U.S. Tile Manufacturers Seek Unfair-Trade Tariffs on India
ANDERSON, S.C.— A group of U.S. manufacturers will seek special tariffs, possibly more that 800%, on ceramic-tile imports from India.
The Coalition for Fair Trade in Ceramic Tile (CFTCT) petitioned the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) today to investigate anti-dumping and countervailing (anti-subsidy) practices concerning production and shipment of Indian ceramic tile.
The anti-dumping petition is seeking tariffs between 408% to 828% on the customs value of Indian ceramic tile, claiming “massive and widespread dumping,” according to a news release from the Tile Council of North America.
Additional anti-subsidy tariffs, according to the TCNA, would ”remedy the impact of numerous Indian government subsidies – subsidies that have further injured domestic manufacturers.”
“American tile manufacturers have always welcomed fair competition from imports,” said Eric Astrachan, TCNA executive director. “In fact, U.S. manufacturers have plentiful deposits of clay and feldspar, an efficient and well-respected labor force, local community support, state-of-the-art equipment, and affordable energy – so much so that major exporters from Italy, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, and China have built facilities in the U.S. from which to compete on a global scale.
“However, Indian tile producers enjoy substantial government subsidies, which in conjunction with selling excess capacity at dumped prices, has allowed them to flood the U.S. market. Over the last 10 years, sales of tile from India have increased from a mere 344,000 ft² in 2013 to nearly 405 million ft² feet by the end of 2023.
“Our domestic manufacturers had no alternative but to petition the federal government for relief from these unjust trading practices. The vitality of the U.S. industry and the livelihoods of thousands of employees and their families within our member companies depend on it.”
The CFTCT previously petitioned in 2019 for similar action against ceramic-tile producers in China. The resulting investigation led to the USITC approving total unfair-trade tariffs on Chinese ceramic tile, depending on the manufacturer/exporter, of 565.52% to 689.41%
The U.S. manufacturers filing today’s petition, according to the TCNA news release, represents more than 90% of domestic production. The CFTCT in 2019 included American Wonder Porcelain; Florida Tile Inc.; Crossville Inc.; Florim USA; Dal-Tile Corporation; Landmark Ceramics; Del Conca USA Inc; and StonePeak Ceramics.
The USITC will conduct a preliminary investigation and, if it finds sufficient evidence, will issue temporary tariffs within a few months. on Indian ceramic-tile shipments. After further investigation, a final determination will be made, most likely in 14 to 16 months after the initial filing of the petition.
