Published July 13, 2026. Antidumping (ADD) and Countervailing Duties (CVD) are separate from standard tariffs and Section 301 — and can add hundreds of percent to your duty obligation. Here’s how to find out if your imports are affected.
What Are Antidumping and Countervailing Duties?
Antidumping Duties (ADD) and Countervailing Duties (CVD) are trade remedy measures administered by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and the International Trade Administration (ITA) within the Department of Commerce. Unlike standard tariffs and Section 301 measures, ADD and CVD are imposed in response to specific trade injury findings — not as broad policy tools.
Antidumping Duties (ADD): Applied when a foreign manufacturer sells goods in the U.S. at prices below their home-market cost or selling price — a practice called ‘dumping.’ ADD is designed to offset the price advantage the dumping gives foreign producers and level the playing field for U.S. manufacturers.
Countervailing Duties (CVD): Applied when a foreign government provides subsidies — grants, loans at below-market rates, tax incentives, or other financial assistance — that artificially lower the cost of production and give foreign manufacturers an unfair price advantage in the U.S. market.
How ADD and CVD Rates Are Determined
ADD and CVD rates are highly specific — set on a per-manufacturer, per-country, and per-product basis following formal investigations by ITA. The investigation process typically takes 12–18 months and results in specific duty rates for identified exporters (named rates) and an ‘all others’ rate for manufacturers who were not individually investigated.
The rate structure has a critical quirk that catches many importers off guard:
Cash Deposit Rate vs. Final Assessment Rate: When a new ADD/CVD order is established, CBP collects duties at the ‘cash deposit rate’ — an estimated rate based on the investigation. However, every year, ITA conducts an ‘administrative review’ that calculates the actual dumping margin for the prior year. If the final calculated rate differs from the cash deposit rate, importers either receive a refund (if cash deposits were too high) or receive a bill for the difference (if cash deposits were too low).
This means importers can receive surprise duty bills — sometimes for hundreds of thousands of dollars — years after importation, when the administrative review is concluded.
How to Check if Your Product Is Subject to ADD or CVD
Step 1 — Search the USITC ADD/CVD database: The U.S. International Trade Commission maintains a searchable database of all active ADD and CVD orders at usitc.gov. Search by product description and country of origin.
Step 2 — Check CBP’s ADCVD order list: CBP maintains its own reference of active orders with scope descriptions at cbp.gov/trade/priority-issues/antidumping-and-countervailing-duties.
Step 3 — Look up the rate for your specific manufacturer: ADD/CVD rates vary by exporter. Once you know an order applies to your product, find the specific rate for your supplier (or the ‘all others’ rate if your supplier wasn’t individually investigated).
Step 4 — Verify scope coverage: ADD/CVD orders have a specific ‘scope’ — a technical description of which products are covered. Your product may or may not fall within scope depending on specifications, dimensions, or processing state. Scope determinations can be requested from ITA if coverage is unclear.
Common ADD/CVD Product Categories (Chinese Imports)
Active High-Rate Orders on Chinese Goods (Examples)
- Steel products: Many forms of carbon steel and alloy steel from China — rates often 25–100%+
- Aluminum extrusions: ADD + CVD combined rates can exceed 400% for some Chinese manufacturers
- Solar cells and panels: ADD + CVD orders that stack on top of Section 301 tariffs
- Wooden furniture and cabinets: Various ADD orders with rates from 15–300%+
- Seafood (shrimp, crawfish): ADD orders with rates varying by species and exporter
- Tires: Various ADD/CVD orders on passenger, truck, and off-road tires
- Chemicals and plastics: Multiple orders on specific chemical compounds
- Paper and packaging: ADD/CVD on various paper products
The ADD Rate Trap — How to Protect Yourself
The most dangerous aspect of ADD for importers is the retrospective rate adjustment. You pay the cash deposit rate at import, but the final rate can be significantly different. Importers who have been paying what they believed was a 5% ADD rate have received ITA review results showing a final rate of 25%, 50%, or higher — resulting in massive retrospective duty bills.
How to protect yourself:
- Verify your supplier’s specific ADD rate before placing orders — the ‘all others’ rate and individual rates can differ dramatically
- Consider duty deposits in your pricing: Don’t assume the cash deposit rate is final — price conservatively
- Monitor ITA administrative review notices: If your products are subject to an active ADD/CVD order, watch for annual review initiation notices in the Federal Register
- Request a scope ruling: If coverage is uncertain, get an ITA scope ruling before importing significant volumes
- Work with a customs broker experienced in ADD/CVD: The nuances of scope, rate calculation, and review monitoring require specialist knowledge
Are Your Imports Subject to ADD or CVD? Find Out Now.
FreightClear.com’s licensed customs brokers screen every shipment for ADD/CVD exposure, verify manufacturer-specific rates, and monitor administrative review proceedings that could affect your duty liability.
