Over the last several years, many US importers have called me after learning they are facing liability for antidumping and countervailing duties on a number of different products. These duties can be in the millions of dollars, even though the importers did not know the products they were importing were covered by US antidumping and countervailing duty orders. Too few companies realize they can be held liable for duties for importing products into the United States.
This post highlights the breadth of products currently subject to antidumping and countervailing duty orders and it should serve as a warning to anyone in the United States who imports those products.
If you were an importer of solar rechargers for RV units are you aware your product is covered by the US antidumping order on solar cells from China? If you were importing curtain walls/the sides of buildings, auto parts, geodesic domes, and lighting equipment, do you know all these products are covered by US antidumping and countervailing duty orders against aluminum extrusions?
The US presently has more than 130 antidumping and countervailing duty orders against China and hundreds of additional such orders against imports from other countries. The orders against Chinese products block more than $30 billion in imports and they can stay in place for 5 to 30 years. The orders can also expand to cover downstream products, such as curtain walls, solar cell consumer products, and gardening equipment.
With regards to China, more than 80 of the antidumping and countervailing duty orders are against raw materials, chemicals, metals and various steel products, used in downstream US production. In the Steel area, there are orders against the following Chinese steel products: carbon steel plate, hot rolled carbon steel flat products, circular welded and seamless carbon quality steel pipe, rectangular pipe and tube, circular welded austenitic stainless pressure pipe, steel threaded rod, oil country tubular goods, steel wire strand and wire, high pressure steel cylinders, non-oriented electrical steel, and carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod.
There are ongoing investigations against cold-rolled steel and corrosion resistant/galvanized steel so almost all Chinese steel products from China are blocked by US antidumping and countervailing duty orders.
In addition to steel, other metal products, such as metallurgical coke, magnesium, silicon metal, and graphite electrodes, which are used in downstream steel production, are also blocked by antidumping orders. Electrolytic Manganese Dioxide used to produce batteries is also covered, which led Panasonic to close its US battery factory and move to China. The Magnesium orders have led to the destruction of the US Magnesium Dye Casting industry and to the movement of light weight auto parts production to Canada.
In addition to steel and metal products, chemicals products, such as polyvinyl alcohol, barium carbonate, potassium permanganate, activated carbon, glycine, swimming pool chemicals, citric acid, and calcium hypochlorite, are covered by orders.
In addition to raw materials, many household products are covered by antidumping and countervailing duty orders as well, including ironing tables, steel sinks, wood flooring, wooden bedroom furniture, steel shelving, and steel cooking ware. Other consumer products covered are: tires, hand trucks, lawn groomers, steel nails, paper clips, pencils, ribbons, paper products, gift wrap and heavy forged hand tools.
Food products, such as shrimp, honey, crawfish and garlic, are also covered by antidumping orders against China and other countries.
At this point, any product being imported into the United States from China is at least somewhat import sensitive and thus at some risk of being attacked by US trade actions. This means you as an importer should monitor the products you import for any potential trade sanctions. And if you should be hit with sanctions, you can (and probably should) request an antidumping or countervailing duty review investigation to get the rates reduced.