U.S. slaps duties on China steel pipe, lawn device

WASHINGTON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. Commerce Department on Tuesday set final import duties of about 36 to 40 percent on steel line pipe from China it said was unfairly subsidized and also announced preliminary duties ranging up to nearly 255 percent on certain lawn grooming equipment from China.

The two vastly different products are part of a growing list of Chinese manufactured goods that have been hit with U.S. duties in response to industry complaints of unfair pricing practices and government subsidies.

The Commerce Department has imposed 76 antidumping or countervailing duties against Chinese goods since the Bush administration took office in 2001, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said in a speech on Tuesday.

United States Steel Corp. (X.N) and two Texas pipe producers filed a petition in April asking for duties on Chinese-made circular welded line pipe, which is used to ship oil and natural gas.

Imports of the pipe from China increased from $25.1 million in 2005 to more than ten times that level, or $256.1 million, last year.

Commerce set a 40.05 percent duty on the Liaoning Northern Steel Pipe Co, a 35.63 percent duty on the Huludao family of companies and a 37.84 percent duty on all other suppliers.

In the other case involving tow-behind lawn groomers and certain of their parts, the Commerce Department imposed a 254.52 percent preliminary duty on shipments from Maxchief Investments, Qingdao EA Huabang Instrument Co, Qingdao Hundai Tools Co, Qingdao Taifa Group Co and World Factory Inc.

Other companies were hit with a lower duty of 2.77 percent, while Princeway Furniture Co and Princeway Ltd escaped any duty because the Commerce Department said they received Chinese government subsidies of less than 1 percent.

The United States imported $8.92 million of the lawn groomers from China last year, up from $2.3 million in 2005. (Reporting by Doug Palmer; Editing by Eric Walsh)