The US International Trade Commission (USITC) announced a unanimous determination that unfairly-traded imports of aluminium foil from five countries have materially injured US producers. 

The USITC’s determination brings to a successful conclusion investigations that were initiated following the filing of petitions requesting relief by the Aluminum Association’s Foil Trade Enforcement Working Group on September 29, 2020.

“We are thrilled with today’s unanimous determination, which will provide much-needed relief from a second wave of unfairly-traded imports from five countries that hammered domestic producers just as they were beginning to recover from an onslaught of imports from China,” said Aluminum Association vice president for market growth and development Ryan Olsen. 

“This decision will help ensure that domestic producers can make full use of the more than $500 million in foil-related capital investments made in recent years. 

“Those investments were made based on the expectation that healthy market conditions would follow from a 2018 decision to apply tariffs on unfair imports from China.

“We greatly appreciate the work of the US International Trade Commission and its staff to come to this fair decision that will help level the playing field for American manufacturers.” 

As a result of the determination, the US Department of Commerce will publish in the coming weeks unfair trade orders on imports of aluminium foil from Armenia, Brazil, Oman, Russia, and Turkey. 

In 2019, the value of U.S. imports of aluminium foil from these countries was approximately $272 million. 

The forthcoming antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders will result in duty deposit requirements as follows: 

The aluminium foil that is subject to the unfair trade investigations includes flat-rolled aluminium products that are 0.2 mm or less in thickness (less than 0.0079 inches) in reels weighing more than 25 pounds and that is not backed. 

The determination does not cover etched capacitor foil or foil that has been cut to shape.

Certain aluminium foil is used extensively in food and pharmaceutical packaging, household foil, thermal insulation, cables, electronics, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (“HVAC”) applications and other heat transfer products where properties such as light weight, resistance to corrosion, and formability are desired.