AEC Secures Extended Trade Relief for U.S. Extruders

The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) announced that the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) extended the domestic industry’s relief from dumped and subsidized imports of aluminum extrusions from China.

The ITC made its decision under a required five-year “sunset review” covering extrusions. The ITC determines whether or not the termination of antidumping and countervailing duty orders would likely lead to the continuation or recurrence of material injury to the domestic industry.

“The ITC’s affirmative determination in this sunset review means the U.S. industry does not revert back to a time when unfairly traded imports made it difficult for U.S. extruders to stay in business,” says Jeff Henderson, AEC president. “This decision allows the U.S. aluminum extrusion industry to compete on a level playing field. We look forward to helping the U.S. government enforce these orders against bad actors trying to evade them.”

In 2010, several AEC members formed the Aluminum Extrusions Fair Trade Committee (AEFTC) – an ad hoc coalition of U.S. aluminum extrusion manufacturers – to file antidumping and countervailing duty petitions against aluminum extrusions from China. The AEFTC prevailed in those proceedings and secured tariff protection from the unfairly traded imports, saving an estimated 1.2 billion pounds per year of U.S. production of extrusions from being lost to China.

With the help of counsel, the AEC secured countervailing duties under orders as high as 245% and dumping duties as high as 86%.

“These margins make all the difference for our members,” says Henderson.