Chinese Tile Tariffs Reach Up Beyond 450%

 WASHINGTON – U.S. imports of Chinese ceramic tile are now subject to preliminary tariffs totaling 271% to 459%.

The massive temporary duties came in early November after an agency of the federal Department of Commerce determined that Chinese ceramic-tile producers and exporters sold product at less-than-market-value in the United States.

The Nov. 7 decision from the U.S. International Trade Administration (USITA) issued preliminary anti-dumping tariffs ranging from 103.95% to 356.02%. When coupled with previously announced countervailing (subsidy) tariffs, the total rates can exceed 450%.

The USITA finding – formally a preliminary determination – instructs U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials to collect the fees on imports as deposits that could be refunded if the tariffs aren’t finalized.

The USITA will make its final determination on the Chinese ceramic-tile tariffs by March 20 next year. Ultimate authority belongs to the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), which will make its decision by May 4.

Determining the exact tariff on Chinese ceramic tile is complicated by several factors, including ownership of some producers by non-Chinese companies. The USITA declared a separate effective tariff rate for 99 companies (“the 99”) exporting from a variety of companies .

The anti-dumping tariff may also vary for the same material from a manufacturer, with a higher rate if the manufactured exported the tile directly than if the tile is exported by another entity.

The USITA set a rate of 233.72% for products made and exported by Belite Ceramics (Anyang), 103.95% for tile exported by Foshan Sanfi Import and Export, and 167.66% for ceramic tile from the 99 selected exporters.

Any Chinese ceramic tile exported by any other company is subject to a country-wide anti-dumping tariff of 356.02%.

The Chinese ceramic-tile countervailing tariffs are much easier – all companies but one have a rate of 103.77%. The only exception is Temgoo International Trading Ltd. at 222.24%.

The combination of anti-dumping and countervailing preliminary tariffs results in a schedule of:

The 99 group of exporters: 271.43%
Belite Ceramics (Anyang): 337.49%
Tengoo Intl. Trading Ltd.: 389.9%
All others: 459.79%

In addition, Chinese ceramic tile is subject to the 25% blanket, or Section 301 tariffs, placed on virtually all Chinese imports to the U.S. by the Trump administration.

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