US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced earlier this week the final determination in antidumping duty (AD) investigations, finding that emulsion styrene-butadiene (ESB) rubber from Brazil, Korea, Mexico, and Poland were being sold in the US market at unfair prices.

The Commerce Department determined that exporters from Brazil, Korea, Mexico, and Poland sold emulsion styrene-butadiene rubber in the United States at 19.61 percent, 9.66 percent to 44.30 percent, 19.52 percent, and 25.43 percent, respectively at less than fair value based on factual evidence provided by the interested parties.

The US producers who filed these cases are Lion Elastomers LLC (Port Neches, TX) and East West Copolymer, LLC (Baton Rouge, LA).

The Commerce Department will instruct US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to collect cash deposits from importers of emulsion styrene-butadiene rubber from Brazil, Korea, Mexico, and Poland based on these final rates.

In 2016, imports of ESB rubber from the four countries were estimated at $56.8 million, over 93 percent of which came from Brazil and Mexico. ESB rubber has numerous industrial uses, from automobile tires to adhesives to floor tiles.

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) is conducting investigations to determine whether or not the domestic industry is harmed by imports of emulsion styrene-butadiene rubber from Brazil, Korea, Mexico, and Poland. The ITC is currently scheduled to make its final injury determination on or before August 24, 2017.

If the ITC makes an affirmative final injury determination, Commerce will issue antidumping orders. If the ITC makes a negative final determination of injury, the investigation will be terminated and no order will be issued.

Foreign companies that price their products in the US market below the cost of production or below prices in their home markets are subject to AD duties. In fiscal year 2016, the United States collected $1.5 billion in duties on $14 billion of imported goods found to be underpriced or subsidized by foreign governments. From January 20, 2017, through July 11, 2017, Commerce initiated 49 antidumping and countervailing duty investigations.