Samling Group, one of the three mandatory companies in the Department of Commerce's (DOC) antidumping investigation of Chinese engineered hardwood flooring, has received a preliminary antidumping rate of zero after filing for a review by the DOC for alleged clerical errors. Before the review, Samling was the only mandatory company not to receive a zero rate.

“It was confirmed that the DOC made significant errors during their original complex calculation process. Correct calculations have resulted in assigning a zero for Samling, 6.78% for the over 70 companies on the Separate Rates List and 27.12% for the small number of imports affected by the countrywide rate. These rates are in effect until October,” said Jonathan Train, president of the Alliance for Free Choice and Jobs in Flooring.

“We are very pleased that the DOC has now recognized that there was zero dumping by all three mandatories. Commerce had total discretion to amend the various other AD rates after the correction of clerical errors that sent the Samling rate down from 10.88% to zero -- and they used that discretion to produce a result where almost all flooring imports will be subject to either 0% or less than 10% additional duties (total for countervailing and antidumping together) until the fall,” Train added.

Train said his organization has begun a new round of recruiting and fund-raising, including sheduling an “industry-wide” conference call on June 29.