The US Commerce Department announced Tuesday that it initiated anti-dumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations against imports of boltless steel shelving from China.

Boltless steel shelving is used for storage purposes in homes, garages, offices, and commercial and industrial operations.

The investigations are in response to a request from Edsal Manufacturing Company based in the state of Illinois. The company alleged that the products from China were sold below the fair value of the products in the US market with dumping margin of 40 percent to 211 percent, and Chinese producers and exporters also received improper government subsidies.

The International Trade Commission (ITC), the US trade authority, was scheduled to make its preliminary inquiry determinations on AD and CVD around Oct. 10 this year.

The probes will continue if the ITC determines that the imports of such products from China materially injure or threaten the domestic industry of the United States. The Commerce Department will then make its preliminary determinations of CVD in November 2014 and AD in February next year respectively.

Imports of these products from China were estimated at about 1. 97 billion US dollars last year, according to US official data.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has been urging Washington repeatedly to abide by its commitment against protectionism and help maintain a free, open and just international trade environment.