US antidumping duties on Chinese activated carbon affirmed
The U.S. Department of Commerce has concluded its administrative review of antidumping duties on activated carbon imports from China for the 2023–2024 period, finding that certain Chinese exporters continued to sell below normal value. This final determination maintains existing duty rates on these products and affects importers sourcing activated carbon from China. Shippers and freight forwarders handling activated carbon shipments from China must verify their supplier's antidumping duty status and ensure proper landed-cost calculations reflect the applicable duty rates.
Photo: JC Terry / PexelsUS Confirms Antidumping Duties on Chinese Activated Carbon
On 23 April 2026, the U.S. Department of Commerce released its final results of the antidumping duty administrative review for certain activated carbon from the People's Republic of China. The review covered the period April 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024.
Commerce determines that certain exporters under review sold certain activated carbon from the People's Republic of China in the United States at prices below normal value (NV) during the period of review (POR) April 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024.
Who Is Affected
U.S. importers of activated carbon (HS Chapter 38, tariff code likely 3802.90) sourced from China are directly affected. Exporters reviewed in this administrative proceeding that were found to have sold at below normal value remain subject to antidumping duty assessment. Shippers, freight forwarders, and e-commerce merchants handling activated carbon shipments from China must classify shipments correctly and account for applicable antidumping duties in their landed-cost calculations.
Administrative Review Process
This final determination concludes the annual administrative review of antidumping duties originally imposed on Chinese activated carbon. The review examined pricing and sales data during the 12-month period ending March 31, 2024. Commerce's finding that certain exporters continued to sell below normal value supports continuation of antidumping duty rates on those suppliers' shipments.
Key Implications for Trade Compliance
Importers must verify whether their Chinese activated carbon suppliers were subject to individual company duty rates (company-specific rates), the all-others rate, or the China-wide entity rate. Duty rates determined in this review apply retroactively to entries made during the review period and inform future assessments. Proper Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) classification of activated carbon and accurate supplier identification are critical to avoid duty underpayment penalties and customs disputes.
What this means for shippers
If you import activated carbon from China, confirm your supplier's antidumping duty status immediately—company-specific rates may differ significantly from all-others rates. Recalculate landed costs for all Chinese activated carbon shipments using the final duty rates from this review. Failure to apply the correct rate exposes you to duty assessments, interest, and penalties. Check your recent entries and adjust pricing with customers now. /hs-codes/search
