Notice2026-01176
Polypropylene Corrugated Boxes From the People's Republic of China: Final Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
January 22, 2026
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentInternational Trade Administration
Abstract
The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that polypropylene corrugated boxes (corrugated boxes) from the People's Republic of China (China) are being, or is likely to be, sold in the United States at less-than-fair-value (LTFV). The period of investigation (POI) is July 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 14 (Thursday, January 22, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 14 (Thursday, January 22, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2739-2741]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-01176]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A-570-207]
Polypropylene Corrugated Boxes From the People's Republic of
China: Final Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value
AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that
polypropylene corrugated boxes (corrugated boxes) from the People's
Republic of China (China) are being, or is likely to be, sold in the
United States at less-than-fair-value (LTFV). The period of
investigation (POI) is July 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024.
DATES: Applicable January 22, 2026.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan Alexander, AD/CVD Operations,
Office II, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-4313.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On August 28, 2025, Commerce published in the Federal Register the
Preliminary Determination in this investigation and invited interested
parties to comment.\1\ We received no comments regarding the
Preliminary Determination; therefore, no decision memorandum
accompanies this notice.
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\1\ See Polypropylene Corrugated Boxes from the People's
Republic of China: Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at
Less Than Fair Value, 90 FR 19182 (August 28, 2025) (Preliminary
Determination), and accompanying Preliminary Decision Memorandum
(PDM).
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Due to the lapse in appropriations and Federal Government shutdown,
on November 14, 2025, Commerce tolled all deadlines in administrative
[[Page 2740]]
proceedings by 47 days.\2\ Additionally, due to a backlog of documents
that were electronically filed via Enforcement and Compliance's
Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service
System (ACCESS) during the Federal Government shutdown, on November 24,
2025, Commerce tolled all deadlines in administrative proceedings by an
additional 21 days.\3\ Accordingly, the deadline for this final
determination is now January 15, 2026.
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\2\ See Memorandum, ``Deadlines Affected by the Shutdown of the
Federal Government,'' dated November 17, 2025.
\3\ See Memorandum, ``Tolling of all Case Deadlines,'' dated
November 24, 2025.
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Scope of the Investigation
The products covered by this investigation are corrugated boxes
from China. For a complete description of the scope of this
investigation, see the appendix to this notice.
Scope Comments
We received no comments from interested parties on the scope of the
investigation as it appeared in the Preliminary Determination.
Therefore, we made no changes to the scope of the investigation.
China-Wide Entity and Use of Adverse Facts Available (AFA)
For the purposes of this final determination, consistent with the
Preliminary Determination,\4\ we relied solely on the application of
AFA for the China-wide entity, pursuant to sections 776(a) and (b) of
the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). Further, because no
companies are eligible for a rate separate from the China-wide entity,
we continue to find that all Chinese producers or exporters of
corrugated boxes are part of the China-wide entity. Because no
interested parties submitted comments on the Preliminary Determination,
we made no changes to our analysis or to the China-wide entity's
dumping margin for the final determination. A detailed discussion of
our application of AFA is provided in the Preliminary Determination.\5\
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\4\ See Preliminary Determination PDM at 3-8.
\5\ Id.
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Verification
Because no companies participated in this investigation, Commerce
was unable to select respondents; thus, we did not conduct
verification.\6\
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\6\ See Preliminary Determination, 90 FR at 41989.
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Combination Rates
Because no Chinese exporters qualified for a separate rate,
producer/exporter combination rates were not calculated for this final
determination.
Final Determination
The final estimated weighted-average dumping margin is as follows:
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Weighted-average
Exporter and producer dumping margin Cash deposit rate ((adjusted for
(percent) subsidy offset) (percent))
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China-wide Entity..................................... * 83.64 82.21
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* Rate based on facts available with adverse inferences
Disclosure
Normally, Commerce will disclose to the parties in a proceeding the
calculations performed in connection with a final determination within
five days of any public announcement or, if there is no public
announcement, within five days of the date of publication of the notice
of final determination in the Federal Register, in accordance with 19
CFR 351.224(b). However, because Commerce continues to find that all
Chinese producers and exporters of corrugated boxes are part of the
China-wide entity and continues to rely solely on the application of
AFA for the China-wide entity, there are no calculations to disclose
for this final determination.
Continuation of Suspension of Liquidation
In accordance with section 735(c)(1)(B) of the Act, Commerce will
instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to continue to
suspend liquidation of subject merchandise, as described in the
appendix to this notice, entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for
consumption on or after August 28, 2025, which is the date of
publication of the affirmative Preliminary Determination in the Federal
Register, at the cash deposit rate indicated above.
Pursuant to section 735(c)(1)(B)(ii) of the Act and 19 CFR
351.210(d), we will instruct CBP to require a cash deposit for such
entries of merchandise equal to the amount by which the normal value
exceeds the U.S. price as follows: (1) for all Chinese producers or
exporters of subject merchandise, the cash deposit rate will be equal
to the estimated dumping margin established for the China-wide entity,
adjusted for the subsidy offset as appropriate; and (2) for all third
country exporters of subject merchandise, the cash deposit rate is also
the cash deposit rate applicable to the China-wide entity, adjusted for
the subsidy offset as appropriate. These cash deposit requirements will
remain in effect until further notice.
To determine the antidumping duty cash deposit rate, Commerce
normally adjusts the estimated weighted-average dumping margin by the
amount of domestic subsidy pass-through and export subsidies determined
in a companion countervailing duty (CVD) proceeding. Accordingly, where
Commerce has made a final affirmative determination of countervailable
export subsidies, Commerce offsets the estimated weighted-average
dumping margin by the appropriate CVD rate. Commerce has continued to
adjust the cash deposit rate for export subsidies found in the
companion CVD investigation by the appropriate export subsidy rate as
indicated in the above chart. If the U.S. International Trade
Commission (ITC) makes a final affirmative determination of injury due
to both dumping and subsidies, then the cash deposit rate will be
revised effective on the date of the imposition of final measures,
i.e., the date of publication of the ITC's final affirmative
determination in the Federal Register, to be the estimated weighted-
average dumping margin adjusted for export subsidies and domestic
subsidy pass-through, as appropriate.
U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) Notification
In accordance with section 735(d) of the Act, we will notify the
ITC of our final affirmative determination of sales at LTFV. We will
allow the ITC access to all privileged and business proprietary
information in our files, provided the ITC confirms that it will not
disclose such information, either publicly or under an administrative
protective order (APO), without the written consent of the Assistant
[[Page 2741]]
Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.
Because the final determination in this proceeding is affirmative,
in accordance with section 735(b)(2) of the Act, the ITC will make its
final determination as to whether the domestic industry in the United
States is materially injured, or threatened with material injury, by
reason of imports of corrugated boxes from China no later than 45 days
after our final determination. If the ITC determines that material
injury or threat of material injury does not exist, the proceeding will
be terminated and all cash deposits will be refunded. If the ITC
determines that such injury does exist, Commerce intends to issue an
antidumping duty order, in accordance with section 736(a) of the Act,
directing CBP to assess, upon further instruction by Commerce,
antidumping duties on all imports of the subject merchandise that are
entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the
effective date of the suspension of liquidation, as discussed above in
the ``Continuation of Suspension of Liquidation'' section.
Administrative Protective Order
In the event that the ITC issues a final negative injury
determination, this notice will serve as the only reminder to parties
subject to an APO of their responsibility concerning the disposition of
proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR
351.305(a)(3). Timely written notification of the return/destruction of
APO materials or conversion to judicial protective order is hereby
requested. Failure to comply with the regulations and terms of an APO
is a violation which is subject to sanction.
Notification to Interested Parties
This determination is issued and published in accordance with
sections 735(d) and 777(i) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.210(c).
Dated: January 15, 2026.
Christopher Abbott,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Negotiations, performing the
non-exclusive functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for
Enforcement and Compliance.
Appendix
Scope of the Investigation
The merchandise covered by this investigation is polypropylene
corrugated boxes. Polypropylene corrugated boxes are boxes, bins,
totes, or other load-bearing containers made for holding goods, that
are made of corrugated polypropylene sheets, also known as
polypropylene hollow core sheets, polypropylene fluted sheets,
polypropylene twin wall sheets, or multi wall sheets. Such
polypropylene sheets are ``corrugated,'' ``fluted,'' or ``hollow
core,'' meaning the inside of the sheet contains channels or pockets
of air which make the sheets lightweight, while retaining strength
and durability. Polypropylene corrugated boxes are typically
produced from a plastic resin consisting of 50 percent or more
polypropylene. Polypropylene corrugated boxes are covered by the
scope irrespective of the particular mix of polypropylene homo-
polymer, polypropylene co-polymer, recycled or virgin polypropylene,
or ancillary chemicals such as electrostatic agents or flame
retardants. Polypropylene corrugated boxes are formed by corrugated
polypropylene sheets cut to length, die-cut into specific box
shapes, and may be cut or scored to allow each side of the box to be
folded into shape. Polypropylene corrugated boxes may include a tab
or attached portion of polypropylene corrugated sheet (commonly
referred to as a ``manufacturer's joint'') that has been cut,
slotted, or scored to facilitate the formation of the box by
stapling, gluing, welding, or taping the sides together to form a
tight seal. One-piece polypropylene corrugated boxes are die-cut or
otherwise formed so that the top, bottom, and sides form a single,
contiguous unit. Two-piece polypropylene corrugated boxes are those
with a folded bottom and a folded top as separate pieces. Multi-
piece polypropylene corrugated boxes are those with separate bottoms
and tops that are fitted to a single folded piece comprising the
sides of the box. Polypropylene corrugated boxes may be printed with
ink or digital designs.
The subject merchandise includes polypropylene corrugated boxes
with or without handles, with or without lids or tops, with or
without reinforcing wire, whether in a one-piece, two-piece, or
multi-piece configuration, and whether folded into shape or in an
unfolded form. The subject merchandise includes all polypropylene
corrugated boxes regardless of size, shape, or dimension. The
subject merchandise also includes polypropylene corrugated box lids
or tops when imported separately from polypropylene corrugated
boxes.
The products subject to this investigation are currently
classified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States
(HTSUS) under statistical reporting number 3923.10.9000. Although
the HTSUS statistical reporting number is provided for convenience
and customs purposes, the written description of the merchandise is
dispositive.
[FR Doc. 2026-01176 Filed 1-21-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on January 22, 2026.
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