Anti-Dumping Duties: How to Check If Your Product Is Affected

You source a product from China at a great price. You calculate duties at 5% based on the HS code. You import 5,000 units. Six months later, CBP sends you a bill for USD 47,000 in anti-dumping duties you did not know existed. This is not hypothetical — it happens to importers every day. Anti-dumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) are the hidden landmines of international trade, and this guide will help you avoid stepping on one.

What are anti-dumping and countervailing duties?

AD/CVD are additional duties on top of normal tariff rates. They exist to counteract unfair trade practices:

Anti-dumping duties (ADD)

Imposed when a foreign manufacturer sells goods in the US at less than "fair value" — meaning below the price in their home market or below production cost. The duty is calculated to offset the price difference (the "dumping margin").

Example: A Chinese steel manufacturer sells steel in China for USD 800/ton but exports to the US at USD 500/ton. The dumping margin is USD 300/ton (37.5%), and the anti-dumping duty would be approximately 37.5% of the US import value.

Countervailing duties (CVD)

Imposed when a foreign government provides subsidies to its manufacturers that give them an unfair price advantage in the US market. The duty offsets the subsidy benefit.

Example: A government provides free land, below-market loans, and tax holidays to solar panel manufacturers. The subsidy benefit is calculated at 15% of the export price, so a 15% CVD is imposed.

Key facts

• AD/CVD are in addition to normal MFN duties and Section 301 tariffs
• They are country-specific and often company-specific (different exporters get different rates)
• Rates can be astronomical — 50%, 100%, 200%, even 400%+
• They apply based on country of origin (where the product was manufactured), not country of export
• They can be imposed retroactively (up to 90 days before the preliminary determination)

Products commonly affected by AD/CVD

As of 2026, hundreds of products from dozens of countries are subject to AD/CVD orders. The most commonly affected categories:

From China (largest number of orders)

• Steel and aluminum products: Nearly all forms — pipe, tube, plate, sheet, wire, nails, screws, fittings
• Solar panels and cells: Crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells and modules
• Furniture: Wooden bedroom furniture, mattresses
• Tires: Passenger vehicle and light truck tires
• Chemicals: Citric acid, glycine, saccharin, various industrial chemicals
• Paper products: Thermal paper, certain coated paper
• Ceramics: Porcelain-on-steel cookware, certain tiles
• Textiles: Certain woven ribbons, narrow woven fabrics
• Hardware: Hand trucks, steel wire garment hangers, ironing tables
• Food: Honey, garlic, crawfish, shrimp, mushrooms
• Electronics components: Certain magnets, transformers

From other countries

• Vietnam: Steel, shrimp, fish fillets, certain solar cells
• India: Steel products, shrimp, certain chemicals, stainless steel flanges
• South Korea: Steel products, certain paper, washing machines
• Turkey: Steel products, certain pasta
• Indonesia: Certain paper, biodiesel
• Thailand: Certain steel, shrimp

How to check if your product is affected

This is the most important section. Check BEFORE you source, not after your container is on the water.

Step 1: Identify your HS code

You need the correct 8-digit or 10-digit HTS code for your product. See our HS code lookup guide for help with classification.

Step 2: Search the ITC AD/CVD database

The US International Trade Commission maintains the official database of all active AD/CVD orders:

1. Go to orders.usitc.gov
2. Search by product keyword, HS code, or country
3. Review active orders that match your product
4. Note the case number, country, and scope description

Step 3: Read the scope description carefully

AD/CVD orders have a "scope" that defines exactly which products are covered. The scope is written in plain language (not just HS codes) and can be very specific or very broad. Read it carefully to determine if your exact product falls within scope.

Example scope language: "The merchandise covered by this order is certain steel nails having a shaft length up to 12 inches. Included are, but not limited to, parsing nails, finishing nails, common nails, box nails, sinker nails, roofing nails..."

Step 4: Check the current duty rates

AD/CVD rates are published in Federal Register notices and updated annually through administrative reviews. Find current rates at:

• CBP's AD/CVD message system: Search by case number
• Commerce Department (ITA): enforcement.trade.gov
• Federal Register: Search for the case number + "final results"

Step 5: Confirm with your customs broker

Always verify with a licensed customs broker. They deal with AD/CVD daily and can:

• Confirm whether your specific product falls within scope
• Identify the correct case number and current rate
• Advise on scope exclusions or exceptions
• Help with scope rulings if your product is borderline

How AD/CVD rates work

AD/CVD rates are more complex than normal tariffs:

Company-specific rates

Unlike normal tariffs (same rate for everyone), AD/CVD rates can differ by exporter:

• Individual rate: Assigned to specific companies that participated in the investigation. Can be 0% to 400%+.
• All-others rate: Applied to companies from the same country that did not participate. Usually a weighted average of individual rates.
• China-wide rate (for China): Applied to Chinese companies that did not demonstrate independence from the government. Often the highest rate (sometimes 200%+).

Cash deposit vs final assessment

This is where AD/CVD gets tricky:

1. At import: You pay a cash deposit (estimated duty) based on the most recent rate
2. Annual review: Commerce Department reviews actual prices and recalculates the rate
3. Liquidation: Your entry is liquidated at the final rate — which may be higher or lower than your deposit
4. If final rate > deposit: You owe the difference (potentially years after import)
5. If final rate < deposit: You get a refund

This means your AD/CVD liability is not final until liquidation — which can take 2–4 years after import. You might import at a 30% deposit rate and later get a bill for 80%. This uncertainty is one of the biggest risks of importing AD/CVD products.

New shipper reviews

If your Chinese supplier is new (not covered by a previous review), they get the "all-others" or "China-wide" rate by default. They can request a "new shipper review" to get their own individual rate — but this takes 12–18 months and requires their cooperation with Commerce Department investigators.

Real-world AD/CVD rate examples (2026)

Product	Country	AD Rate	CVD Rate	Combined
Steel nails	China	21.2–118.0%	0–15.4%	Up to 133%
Wooden bedroom furniture	China	0–216.0%	N/A	Up to 216%
Honey	China	183.8–221.0%	N/A	Up to 221%
Passenger tires	China	14.4–87.9%	2.0–30.5%	Up to 118%
Solar cells/modules	China	15.9–238.9%	14.8–15.2%	Up to 254%
Crawfish tail meat	China	91.5–223.0%	N/A	Up to 223%
Certain steel pipe	India	3.3–135.8%	2.1–18.9%	Up to 155%
Shrimp	Vietnam	0–25.8%	N/A	Up to 26%

Notice the range: some companies get 0% while others get 200%+. The rate depends on which specific manufacturer/exporter you buy from.

The financial impact on importers

Let's calculate the real cost impact:

Example: Importing steel wire nails from China

• Product value (FOB): USD 50,000
• Normal MFN duty (HTS 7317.00): 0% (free)
• Section 301 tariff: 25%
• Anti-dumping duty: 118% (China-wide rate)
• Countervailing duty: 15.4%

Total duty calculation:

• Section 301: USD 50,000 × 25% = USD 12,500
• Anti-dumping: USD 50,000 × 118% = USD 59,000
• Countervailing: USD 50,000 × 15.4% = USD 7,700
• Total duties: USD 79,200 on a USD 50,000 shipment

You pay more in duties than the product costs. This is why AD/CVD can make certain products completely unviable to import from affected countries.

How to protect your business

1. Always check before sourcing

Make AD/CVD screening part of your product research process. Before you request quotes from suppliers, check if the product category has active AD/CVD orders against the source country.

2. Get a scope ruling for borderline products

If your product is similar to — but not exactly — a product covered by an AD/CVD order, you can request a scope ruling from the Commerce Department. This gives you a definitive answer on whether your product is in or out of scope.

Cost: Free to file, but you may want legal counsel (USD 2,000–10,000 for a trade attorney to prepare the request).

Timeline: 6–12 months for a decision.

3. Source from non-affected countries

AD/CVD orders are country-specific. If Chinese steel nails have 118% AD duty, nails from Taiwan or Mexico may have 0% AD duty (assuming no order exists against those countries for that product).

Caution: Do NOT simply route Chinese goods through a third country. This is illegal circumvention. The goods must actually be manufactured in the alternative country.

4. Use a supplier with a low individual rate

If you must source from an affected country, find a supplier that has its own low individual rate (from participating in administrative reviews). Some Chinese companies have 0% or very low AD rates while the China-wide rate is 200%.

Verify the supplier's rate through Commerce Department records. Get documentation proving your goods come from that specific manufacturer.

5. Request a scope exclusion

Some AD/CVD orders have exclusions for specific product variations. For example, an order on "steel nails" might exclude stainless steel nails or nails with specific coatings. Check the scope language carefully for exclusions that might apply to your product.

6. Monitor for new cases

New AD/CVD investigations are initiated regularly. A product that is AD/CVD-free today might have a case filed next month. Monitor:

• ITC investigation notices
• Commerce Department Federal Register notices
• Industry trade publications
• Your customs broker's alerts

The investigation process

Understanding how AD/CVD cases work helps you anticipate risk:

Timeline (approximately 12–18 months)

1. Petition filed by US industry (Day 0)
2. ITC preliminary determination — injury test (45 days)
3. Commerce preliminary determination — dumping/subsidy margin (160–210 days)
4. Cash deposits begin at preliminary rate
5. Commerce final determination (75 days after preliminary)
6. ITC final determination — injury confirmed (45 days after Commerce final)
7. AD/CVD order issued

Critical point: Retroactive duties

Once Commerce makes a preliminary determination, cash deposits are required on all imports from that date forward. But Commerce can also impose duties retroactively up to 90 days before the preliminary determination (in cases of "critical circumstances" — massive import surges). This means you could import a product today and get hit with AD duties on that shipment months later.

Circumvention: What NOT to do

CBP and Commerce actively investigate circumvention schemes. Do not:

Transshipment

Shipping Chinese goods through Vietnam, Malaysia, or another country to avoid China-specific AD/CVD. CBP uses country-of-origin rules — if the product was manufactured in China, it is Chinese regardless of where it shipped from.

Minor processing

Sending Chinese components to a third country for minor assembly or processing to claim a different origin. Commerce has "substantial transformation" tests — minor operations (repackaging, labeling, simple assembly) do not change origin.

Misclassification

Declaring a different HS code to avoid an AD/CVD order. CBP examines goods and can reclassify them. Penalties for intentional misclassification include fraud charges.

Undervaluation

Declaring a lower value to reduce the AD/CVD duty amount. CBP has sophisticated tools to detect undervaluation, including comparing your declared values to market prices and other importers' declarations.

Penalties for circumvention

• Full AD/CVD duties assessed retroactively
• Civil penalties up to 4× the duty amount
• Criminal penalties (fines and imprisonment) for fraud
• Seizure of goods
• Debarment from importing

AD/CVD and Amazon FBA sellers

FBA sellers are particularly vulnerable to AD/CVD issues because:

• Many source from China without trade compliance expertise
• Product research focuses on demand and competition, not trade compliance
• Low-cost products from China are often in categories with AD/CVD orders (hardware, kitchenware, certain textiles)
• The delayed liquidation system means a massive bill can arrive 2 years after import

FBA seller checklist

1. Before sourcing any product, search orders.usitc.gov for your product category + China
2. Ask your customs broker specifically about AD/CVD exposure
3. If your product is in a category with active orders, get a definitive scope determination
4. Factor potential AD/CVD into your margin calculations — if the product is borderline in scope, the risk may not be worth it
5. Keep records of your supplier's identity and manufacturing location (you may need to prove origin)

Getting help

AD/CVD is one of the most complex areas of trade law. When to get professional help:

• Customs broker: For basic AD/CVD screening and entry filing. Every broker should check this.
• Trade attorney: For scope rulings, new shipper reviews, administrative review participation, or if you receive an unexpected AD/CVD bill. Budget USD 5,000–50,000+ depending on complexity.
• Trade consultant: For supply chain restructuring to legally avoid AD/CVD (sourcing from alternative countries, qualifying for exclusions).

Bottom line

Anti-dumping and countervailing duties are the most dangerous hidden cost in importing. They can turn a profitable product into a catastrophic loss overnight. The fix is simple: check before you source. Spend 10 minutes on the ITC database and 5 minutes with your customs broker before committing to any product from China or other frequently-targeted countries. The cost of checking is zero. The cost of not checking can be hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Start by understanding your baseline duty exposure with our tariff calculator, then layer in AD/CVD research for a complete picture of your import costs. And for the full import process, see our China-to-USA import guide.