Washington -- The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has voted to reject antidumping duties on imports of structural steel beams from eight markets.

In a 4-1 vote June 17, the commissioners made a negative final determination finding that the imports did not injure or threaten U.S. industry.

Imposition of antidumping duties requires affirmative final determinations both from the Department of Commerce on dumping and from the USITC on injury.

Dumping is the sale of an export below the home-market or a third-country price or below the cost of production. The dumping margin is the price difference expressed as a percentage of the export price.

In May and June the Commerce Department issued affirmative final determinations that dumping occurred, calculating the dumping margins as follows:

-- China: Maanshan, zero; China-wide rate, 89.17 percent.
-- Germany: SWT, 8.09 percent; Salzgitter, 35.75 percent; all others, 8.09 percent.
-- Italy: Duferdofin, S.p.A., and all others, 0.01 percent.
-- Luxembourg: ProfilARBED and all others, 6.14 percent.
-- Russia: Nizhny Tagil Iron and Steel Works and Russia-wide rate, 230.66 percent.
-- South Africa: Highveld and all others, 5.17 percent.
-- Spain: Aceralia Corporacion Siderurgica, S.A., and all others, 5.29 percent.
-- Taiwan: Kuei Yi Industrial Co. Ltd., 13.11 percent; Tung Ho Steel Enterprise Corp., 5.21 percent; all others, 10.70 percent.

In another development, the USITC has advanced a dumping investigation into some lawn and garden steel fence posts from China but not others. The commissioners made a preliminary determination that evidence of injury or threat to U.S. industry sufficed at least to let the investigation proceed for U-shaped posts. A preliminary determination from Commerce is expected by September.

The commissioners made a negative determination on other steel fence posts from China, ending in the first phase that part of the case.