WASHINGTON — The Commerce Department on Tuesday imposed duties of 4.4 percent to 44.3 percent on certain types of polyester staple fiber from China.
The action came after a preliminary determination found that the fibers, used as filling for ski jackets and other products, were sold into the U.S. at prices below fair market value. The antidumping tariffs come on top of the 4.3 percent regular duty rate.
Commerce is scheduled to make its final determination Feb. 28 and the U.S. International Trade Commission then must give its stamp of approval on April 14. Should the case pass these reviews, the duties will stand for five years, when they come up for sunset review.
Last year, China shipped 194.9 million pounds of polyester fiberfill to the U.S., valued at $111.6 million. The U.S. industry that produces the polyester staple consists of eight firms employing 1,043 people, who turned out 552.4 million pounds of the fiber in 2005.
DAK Americas, Nan Ya Plastics Corp. and Wellman Inc. petitioned the Bush administration to undertake the investigation last June. DAK was also part of a successful antidumping case on polyester staple coming from South Korea and Taiwan in which duties were first imposed in 1999 and reimposed in 2005.
Global exports of textiles had the third-highest number — after chemicals and plastics — of antidumping measures imposed from Jan. 1 through June 30, according to a World Trade Organization report. In the first half of 2006, 15 WTO members imposed 71 antidumping measures, which included nine in the textiles and apparel sector, 23 in chemicals and 14 in plastics, according to the report, a significant number of them against Chinese exports.