can use to move data from their own MS Excel compilation files into self-contained data tables within this MS Word questionnaire, thereby reducing the amount of cell-by-cell data entry that would be required to complete this form. This tool is a macro-enabled MS Excel file available for download from the Commission's generic questionnaires webpage (https://www.usitc.gov/trade_remedy/question.htm) called the "D-GRIDs tool." Use of this tool to help your firm complete this questionnaire is optional. Firms opting to use the D-GRIDs tool to populate their data into this questionnaire will need the D-GRIDs specification sheet PDF file specific to this proceeding (available on the case page which is linked under the "Background" above) which includes the necessary references relating to this questionnaire, as well as the macro-enable MS Excel D-GRIDs tool itself from the generic questionnaires page. More detailed instructions on how to use the D-GRIDs tool are available within the D-GRIDs tool itself.

I-1. OMB statistics.--Please report below the actual number of hours required and the cost to your firm of completing this questionnaire.

Hours	Dollars
     	     

The questions in this questionnaire have been reviewed with market participants to ensure that issues of concern are adequately addressed and that data requests are sufficient, meaningful, and as limited as possible. Public reporting burden for this questionnaire is estimated to average 40 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering data, and completing and reviewing the questionnaire.

We welcome comments regarding the accuracy of this burden estimate, suggestions for reducing the burden, and any suggestions for improving this questionnaire. Please attach such comments to your response or send to the Office of Investigations, USITC, 500 E St. SW, Washington, DC 20436.

I-2. Establishments covered.--Provide the name and address of establishment(s) covered by this questionnaire. If your firm is publicly traded, please specify the stock exchange and trading symbol.

“Establishment”‑‑Each facility of a firm involved in the importation of steel propane cylinders, including auxiliary facilities operated in conjunction with (whether or not physically separate from) such facilities.

     

I-3. Ownership.--Is your firm owned, in whole or in part, by any other firm?

No Yes--List the following information

Firm name	Address	Extent of ownership (percent)
     	     	     
     	     	     
     	     	     

I-4. Related importers/exporters.--Does your firm have any related firms, either domestic or foreign, that are engaged in importing steel propane cylinders from China and/or Thailand into the United States or that are engaged in exporting steel propane cylinders from China and/or Thailand to the United States?

No Yes--List the following information.

Firm name	Country	Affiliation
     	     	     
     	     	     
     	     	     

I-5. Related producers.--Does your firm have any related firms, either domestic or foreign, that are engaged in the production of steel propane cylinders?

No Yes--List the following information.

Firm name	Country	Affiliation
     	     	     
     	     	     
     	     	     
     	     	     
     	     	     
     	     	     

I-6. Importing operations.--Please indicate the nature of your firm’s importing operations on steel propane cylinders. More than one answer may be applicable.

Importer of record	Takes title to the imported product(s)	Consignee of the imported products(s)	Customs broker or freight forwarder

I-7. Consignee.--If your firm is an importer of record of steel propane cylinders but is not the consignee, please list the consignees below (firm name, address, telephone number, and individual to contact).

Firm name	Address	Contact person and phone number
     	     	     
     	     	     
     	     	     

I-8. FTZ, TIB, or bonded warehouses.--Please indicate whether your firm enters steel propane cylinders into, or withdraws such merchandise from, foreign trade zones or bonded warehouses. Also indicate whether your firm imports steel propane cylinders under the TIB (temporary importation under bond) program.

“Foreign trade zone” is a designated location in the United States where firms utilize special procedures that allow delayed or reduced customs duty payments on foreign merchandise, as well as other savings. A foreign trade zone must be designed as such pursuant to the rules and procedures set forth in the Foreign-Trade Zones Act.

“Bonded warehouse” is a secured facility supervised by U.S. customs, where dutiable landed imports are stored pending their re-export, or release after payment of import duties, taxes, and other charges. A bonded warehouse must be designed as such pursuant to the rules and procedures set forth in 19 U.S.C. § 1555.

“Temporary Importation under Bond (“TIB”) program” is a procedure whereby imported merchandise may be entered under certain conditions for a limited time into the United States free of duty. Under the program, an importer posts a bond for twice the amount of duty, taxes, etc. that would otherwise be owed on the importation and agrees to export or destroy the merchandise within a specified time or pay liquidated damages. This program is restricted to certain categories of merchandise listed in subheadings 9813.00.05 through 9813.00.75 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS).

Item	No	Yes
Foreign trade zones
Bonded warehouses
Temporary importation under bond

I-9. Other trade actions.--To your knowledge, have the products subject to this proceeding been the subject of any other import relief proceedings in the United States or in any other countries?

No	Yes	If yes, please specify.
		     

PART II.--TRADE AND RELATED INFORMATION

Further information on this part of the questionnaire can be obtained from Abu Kanu (202-205-2597, abu.kanu@usitc.gov). Supply all data requested on a calendar-year basis.

II-1. Contact information.--Please identify the responsible individual and the manner by which Commission staff may contact that individual regarding the confidential information submitted in part II.

Name	     
Title	     
Email	     
Telephone	     

II-2. Changes in operations.--Please indicate whether your firm has experienced any of the following changes in relation to the importation of steel propane cylinders since January 1, 2016.

(check as many as appropriate)		(If checked, please describe; leave blank if not applicable)
	Office/warehouse openings	     
	Office/warehouse closings	     
	Relocations	     
	Expansions	     
	Acquisitions	     
	Consolidations	     
	Prolonged shutdowns or importation curtailments	     
	Revised labor agreements	     
	Other (e.g., technology)	     

II-3a. Arranged imports.--Has your firm imported or arranged for the importation of steel propane cylinders for delivery after December 31, 2018?

“Arranged imports” are imports for which your firm has placed an order with a foreign supplier for subject merchandise, but delivery of those imports is not scheduled to occur until after the date listed above.

No	Yes	If yes, fill out the table below.

Source	Period
	Jan-Mar 2019	Apr-Jun 2019	Jul-Sept 2019	Oct-Dec 2019
	Quantity (in pounds, tare weight)
China	     	     	     	     
Thailand	     	     	     	     
All other sources	     	     	     	     

II-3b. Imports in the 12-month period preceding the petition.--Did your firm import steel propane cylinders from any source between May 1, 2017 and April 30, 2018? (i.e., the last eight months in 2017 and first four months in 2018 combined)

No	Yes	If yes, report the quantity of such import below by source.

Quantity (in pounds, tare weight)
Source	May 2017 through April 2018
China	     
Thailand	     
All other sources	     

II-4. Reasons for importing if producer.--If your firm also produces steel propane cylinders in the United States, please indicate the reasons for importing this product. If your firm’s reasons differ by source, please elaborate.

     

“Imports”--Those products identified for Customs purposes as imports for consumption and/or which were admitted into a foreign trade zone (FTZ) in the United States for which your firm was the importer of record (i.e., was responsible for paying any import duty or clearing the goods through customs or re-exporting if an FTZ operator). Imports / admissions can include complete steel propane cylinders as well as partially completed steel propane cylinders and parts for such products. See definition page 2.

“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).

“Shipments”--Shipments can include complete steel propane cylinders as well as partially completed steel propane cylinders and parts for such products. See definition on page 2.

“Non-retail commercial U.S. shipments” -- Shipments made within the United States, to be limited to sales of unfilled steel propane cylinders, as a result of an arm’s length commercial transaction in the ordinary course of business other than through own or related firm’s retail establishments.  Report 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.  While non-retail commercial U.S. shipments properly excludes retail-level sales made by your firm or a related firms, non-retail commercial U.S. shipments should include commercial U.S. shipments made to customers that are retailers. 

“Internal consumption / including for own firm’s retail sales” --Product consumed internally by your firm.  Such transactions should be valued at fair market value of the steel propane cylinders that were consumed/used (i.e., not the retail price, not the total value of the downstream products).  Internal consumption should include (1) any steel propane cylinders your firm filled for use within a gas exchange business model, (2) any steel propane cylinders your firm physically installed within a larger set of machinery such as a recreation vehicle, and (3) any steel propane cylinders your firm stocked for online or bricks and mortar retail sales.  Once one of those three usage events occur, you should report the disposition of your imported steel propane cylinders as internal consumption and no longer report those data in inventory.  For example, if a gas exchanger imports 80 units in 2016, and fills those steel propane cylinders with propane and stocks them in their gas exchange facility in that same year, that firm should report all 80 units under “internal consumption” in 2016 valued at fair market value in unfilled form and zero (0) units in ending inventory in 2016.  Likewise, if an importer/retailer imports 80 units in 2016, and stocks those units on their shelves at a bricks and mortar retail store location that same year, that firm should report all 80 units under “internal consumption” in 2016 valued at fair market value (which is understood to be the wholesale purchase cost value, not the eventual retail sales value) and zero (0) units in ending period inventory in 2016.  Finally, if an RV manufacturer imports 80 units in 2016, and welds those units into a partially assembled RV that same year, that firm should report all 80 units under “internal consumption” in 2016 valued at fair market value of the unwelded/unprocessed steel propane cylinder input into their production process and zero (0) units in ending period inventory in 2016 (even though the company has WIP inventories for their RVs those no longer represent inventories steel propane cylinders available for sale or usage for this proceeding, they are already used).

“Transfers to related firms” --Shipments made to related domestic firms.  Such transactions are valued at fair market value. 

“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.

Note: As requested in Part I of this questionnaire, please keep all supporting documents/records used in the preparation of the trade data, as Commission staff may contact your firm regarding questions on the trade data. The Commission may also request that your company submit copies of the supporting documents/records (such as production and sales schedules, inventory records, etc.) used to compile these data.

II-5a. U.S. imports from China.–Report your firm’s imports and your firm’s shipments and inventories of steel propane cylinders imported from China by your firm during the specified periods.

China

Quantity (in pounds, tare weight), value (in dollars)
Item	Calendar years
	2016	2017	2018
Beginning-of-period inventories (quantity) (A)	     	     	     
Imports:1 Quantity (B)	     	     	     
Value (C)	     	     	     
Non-retail level commercial shipments: Quantity (D)	     	     	     
Value (E)	     	     	     
Internal consumption/ including for own firms retail sales:1 Quantity (F)	     	     	     
Value2 (G)	     	     	     
Transfers to related firms:2 Quantity (H)	     	     	     
Value2 (I)	     	     	     
Export shipments:3 Quantity (J)	     	     	     
Value (K)	     	     	     
End-of-period inventories (Quantity) (L)	     	     	     
1 Please identify the foreign producers, if known:      . 2 Internal consumption and transfers to related firms must be valued at fair market value. If your firm uses a different basis for valuing these transactions in your records, please specify that basis (e.g., cost, cost plus, etc.):      . However, the data provided above in this table should be based on fair market value. 3 Identify your firm’s principal export markets:      .

RECONCILIATION OF SHIPMENTS, IMPORTS, AND INVENTORIES.--Generally, the data reported for the end-of-period inventories (i.e., line N) should be equal to the beginning-of-period inventories (i.e., line A), plus imports (i.e., line B), less total shipments (i.e., lines D, F, H, and J). Please ensure that any differences are not due to data entry errors in completing this form, but rather actually reflect your firm’s records; and also provide any likely explanations for any differences (e.g., theft, loss, damage, record systems issues, etc.) if they exist.

II-5a. U.S. imports from China.–Continued

Reconciliation	Calendar years
	2016	2017	2018
A + B – D – F – H – J – L = should equal zero ("0"), if not, provide an explanation.1	 0	 0	 0
1 Explanation if the calculated fields above are returning values other than zero (i.e., “0”) but are nonetheless accurate:       .

II-5b. Channels of distribution: China.--Report your firm’s non-retail level commercial U.S. shipments of U.S. imports from China by channel of distribution.

China

Item	Calendar years
	2016	2017	2018
	Quantity (in pounds, tare weight), value (in dollars)
Channels of distribution Non-retail level commercial U.S. shipments: To distributors Quantity (M)	     	     	     
Value (N)	     	     	     
To retailers Quantity (O)	     	     	     
Value (P)	     	     	     
To gas exchangers Quantity (Q)	     	     	     
Value (R)	     	     	     
To RV manufacturers Quantity (S)	     	     	     
Value (T)	     	     	     
To all other end users Quantity (U)	     	     	     
Value (V)	     	     	     

RECONCILIATION OF CHANNELS.--Please ensure that the quantities reported for channels of distribution (i.e., lines O through V) in each time period equal the quantity reported for non-retail commercial U.S. shipments (i.e., lines F and G) in each time period. If the calculated fields below return values other than zero (i.e., “0”), the data reported must be revised prior to submission to the Commission.

Reconciliation	Calendar years
	2016	2017	2018
Quantity: M + O + Q + S + U – F = should equal zero ("0"), if not, revise	 0	 0	 0
Value: : N + P + R + T + V – G = should equal zero ("0"), if not, revise	 0	 0	 0

II-5c. U.S. shipments by type: China.--Report your firm’s U.S. shipments (i.e., inclusive of retail level commercial U.S. shipments, non-retail level commercial shipments, internal consumption, and transfers to related firms) of your firm's U.S. imports of steel propane from China.

China

Item	Calendar years
	2016	2017	2018
U.S. shipments.-- Capacity 20-pound cylinders.1 Quantity in units (W)	     	     	     
Quantity in pounds, tare weight (X)	     	     	     
Value in dollars (Y)	     	     	     
Capacity 30-pound cylinders.2 Quantity in units (Z)	     	     	     
Quantity in pounds, tare weight (AA)	     	     	     
Value in dollars (AB)	     	     	     
All other cylinder sizes. Quantity in units (AC)	     	     	     
Quantity in pounds, tare weight (AD)	     	     	     
Value in dollars (AE)	     	     	     
1 Please list the average and range of wall thickness sizes of your shipments of 20-pound steel propane cylinders:      . 2 Please list the average and range of wall thickness sizes of your shipments of 30-pound steel propane cylinders:      .

RECONCILIATION OF SHIPMENTS BY TYPE.--Please ensure that the quantities and values reported for US shipments by type (i.e., lines W through AE) in each time period equal the quantity and value reported for U.S. shipments (i.e., lines D through K) in each time period. If the calculated fields below return values other than zero (i.e., “0”), the data reported must be revised prior to submission to the Commission.

Reconciliation	Calendar years
	2016	2017	2018
Quantity: W + Z + AC – D – F – H – J = should equal zero ("0") if not, revise	 0	 0	 0
Value: : Y + AB + AE – E –G – I – K = should equal zero ("0") if not, revise	 0	 0	 0

II-6a. U.S. imports from Thailand.–Report your firm’s imports and your firm’s shipments and inventories of steel propane cylinders imported from Thailand by your firm during the specified periods.

Thailand

Quantity (in pounds, tare weight), value (in dollars)
Item	Calendar years
	2016	2017	2018
Beginning-of-period inventories (quantity) (A)	     	     	     
Imports:1 Quantity (B)	     	     	     
Value (C)	     	     	     
Non-retail level commercial shipments: Quantity (D)	     	     	     
Value (E)	     	     	     
Internal consumption/ including for own firms retail sales:1 Quantity (F)	     	     	     
Value2 (G)	     	     	     
Transfers to related firms:2 Quantity (H)	     	     	     
Value2 (I)	     	     	     
Export shipments:3 Quantity (J)	     	     	     
Value (K)	     	     	     
End-of-period inventories (Quantity) (L)	     	     	     
1 Please identify the foreign producers, if known:      . 2 Internal consumption and transfers to related firms must be valued at fair market value. If your firm uses a different basis for valuing these transactions in your records, please specify that basis (e.g., cost, cost plus, etc.):      . However, the data provided above in this table should be based on fair market value. 3 Identify your firm’s principal export markets:      .

RECONCILIATION OF SHIPMENTS, IMPORTS, AND INVENTORIES.--Generally, the data reported for the end-of-period inventories (i.e., line L) should be equal to the beginning-of-period inventories (i.e., line A), plus imports (i.e., line B), less total shipments (i.e., lines D, F, H, and J). Please ensure that any differences are not due to data entry errors in completing this form, but rather actually reflect your firm’s records; and also provide any likely explanations for any differences (e.g., theft, loss, damage, record systems issues, etc.) if they exist.

II-6a. U.S. imports from Thailand.–Continued

Reconciliation	Calendar years
	2016	2017	2018
A + B – D – F – H – J – L = should equal zero ("0"), if not, provide an explanation.1	 0	 0	 0
1 Explanation if the calculated fields above are returning values other than zero (i.e., “0”) but are nonetheless accurate:       .

II-6b. Channels of distribution: Thailand.--Report your firm’s non-retail level commercial U.S. shipments of U.S. imports from Thailand by channel of distribution.

Thailand

Item	Calendar years
	2016	2017	2018
	Quantity (in pounds, tare weight), value (in dollars)
Channels of distribution Non-retail level commercial U.S. shipments: To distributors Quantity (M)	     	     	     
Value (N)	     	     	     
To retailers Quantity (O)	     	     	     
Value (P)	     	     	     
To gas exchangers Quantity (Q)	     	     	     
Value (R)	     	     	     
To RV manufacturers Quantity (S)	     	     	     
Value (T)	     	     	     
To all other end users Quantity (U)	     	     	     
Value (V)	     	     	     

RECONCILIATION OF CHANNELS.--Please ensure that the quantities reported for channels of distribution (i.e., lines O through V) in each time period equal the quantity reported for non-retail commercial U.S. shipments (i.e., lines F and G) in each time period. If the calculated fields below return values other than zero (i.e., “0”), the data reported must be revised prior to submission to the Commission.

Reconciliation	Calendar years
	2016	2017	2018
Quantity: M + O + Q + S + U – F = should equal zero ("0"), if not, revise	 0	 0	 0
Value: : N + P + R + T + V – G = should equal zero ("0"), if not, revise	 0	 0	 0

II-6c. U.S. shipments by type: Thailand.--Report your firm’s U.S. shipments (i.e., inclusive of retail level commercial U.S. shipments, non-retail level commercial shipments, internal consumption, and transfers to related firms) of your firm's U.S. imports of steel propane from Thailand.

Thailand

Item	Calendar years
	2016	2017	2018
U.S. shipments.-- Capacity 20-pound cylinders.1 Quantity in units (W)	     	     	     
Quantity in pounds, tare weight (X)	     	     	     
Value in dollars (Y)	     	     	     
Capacity 30-pound cylinders.2 Quantity in units (Z)	     	     	     
Quantity in pounds, tare weight (AA)	     	     	     
Value in dollars (AB)	     	     	     
All other cylinder sizes. Quantity in units (AC)	     	     	     
Quantity in pounds, tare weight (AD)	     	     	     
Value in dollars (AE)	     	     	     
1 Please list the average and range of wall thickness sizes of your shipments of 20-pound steel propane cylinders:      . 2 Please list the average and range of wall thickness sizes of your shipments of 30-pound steel propane cylinders:      .

RECONCILIATION OF SHIPMENTS BY TYPE.--Please ensure that the quantities and values reported for US shipments by type (i.e., lines W through AE) in each time period equal the quantity and value reported for U.S. shipments (i.e., lines D through K) in each time period. If the calculated fields below return values other than zero (i.e., “0”), the data reported must be revised prior to submission to the Commission.

Reconciliation	Calendar years
	2016	2017	2018
Quantity: W + Z + AC – D – F – H – J = should equal zero ("0") if not, revise	 0	 0	 0
Value: : Y + AB + AE – E –G – I – K = should equal zero ("0") if not, revise	 0	 0	 0

II-7a. Imports from all other sources.–Report your firm’s imports and your firm’s shipments and inventories of steel propane cylinders imported from all other sources by your firm during the specified periods.

All other sources

(list sources:       )

Quantity (in pounds, tare weight), value (in dollars)
Item	Calendar years
	2016	2017	2018
Beginning-of-period inventories (quantity) (A)	     	     	     
Imports:1 Quantity (B)	     	     	     
Value (C)	     	     	     
Non-retail level commercial shipments: Quantity (D)	     	     	     
Value (E)	     	     	     
Internal consumption/ including for own firms retail sales:1 Quantity (F)	     	     	     
Value2 (G)	     	     	     
Transfers to related firms:2 Quantity (H)	     	     	     
Value2 (I)	     	     	     
Export shipments:3 Quantity (J)	     	     	     
Value (K)	     	     	     
End-of-period inventories (Quantity) (L)	     	     	     
1 Please identify the foreign producers, if known:      . 2 Internal consumption and transfers to related firms must be valued at fair market value. If your firm uses a different basis for valuing these transactions in your records, please specify that basis (e.g., cost, cost plus, etc.):      . However, the data provided above in this table should be based on fair market value. 3 Identify your firm’s principal export markets:      .

RECONCILIATION OF SHIPMENTS, IMPORTS, AND INVENTORIES.--Generally, the data reported for the end-of-period inventories (i.e., line L) should be equal to the beginning-of-period inventories (i.e., line A), plus imports (i.e., line B), less total shipments (i.e., lines D, F, H, and J). Please ensure that any differences are not due to data entry errors in completing this form, but rather actually reflect your firm’s records; and also provide any likely explanations for any differences (e.g., theft, loss, damage, record systems issues, etc.) if they exist.

II-7a. U.S. imports from all other sources.–Continued

Reconciliation	Calendar years
	2016	2017	2018
A + B – D – F – H – J – L = should equal zero ("0"), if not, provide an explanation.1	 0	 0	 0
1 Explanation if the calculated fields above are returning values other than zero (i.e., “0”) but are nonetheless accurate:       .

II-7b. Channels of distribution: All other sources.--Report your firm’s non-retail level commercial U.S. shipments of U.S. imports from all other sources by channel of distribution.

All other sources

Item	Calendar years
	2016	2017	2018
	Quantity (in pounds, tare weight), value (in dollars)
Channels of distribution Non-retail level commercial U.S. shipments: To distributors Quantity (M)	     	     	     
Value (N)	     	     	     
To retailers Quantity (O)	     	     	     
Value (P)	     	     	     
To gas exchangers Quantity (Q)	     	     	     
Value (R)	     	     	     
To RV manufacturers Quantity (S)	     	     	     
Value (T)	     	     	     
To all other end users Quantity (U)	     	     	     
Value (V)	     	     	     

RECONCILIATION OF CHANNELS.--Please ensure that the quantities reported for channels of distribution (i.e., lines M through V) in each time period equal the quantity reported for non-retail commercial U.S. shipments (i.e., lines F and G) in each time period. If the calculated fields below return values other than zero (i.e., “0”), the data reported must be revised prior to submission to the Commission.

Reconciliation	Calendar years
	2016	2017	2018
Quantity: M + O + Q + S + U – F = should equal zero ("0"), if not, revise	 0	 0	 0
Value: : N + P + R + T + V – G = should equal zero ("0"), if not, revise	 0	 0	 0

II-7c. U.S. shipments by type: All other sources.--Report your firm’s U.S. shipments (i.e., inclusive of retail level commercial U.S. shipments, non-retail level commercial shipments, internal consumption, and transfers to related firms) of your firm's U.S. imports of steel propane from all other sources.

All other sources

Item	Calendar years
	2016	2017	2018
U.S. shipments.-- Capacity 20-pound cylinders.1 Quantity in units (W)	     	     	     
Quantity in pounds, tare weight (X)	     	     	     
Value in dollars (Y)	     	     	     
Capacity 30-pound cylinders.2 Quantity in units (Z)	     	     	     
Quantity in pounds, tare weight (AA)	     	     	     
Value in dollars (AB)	     	     	     
All other cylinder sizes. Quantity in units (AC)	     	     	     
Quantity in pounds, tare weight (AD)	     	     	     
Value in dollars (AE)	     	     	     
1 Please list the average and range of wall thickness sizes of your shipments of 20-pound steel propane cylinders:      . 2 Please list the average and range of wall thickness sizes of your shipments of 30-pound steel propane cylinders:      .

RECONCILIATION OF SHIPMENTS BY TYPE.--Please ensure that the quantities and values reported for US shipments by type (i.e., lines W through AE) in each time period equal the quantity and value reported for U.S. shipments (i.e., lines D through K) in each time period. If the calculated fields below return values other than zero (i.e., “0”), the data reported must be revised prior to submission to the Commission.

Reconciliation	Calendar years
	2016	2017	2018
Quantity: W + Z + AC – D – F – H – J = should equal zero ("0") if not, revise	 0	 0	 0
Value: : Y + AB + AE – E –G – I – K = should equal zero ("0") if not, revise	 0	 0	 0

II-8. Other explanations.--If your firm would like to further explain a response to a question in Part II for which a narrative response box was not provided, please note the question number and the explanation in the space provided below. Please also use this space to highlight any issues your firm had in providing the data in this section, including but not limited to technical issues with the MS Word questionnaire.

     

PART III.--PRICING AND MARKET FACTORS

Further information on this part of the questionnaire can be obtained from Amelia Preece (202-205-3250, amelia.preece@usitc.gov).

III-1. Contact information.--Please identify the responsible individual and the manner by which Commission staff may contact that individual regarding the confidential information submitted in part III.

Name	     
Title	     
Email	     
Telephone	     

PRICE DATA

III-2. This question requests quarterly quantity and value data for your firm’s commercial shipments to unrelated U.S. customers since January 1, 2016 of the following products your firm imported from China and Thailand. (Values reported should exclude the value of any accessories sold with the steel propane cylinders).

Product 1.--20-pound capacity steel cylinder for compressed or liquefied propane gas, without gauge, meeting the requirements of U.S. Department of Transportation specification 4BA.--Sold to RV manufacturers.

Product 2.--20-pound capacity steel cylinder for compressed or liquefied propane gas, without gauge, meeting the requirements of U.S. Department of Transportation specification 4BA.--Sold to gas exchangers.

Product 3.--20-pound capacity steel cylinder for compressed or liquefied propane gas, without gauge, meeting the requirements of U.S. Department of Transportation specification 4BA.--Sold to distributors.

Product 4.--20-pound capacity steel cylinder for compressed or liquefied propane gas, without gauge, meeting the requirements of U.S. Department of Transportation specification 4BA.--Sold to retailers.

Product 5.--30-pound capacity steel cylinder for compressed or liquefied propane gas, without gauge, meeting the requirements of U.S. Department of Transportation specification 4BA.--Sold to distributors.

Product 6.--30-pound capacity steel cylinder for compressed or liquefied propane gas, without gauge, meeting the requirements of U.S. Department of Transportation specification 4BA.--Sold to RV manufacturers.

Product 7.--30-pound capacity steel cylinder for compressed or liquefied propane gas, without gauge, meeting the requirements of U.S. Department of Transportation specification 4BA.--Sold to retailers.

Please note that values should be f.o.b., U.S. point of shipment and should not include U.S.-inland transportation costs. Values should reflect the final net amount paid to your firm (i.e., should be net of all deductions for discounts or rebates).

During January 2016-December 2018, did your firm import from China and Thailand and sell to unrelated U.S. customers any of the above listed products (or any products that were competitive with these products)?

	Yes.--Please complete the following pricing data tables as appropriate.
	No.--Skip to question III-3.

III-2a. Price data.--Report below the quarterly price data¹ for pricing products² imported from China and sold by your firm.

China

Report data in units (numbers of cylinders, not pounds tare weight) and dollars (not thousands).

(Quantity in units, value in dollars)
Period of shipment	Product 1		Product 2		Product 3		Product 4
	Quantity	Value	Quantity	Value	Quantity	Value	Quantity	Value
2016: January-March	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
April-June	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
July-September	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
October-December	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
2017: January-March	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
April-June	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
July-September	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
October-December	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
2018: January-March	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
April-June	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
July-September	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
October-December	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
1 Net values (i.e., gross sales values less all discounts, allowances, rebates, prepaid freight, and the value of returned goods), f.o.b. your firm’s U.S. point of shipment. 2 Pricing product definitions are provided on the first page of Part III. Note.--If your firm’s product does not exactly meet the product specifications but is competitive with the specified product, provide a description of your firm’s product. Also, please explain any anomalies in your firm’s reported pricing data. Product 1:       Product 2:       Product 3:       Product 4:      

III-2a. Price data.--Report below the quarterly price data¹ for pricing products² imported from China and sold by your firm.

China

Report data in units (numbers of cylinders, not pounds tare weight) and dollars (not thousands).

(Quantity in units, value in dollars)
Period of shipment	Product 5		Product 6		Product 7
	Quantity	Value	Quantity	Value	Quantity	Value
2016: January-March	     	     	     	     	     	     
April-June	     	     	     	     	     	     
July-September	     	     	     	     	     	     
October-December	     	     	     	     	     	     
2017: January-March	     	     	     	     	     	     
April-June	     	     	     	     	     	     
July-September	     	     	     	     	     	     
October-December	     	     	     	     	     	     
2018: January-March	     	     	     	     	     	     
April-June	     	     	     	     	     	     
July-September	     	     	     	     	     	     
October-December	     	     	     	     	     	     
1 Net values (i.e., gross sales values less all discounts, allowances, rebates, prepaid freight, and the value of returned goods), f.o.b. your firm’s U.S. point of shipment. 2 Pricing product definitions are provided on the first page of Part III. Note.--If your firm’s product does not exactly meet the product specifications but is competitive with the specified product, provide a description of your firm’s product. Also, please explain any anomalies in your firm’s reported pricing data. Product 5:       Product 6:       Product 7:      

III-2a. Price data.--Report below the quarterly price data¹ for pricing products² imported from Thailand and sold by your firm.

Thailand

Report data in units (numbers of cylinders, not pounds tare weight) and dollars (not thousands).

(Quantity in units, value in dollars)
Period of shipment	Product 1		Product 2		Product 3		Product 4
	Quantity	Value	Quantity	Value	Quantity	Value	Quantity	Value
2016: January-March	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
April-June	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
July-September	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
October-December	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
2017: January-March	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
April-June	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
July-September	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
October-December	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
2018: January-March	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
April-June	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
July-September	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
October-December	     	     	     	     	     	     	     	     
1 Net values (i.e., gross sales values less all discounts, allowances, rebates, prepaid freight, and the value of returned goods), f.o.b. your firm’s U.S. point of shipment. 2 Pricing product definitions are provided on the first page of Part III. Note.--If your firm’s product does not exactly meet the product specifications but is competitive with the specified product, provide a description of your firm’s product. Also, please explain any anomalies in your firm’s reported pricing data. Product 1:       Product 2:       Product 3:       Product 4:      

III-2a. Price data.--Report below the quarterly price data¹ for pricing products² imported from Thailand and sold by your firm.

Thailand

Report data in units (numbers of cylinders, not pounds tare weight) and dollars (not thousands).

(Quantity in units, value in dollars)
Period of shipment	Product 5		Product 6		Product 7
	Quantity	Value	Quantity	Value	Quantity	Value
2016: January-March	     	     	     	     	     	     
April-June	     	     	     	     	     	     
July-September	     	     	     	     	     	     
October-December	     	     	     	     	     	     
2017: January-March	     	     	     	     	     	     
April-June	     	     	     	     	     	     
July-September	     	     	     	     	     	     
October-December	     	     	     	     	     	     
2018: January-March	     	     	     	     	     	     
April-June	     	     	     	     	     	     
July-September	     	     	     	     	     	     
October-December	     	     	     	     	     	     
1 Net values (i.e., gross sales values less all discounts, allowances, rebates, prepaid freight, and the value of returned goods), f.o.b. your firm’s U.S. point of shipment. 2 Pricing product definitions are provided on the first page of Part III. Note.--If your firm’s product does not exactly meet the product specifications but is competitive with the specified product, provide a description of your firm’s product. Also, please explain any anomalies in your firm’s reported pricing data. Product 5:       Product 6:       Product 7:      

III-2b. Price data checklist.--Please check that the pricing data in question III-2a has been correctly reported.

Is the price data reported above:	√ if Yes
In actual dollars (not $1,000)?
In units (not pounds)?
F.o.b. U.S. point of shipment (i.e., does not include U.S. transport costs)?
Net of all discounts and rebates?
Have returns credited to the quarter in which the sale occurred?
Less than or equal to reported commercial shipments in part II in each year?
Value excludes the value of any accessories sold with the cylinders?
Quantity and value reported excludes product with gauges?

III-2c. Pricing data methodology.--Please describe the method and the kinds of documents/records that were used to compile your price data.

     

Note: As requested in Part I of this questionnaire, please keep all supporting documents/records used in the preparation of the price data, as Commission staff may contact your firm regarding questions on the price data. The Commission may also request that your company submit copies of the supporting documents/records (such as sales journal, invoices, etc.) used to compile these data.

III-3a. Imports for internal use or retail sale.--Did your firm import 20-pound steel propane cylinders for sales in your firm’s retail locations since January 1, 2016?

	Yes.--Please complete the following tables as appropriate.
	No.--Skip to question III-4.

III-3b. Imports for retail sale.--Report below the import cost data¹ for pricing products² imported from China, sold at your firm’s retail stores.

Please note that values should be landed, duty-paid and should not include U.S.-inland transportation costs. Values should reflect the final net amount paid by your firm (i.e., should be net of all returns, discounts, allowances, and rebates).

China – Purchase Cost Data

Report data in units/cylinders (not pounds) and dollars (not thousands).

	20-pound capacity steel cylinder for compressed or liquefied propane gas, without gauge, meeting the requirements of U.S. Department of Transportation specification 4BA. For your retail sales
	Quantity (units/cylinders)	Landed, duty-paid (LDP) value1 (dollars)
2016: January-March	     	     
April-June	     	     
July-September	     	     
October-December	     	     
2017: January-March	     	     
April-June	     	     
July-September	     	     
October-December	     	     
2018: January-March	     	     
April-June	     	     
July-September	     	     
October-December	     	     
1 LDP value (i.e., landed duty-paid 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). See “Import values” definition in Part II (Trade and Related Information – Definitions).  2 Pricing product definitions are provided on the first page of Part III. Note.--If your firm’s product does not exactly meet the product specifications but is competitive with the specified product, provide a description of your firm’s product. Also, please explain any anomalies in your firm’s reported pricing data.      

III-3c. Imports for retail sale.--Report below the import cost data¹ for pricing products² imported from Thailand, sold at your firm’s retail stores.

Please note that values should be landed, duty-paid and should not include U.S.-inland transportation costs. Values should reflect the final net amount paid by your firm (i.e., should be net of all returns, discounts, allowances, and rebates).

Thailand – Purchase Cost Data

Report data in units/cylinders (not pounds) and dollars (not thousands).

	20-pound capacity steel cylinder for compressed or liquefied propane gas, without gauge, meeting the requirements of U.S. Department of Transportation specification 4BA. For your retail sales
	Quantity (units/cylinders)	Landed, duty-paid (LDP) value1 (dollars)
2016: January-March	     	     
April-June	     	     
July-September	     	     
October-December	     	     
2017: January-March	     	     
April-June	     	     
July-September	     	     
October-December	     	     
2018: January-March	     	     
April-June	     	     
July-September	     	     
October-December	     	     
1 LDP value (i.e., landed duty-paid 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). See “Import values” definition in Part II (Trade and Related Information – Definitions).  2 Pricing product definitions are provided on the first page of Part III. Note.--If your firm’s product does not exactly meet the product specifications but is competitive with the specified product, provide a description of your firm’s product. Also, please explain any anomalies in your firm’s reported pricing data.      

III-3d. Inland transportation costs for your firm’s direct imports of steel propane cylinders for internal use or retail sale.--What is the approximate percentage of the total cost of the steel propane cylinders that you directly imported from China or Thailand that is accounted for by U.S. inland transportation costs from the port of importation to your distribution network or retail stores?

Country	Percent
China	     	%
Thailand	     	%

III-3e. Additional costs for your firm’s direct imports of steel propane cylinders for your firm’s internal use or retail sale.

1. If your firm reported direct import purchase costs above (question III-3a-d), please identify the factors (other than U.S. inland transportation costs or costs already included in landed duty-paid values) that add to your cost of importing directly since January 1, 2015. Estimate the share of the cost of the landed duty-paid value, and explain the specific costs associated with each category.

Factors	Estimated share of landed duty- paid value (percent)	Explanation
Logistical or supply chain management costs (not already included in LDP value)	     	     
Warehousing/inventory carrying costs (not already included in LDP value)	     	     
Insurance costs (not already included in LDP value)	     	     
Other1, please identify (     )	     	     
Other2, please identify (     )	     	     
Other3, please identify (     )	     	     

(ii) To which source(s) does your firm compare costs in determining your additional transaction costs to directly import?

U.S. importers	U.S. producers	Both	Neither

(iii) (a) Briefly identify the benefits of directly importing steel propane cylinders instead of purchasing steel propane cylinders from a U.S. importer or from a U.S. producer.

     

(b) Please provide the estimated margin saved by having directly imported steel propane cylinders instead of purchasing from a U.S. importer.       percent of landed duty-paid value.

(c) Explain any variation in the margin saved since January 1, 2016.

     

If your firm imports steel propane cylinders for retail sales or your own use please check here and skip to question III-13.

III-4. Price setting.--How does your firm determine the prices that it charges for sales of steel propane cylinders (check all that apply)? If your firm issues price lists, please submit sample pages of a recent list.

Transaction by transaction	Contracts	Set price lists	Other	If other, describe
				     

III-5. Discount policy.--Please indicate and describe your firm’s discount policies (check all that apply).

Quantity discounts	Annual total volume discounts	No discount policy	Other	Describe
				     

III-6. Pricing terms.--On what basis are your firm’s prices of imported steel propane cylinders from China and/or Thailand usually quoted (check one)?

Delivered	F.o.b.	If f.o.b., specify point
		     

III-7. Contract versus spot.--Approximately what share of your firm’s sales of steel propane cylinders imported from China and/or Thailand in 2018 was on a (1) short-term contract basis, (2) annual contract basis, (3) long-term contract basis, and (4) spot sales basis?

Item	Type of sale
	Short-term contracts (multiple deliveries for less than 12 months)		Annual contracts (multiple deliveries for 12 months)		Long-term contracts (multiple deliveries for more than 12 months)		Spot sales (for a single delivery)		Total (should sum to 100.0%)
Share of 2018 sales	     	%	     	%	     	%	     	%	 0.0	%

III-8. Contract provisions.—Please fill out the table regarding your firm’s typical sales contracts for steel propane cylinders from China and/or Thailand (or check “not applicable” if your firm does not sell on a long-term, short-term and/or annual contract basis).

Typical sales contract provisions	Item	Short-term contracts (multiple deliveries for less than 12 months)	Annual contracts (multiple deliveries for 12 months)	Long-term contracts (multiple deliveries for more than 12 months)
Average contract duration	No. of days	     	365	     
Price renegotiation (during contract period)	Yes
	No
Fixed quantity and/or price	Quantity
	Price
	Both
Indexed to raw material costs1	Yes
	No
Not applicable
1 Please identify the indexes used:      

III-9. Most favored purchaser agreement.--Does your firm have any most favored purchaser agreement or other agreement that guarantees that the price at which you sell steel propane cylinders to one or more customers will be at the lowest price offered by your firm?

No	Yes	If yes, please identify the purchasers, and the conditions of these agreements.
		     

III-10. Announcements of price changes.--Please submit any price change announcements you have provided to purchasers in 2016 through 2018 as an attachment to this questionnaire. Has your firm made any price change announcements in 2016 through 2018?

No	Yes	If yes, please provide these as an attachment to this questionnaire and discuss below the results of each announcement. If you have not provided these as an attachment please explain why below.
		     

III-11. Lead times.--What is your firm’s share of sales of steel propane cylinders imported from China and Thailand from inventory and produced to order and what is the typical lead time between a customer’s order and the date of delivery for your firm’s sales of steel propane cylinders?

Source	Share of 2018 sales		Lead time (Average number of days)
From your firm’s U.S. inventory	     	%	     
From foreign manufacturers’ inventory	     	%	     
Produced to order	     	%	     
Total (should sum to 100.0%)	 0.0	%

III-12. Shipping information.—

1. What is the approximate percentage of the cost of steel propane cylinders imported from China and Thailand that is accounted for by U.S. inland transportation costs?

      percent.

(b) Who generally arranges the transportation to your firm’s customers’ locations?

Your firm Purchaser (check one)

(c) When your firm sells steel propane cylinders imported from China and Thailand, from where is it shipped?

Point of importation Storage facility (check one)

(d) Indicate the approximate percentage of your firm’s sales of steel propane cylinders imported from China and Thailand that are delivered the following distances from your firm’s U.S. point of shipment.

Distance from your firm’s U.S. point of shipment	Share
Within 100 miles	     	%
101 to 1,000 miles	     	%
Over 1,000 miles	     	%
Total (should sum to 100.0%)	 0.0	%

IV-13. Geographical shipments.--In which U.S. geographic market area(s) has your firm sold steel propane cylinders imported from subject countries since January 1, 2016 (check all that apply)?

Geographic area	China	Thailand
Northeast.–CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, and VT.
Midwest.–IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, and WI.
Southeast.–AL, DE, DC, FL, GA, KY, MD, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, and WV.
Central Southwest.–AR, LA, OK, and TX.
Mountains.–AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, and WY.
Pacific Coast.–CA, OR, and WA.
Other.–All other markets in the United States not previously listed, including AK, HI, PR, and VI.

III-14. End uses.--List the end uses of the steel propane cylinders that your firm imports. For each end-use product, what percentage of the total cost of the end-use product is accounted for by steel propane cylinders and other inputs?

End-use product	Share of total cost of end-use product accounted for by				Total (should sum to 100.0% across)
	Steel propane cylinders		Other inputs
     	     	%	     	%	 0.0	%
     	     	%	     	%	 0.0	%
     	     	%	     	%	 0.0	%

III-15. Substitutes.--Can other products be substituted for steel propane cylinders?

No Yes--Please fill out the table.

Substitute		End use in which this substitute is used	Have changes in the price of this substitute affected the price for steel propane cylinders?
			No	Yes	Explanation
1.	     	     			     
2.	     	     			     
3.	     	     			     

III-16. Demand trends.--Indicate how demand within the United States and outside of the United States (if known) for steel propane cylinders has changed since January 1, 2016. Explain any trends and describe the principal factors that have affected these changes in demand.

Market	Overall increase	No change	Overall decrease	Fluctuate with no clear trend	Explanation and factors
Within the United States					     
Outside the United States					     

III-17. Product changes.--Have there been any significant changes in the product range, product features, product mix or marketing of steel propane cylinders since January 1, 2016?

No	Yes	If yes, please describe.
		     

III-18. Conditions of competition.—

1. Is the steel propane cylinder market subject to business cycles (other than general economy-wide conditions) and/or other conditions of competition distinctive to steel propane cylinders?

Check all that apply.		Please describe.
	No	Skip to question III-19.
	Yes-Business cycles (e.g., seasonal business)	     
	Yes-Other distinctive conditions of competition	     

2. If yes, have there been any changes in the business cycles or conditions of competition for steel propane cylinders since January 1, 2016?

No	Yes	If yes, describe.
		     

IV-19. Supply constraints.--Has your firm refused, declined, or been unable to supply steel propane cylinders since January 1, 2016 (examples include placing customers on allocation or “controlled order entry,” declining to accept new customers or renew existing customers, delivering less than the quantity promised, being unable to meet timely shipment commitments, etc.)?

No	Yes	If yes, please describe.
		     

III-20. Raw materials.--How have steel propane cylinders raw material prices changed since January 1, 2016?

Overall increase	No change	Overall decrease	Fluctuate with no clear trend	Explain, noting how raw material price changes have affected your firm’s selling prices for steel propane cylinders.
				     

III-21. Interchangeability.--Are steel propane cylinders produced in the United States and in other countries interchangeable (i.e., can they physically be used in the same applications)?

Please indicate A, F, S, N, or 0 in the table below:

A = the products from a specified country-pair are always interchangeable

F = the products are frequently interchangeable

S = the products are sometimes interchangeable

N = the products are never interchangeable

0 = no familiarity with products from a specified country-pair

Country-pair	China	Thailand	Other countries
United States (i.e., Manchester or Worthington)
China
Thailand
For any country-pair producing steel propane cylinders that is sometimes or never interchangeable, identify the country-pair and explain the factors that limit or preclude interchangeable use:      

III-22. Factors other than price.--Are differences other than price (e.g., quality, availability, transportation network, product range, technical support, etc.) between steel propane cylinders produced in the United States and in other countries a significant factor in your firm’s sales of the products?

Please indicate A, F, S, N, or 0 in the table below:

A = such differences are always significant

F = such differences are frequently significant

S = such differences are sometimes significant

N = such differences are never significant

0 = no familiarity with products from a specified country-pair

Country-pair	China	Thailand	Other countries
United States (i.e., Manchester or Worthington)
China
Thailand
For any country-pair for which factors other than price always or frequently are a significant factor in your firm’s sales of steel propane cylinders, identify the country-pair and report the advantages or disadvantages imparted by such factors:      

III-23. Customer identification.--List the names and contact information for your firm’s 10 largest unrelated U.S. customers for steel propane cylinders since January 1, 2016. Indicate the share of the quantity of your firm’s total shipments of steel propane cylinders that each of these customers accounted for in 2018.

Customer’s name		City	State	Share of 2018 sales (%)
1	     	     	     	     
2	     	     	     	     
3	     	     	     	     
4	     	     	     	     
5	     	     	     	     
6	     	     	     	     
7	     	     	     	     
8	     	     	     	     
9	     	     	     	     
10	     	     	     	     

III-24. Other explanations.--If your firm would like to further explain a response to a question in Part III for which a narrative response box was not provided, please note the question number and the explanation in the space provided below. Please also use this space to highlight any issues your firm had in providing the data in this section, including but not limited to technical issues with the MS Word questionnaire.

     

Correcting Valid number error messages.--If you are completing a Commission questionnaire in a country that uses periods (“.”) to delineate multiples of 1000 (e.g., one million would appear as $1.000.000 instead of as $1,000,000), you may be unable to enter in numbers greater than 999 in numeric form fields. This issues stem from your computer number formatting setting (e.g., not the MS Word document itself, but the computer from which you are opening up the document).  In the United States commas (,) delineate multiples of 1000 and periods (.) delineate fractions less than one.  Many EU countries use the reverse where multiples of 1000 are delineated with periods (.) and fractions less than one are delineated with commas (,). The US International Trade Commission’s questionnaires are set-up in the United States with the U.S. number formatting. When this formatting interacts with a computer set to EU number formatting, we believe this may cause this issue. 

The solution to this data entry issue is to temporarily change your operating system’s number formatting to be consistent with the U.S. number formatting system while you complete the questionnaire.

To temporarily change your computer’s number settings to U.S. settings, please do the following (for Microsoft Windows Operating system):

• START

• Control Panel

• Region and Language (under Clock, Language, and Region category)

• Format tab

• Change the Format from your existing one (e.g. “Italian (Italy)”) to “English (United States)” (see screen shots below)

When you do this the number “twelve million dollars and thirty five cents” would change from $12.000.000,35 (Italy format) to $12,000,000.35 (U.S. format), and then there will be no conflict with the questionnaire.  When you finish reporting the data then you can close the questionnaire and switch back to Italy settings.

HOW TO FILE YOUR QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSE

This questionnaire is available as a “fillable” form in MS Word format on the Commission’s website at:

https://www.usitc.gov/investigations/701731/2018/steel_propane_cylinders_china_and_thailand/final.htm.

Please do not attempt to modify the format or permissions of the questionnaire document. Please submit the completed questionnaire 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 MS Word questionnaire 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: PROP

• E-mail.—E-mail the MS Word questionnaire to Lawrence.jones@usitc.gov; include a scanned copy of the signed certification page (page 1). Submitters are strongly encouraged to encrypt nonpublic documents that are electronically transmitted to the Commission to protect your sensitive information from unauthorized disclosure. The USITC secure drop-box system and the Electronic Document Information System (EDIS) use Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 cryptographic algorithms to encrypt data in transit. Submitting your nonpublic documents by a means that does not use these encryption algorithms (such as by email) may subject your firm’s nonpublic information to unauthorized disclosure during transmission. If you choose a non-encrypted method of electronic transmission, the Commission warns you that the risk of such possible unauthorized disclosure is assumed by you and not by the Commission.

If your firm did not import this product, please fill out page 1, print, sign, and submit a scanned copy to the Commission.

Parties to this proceeding.—If your firm is a party to this proceeding, it is required to serve a copy of the completed questionnaire on parties to the proceeding that are subject to administrative protective order (see 19 CFR § 207.7). A list of such parties may be obtained from the Commission’s Secretary (202-205-1803). A certificate of service must accompany the completed questionnaire you submit (see 19 CFR § 207.7). Service of the questionnaire must be made in paper form.