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New Trade Case on Imports of Wood Mouldings and Millwork Products from Brazil and China

January 8, 2020

New U.S. antidumping (“AD”) and Countervailing (“CVD”) petitions were filed on January 7, 2020 by the Coalition of American Millwork Producers against imports of Wood Mouldings and Millwork Products from Brazil and China.

The merchandise subject to this investigation consists of wood mouldings and millwork products that are made of wood (regardless of wood species), laminated veneer lumber (LVL), or of wood and composite materials (where the composite materials make up less than 50 percent of the total merchandise), and which are woodwork or building materials that are produced in a mill or otherwise undergo remanufacturing. The full scope of the merchandise covered is set forth below.

The petition includes AD (less than fair value) allegations against Brazil and China and CVD (unfair subsidy) allegations against China. The Department of Commerce (“DOC”) and the International Trade Commission (“ITC”) will conduct the investigations.  Within the next 45 days, the ITC will determine if the imports are injuring the U.S. industry. If the ITC finds injury, then the case will move to the DOC which will calculate the preliminary AD and CVD duty margins. The DOC’s preliminary determinations are currently scheduled for April 1, 2020 (CVD) and June 15, 2020 (AD), which are the dates when importers will be required to deposit the calculated duties upon the products’ entry in the U.S. market.

There is a strict statutory deadline associated with this proceeding and affected companies are advised to prepare as soon as possible. If this product is of interest to you, please let us know so that we can provide you with additional information as it becomes available.

The following are key facts about this trade case:

Petitioner: Coalition of American Millwork Producers (the "Coalition" or "Petitioner"). The Coalition is comprised of Bright Wood Corporation, Cascade Wood Products, Inc., Endura Products, Inc., Sierra Pacific Industries, Sunset Moulding, Woodgrain Millwork Inc., and Yuba River Moulding.

Foreign Producers/Exporters and US Importers: Please contact us for a listing of individual companies named in the petition.

Alleged AD and CVD margins: Petitioners have alleged the following AD and CVD margins:

  • Brazil- a calculated AD margin of 268.74%
  • China- a calculated AD margin ranging from 289.70% to 361.83% for an average margin of 325.765 and a CVD margin above de minimus.

Merchandise covered by the scope of the case:

The merchandise subject to this investigation consists of wood mouldings and millwork products that are made of wood (regardless of wood species), laminated veneer lumber (LVL), or of wood and composite materials (where the composite materials make up less than 50 percent of the total merchandise), and which are woodwork or building materials that are produced in a mill or otherwise undergo remanufacturing.

The covered products include, but are not limited to, the following: interior and exterior door frames or jambs (including split, flat, stop applied, single- or double-rabbeted), frame or jamb kits, packaged door frame trim or casing sets, mullions, mull posts, mouldings (crowns, beds, coves, quarter rounds, half rounds, base shoes, astragals, shelf edge/screen moulds, glass bead mouldings, base caps, brickmould, panel mouldings, drip caps, corner guards, shingle/panel mouldings, battens, closet rod, hand rails, rounds, squares, screen/"surfaced on 4 sides" (S4S) and/ or "surface 1 side, 2 edges" (S1S2E) stock (also called boards) that are finger jointed and/or coated with any surface coating (including primed), lattice, dowels, picture moulding, wainscot/ply cap, back bands, chair rails), stops, sashes, base mouldings, casing, trim, panel strips, shelf cleats, chamfer strips, inside corners, window stools (flat/rabbeted), sills, door stiles, thresholds/saddles, decorative wood mouldings (embossed, dentil, carved rope moulding), rosettes, plinth blocks, interior siding, including nickel gap or shiplap, that is LVL or finger jointed and/or coated with any surface coating (including primed), and finger-jointed or edge-glued moulding or millwork blanks (whether or not resawn).

The covered products may be solid wood, laminated, finger-jointed, edge-glued, or otherwise joined in the production or remanufacturing process and are covered by the scope whether imported raw, coated (e.g., gesso, polymer, or plastic), primed, painted, stained, wrapped (paper or vinyl overlay), any combination of the aforementioned surface coatings, treated, or which incorporate rot-resistant elements (whether wood or composite). The covered products are covered by the scope whether or not any surface coating(s) or covers obscures the grain, textures, or markings of the wood, whether or not they are ready for use or require final machining (e.g. endwork/dado, hinge/strike machining, weatherstrip or application thereof, mitre) or packaging.

All wood mouldings and millwork products are included within the scope even if they are trimmed; cut-to-size; notched; punched; drilled; or have undergone other forms of minor processing.

Subject merchandise also includes wood mouldings and millwork products that have been further processed in a third country, including but not limited to trimming, cutting, notching, punching, drilling, coating, or any other processing that would not otherwise remove the merchandise from the scope of the investigations if performed in the country of manufacture of the in-scope product.

Excluded from the scope of this investigation are exterior fencing, exterior decking and exterior siding products, finished and unfinished doors, flooring, and parts of stair steps.

Excluded from the scope of this investigation are all products covered by the scope of the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on Hardwood Plywood from the People's Republic of China. See Certain Hardwood Plywood Products from the People's Republic of China: Amended Final Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, and Antidumping Duty Order, 83 Fed. Reg. 504 (Jan. 4, 2018); Certain Hardwood Plywood Products from the People's Republic of China: Countervailing Duty Order, 83 Fed. Reg. 513 (Jan. 4,2018).

Excluded from the scope of this investigation are all products covered by the scope of the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on Multilayered Wood Flooring from the People's Republic of China. Multilayered Wood Flooring From the People's Republic of China: Amended Final Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and Antidumping Duty Order, 76 Fed. Reg. 76,690 (Dec. 8, 2011); Multilayered Wood Flooring from the People's Republic of China: Countervailing Duty Order, 76 Fed. Reg. 76,693 (Dec. 8, 2011).

Imports of wood mouldings and millwork products are primarily entered under the following Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) numbers: 4409.10.4010, 4409.10.4090, 4409.10.4500, 4409.10.5000, 4409.22.4000, 4409.22.5000, 4409.29.4000, 4409.29.4100, 4409.29.5000, and 4409.29.5100. Imports of wood mouldings and millwork products may also enter under HTSUS numbers: 4409.10.6000, 4409.10.6500, 4409.22.6000, 4409.22.6500, 4409.29.6100,4409.29.6600,4418.99.9095 and 4421.99.9780. While the HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the scope of these investigations is dispositive.

If you have any questions regarding the content of this alert, please contact Mark Ludwikowski (mludwikowski@clarkhill.comkwilliams@clarkhill.comwsjoberg@clarkhill.comcgtaylor@clarkhill.com

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