The United States initiates anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations into certain amine compounds from China, with the maximum tariff reaching 352.32%.

2026-10-22 09:37:48Source:ChemNet中文

On October 20, 2026, Eastern Time, the U.S. Department of Commerce officially announced the launch of anti-dumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations into certain amine compounds originating from China.

The investigation was initiated by U.S. enterprises Evonik Corporation and Huntsman International LLC. Once the final ruling is issued, relevant Chinese exporting enterprises will face high tariffs ranging from 97.71% to 352.32%, and China’s polyurethane catalyst industry will face obvious pressure on exports to the U.S.

The U.S. alleges that the dumping margin of the involved Chinese products ranges from 244.94% to 352.32%; it also determines that the subsidy rate of the involved products exceeds the de minimis standard (2%), meeting the conditions for initiating a countervailing duty investigation.

Screenshot of the U.S. Department of Commerce Announcement

According to U.S. Customs statistics, the U.S. imported approximately $375 million worth of such amine compounds from China in 2024, and the import value dropped to $235 million in 2025; Chinese products hold a 30% market share in the U.S. and are one of the core sources of such products for the U.S.

Definition of Involved Products and Downstream Applications

The investigation targets amine catalysts used in the reaction of isocyanates with hydroxyl-containing substances such as polyols and water, which are core auxiliaries in polyurethane systems and widely used in flexible polyurethane foam, rigid foam, coatings, adhesives, elastomers, and other fields.

The corresponding HTSUS tariff numbers for the involved products mainly include: 2909.11.00.00, 2922.19.96.90, 2921.29.00.55, 2934.99.90.01, and may also fall under subheadings 2921.21.00.00 and 3815.90.50.00.

Downstream Subdivided Application Fields

1. Flexible Polyurethane Foam: Furniture sponges, mattresses, car seats, headrests, etc., are the largest application segment of the catalysts involved in this investigation;

2. Rigid Polyurethane Foam: Building insulation spray foam, refrigerator/freezer insulation layers, pipeline insulation materials;

3. Other Systems: Polyurethane coatings, adhesives, sealants, elastomers, etc.

There is a key rule of origin in this investigation: For goods processed in a third country through mixing, dilution, component adjustment, etc., if the materials contain amine compounds originating from China, such amine compounds shall still be deemed as originating from China, and it is impossible to avoid this dual investigation through simple overseas processing.

Overview of Major Domestic Manufacturers and Production Capacity

The involved amine compounds are essentially tertiary amine catalysts for polyurethane. Domestic manufacturers are concentrated in the polyurethane auxiliary sector, with leading enterprises supporting the entire industrial chain and small and medium-sized manufacturers focusing on specialty amines:

1. Wanhua Chemical is the leader in China’s polyurethane catalyst industry. Relying on the MDI entire industrial chain synergy, its core products include N,N-dimethylcyclohexylamine (DMCHA), pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA), etc., covering all scenarios of tertiary amine catalysts for flexible foam and rigid foam. Its total production capacity of tertiary amine catalysts is 68,000 tons per year, with a leading domestic market share. It also supports its own downstream polyurethane demand and is an important enterprise for exports to the U.S.

2. Jiangsu Meiside is a professional leader in polyurethane auxiliaries, with two production bases in Nanjing and Jilin. Its production capacity of organic amine catalysts is 25,000 tons per year, supporting silicone foam stabilizers. Its products cover furniture flexible foam, home appliance rigid foam, and other fields, and are widely supplied to domestic and overseas polyurethane compound material manufacturers.

3. Jiangsu Yake Technology is a high-end tertiary amine catalyst manufacturer, specializing in high-purity specialty amines, with outstanding advantages in building insulation and refrigerator rigid foam. Its production capacity of tertiary amine catalysts is 49,000 tons per year, and it can provide customized catalyst formula products.

4. Zhejiang Huangma Technology is an integrated enterprise of surfactants and polyurethane auxiliaries, with a production capacity of 36,000 tons per year for tertiary amine catalysts. It has long-term supporting cooperation with home appliance insulation material enterprises, and its rigid foam catalysts are stably delivered in the market.

5. Anhui Hengguang is a specialty amine catalyst enterprise for polyurethane materials (Hengguang New Materials). Its existing amine catalyst production capacity is 3,000 tons per year; after all the under-construction specialty amine projects are put into operation, the total production capacity of specialty amines can reach 20,000 tons per year, focusing on low-odor, high-performance polyurethane amine catalysts.

6. Liyang Jiangdian Chemical has been deeply engaged in polyurethane catalysts for many years, with a total production capacity of 1,200 tons per year for various polyurethane amine catalysts. Its products cover subdivided categories such as flexible foam, high-resilience foam, and melamine catalysis.

Brief Analysis of Industry Impact

This dual investigation targets core polyurethane catalysts, not end foam products. If the final high tariffs are imposed, the export competitiveness of relevant domestic enterprises directly exporting to the U.S. will be greatly weakened.

On the one hand, domestic manufacturers may accelerate their response to the investigation and adjust their export strategies; on the other hand, downstream furniture, automobile, and insulation material enterprises in the U.S. will face rising raw material costs. U.S.-based Huntsman and Evonik, as the applicants of this investigation, will directly benefit from the import tariff barriers.

Industry insiders remind that domestic exporting enterprises should sort out their product tariff numbers and origin determinations as soon as possible, evaluate the feasibility of responding to the investigation, and at the same time develop non-U.S. markets such as Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America to reduce their dependence on the single U.S. market.

Subsequently, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) will make a preliminary ruling on industry injury within 45 days, and then a series of procedures such as the preliminary and final rulings of the Department of Commerce will be carried out in sequence.

https://news.chemnet.com/news-10973.html