Commerce Finds 'Bathroom Furniture' Outside Wooden Bedroom Furniture Scope
The Commerce Department in a June 28 scope ruling concluded that five models of wooden floor cabinets imported by Teamson are not covered by the scope of the antidumping duty order on wooden bedroom furniture from China. Teamson filed its ruling request in February, asking Commerce to find that its floor standing wooden cabinets for bathrooms are outside the scope of the AD order. Teamson said its cabinets are designed as compact bathroom cabinets to store items such as soap, shampoos, towels and toiletries without taking up much space.
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The AD order covers wooden bedroom furniture, which is "generally, but not exclusively, designed, manufactured, and offered for sale in coordinated groups, or bedrooms, in which all of the individual pieces are of approximately the same style and approximately the same material and/or finish." The order covers merchandise made "substantially of wood products," whether or not assembled, completed or finished.
Teamson said its cabinets are specifically excluded as non-bedroom furniture under the plain language of the scope. In addition, the cabinets have features unfit for storing clothing, including a low profile and compact design. Four of the five cabinets do not have drawers, Teamson said. The petitioners -- the American Furniture Manufacturers Committee for Legal Trade and Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Company, Inc. -- took no position on whether Teamson's cabinets were in scope.
Commerce agreed with Teamson, saying the items were unlike many of the example furniture pieces, which are described as having doors. Commerce found that the one piece with doors was also outside the scope despite having characteristics similar to a door chest. An example of a chest covered by the orders is “typically a chest with hinged doors to store clothing, whether or not containing drawers.” While Commerce said that Teamson’s linen tower has hinged doors and drawers, the chest is not as deep as bedroom furniture for storing clothing.