WASHINGTON - The US Commerce Department on Wednesday launched anti-dumping duty and countervailing duty investigations against imports of cold-drawn mechanical tubing from China, Germany, India, Italy, the Republic of Korea and Switzerland.

The investigations are in response to a request from five US steel tubular products manufacturers, the Commerce Department said in a statement.

They alleged that producers in each of these six countries were dumping cold-drawn mechanical tubing in the US market with margins ranging from 12 percent to 209.06 percent.

They also claimed that the governments of China and India were providing improper subsidies to producers of cold-drawn mechanical tubing, the department said.

The US International Trade Commission (ITC), another US trade authority, is scheduled to make its preliminary inquiry determinations around June 5.

The probe will continue if the ITC determines that there is a reasonable indication that imports of cold-drawn mechanical tubing from these countries materially injure or threaten the domestic industry of the United States.

Cold-drawn mechanical tubing is a tubular product with a circular cross-sectional shape that has been cold-drawn or otherwise cold-finished in a manner that involves a change in the diameter or wall thickness of the tubing, the department said.

Last year, imports of cold-drawn mechanical tubing from China were estimated at about $29.4 million, according to the department.

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