Notice2026-01177
Polypropylene Corrugated Boxes From the People's Republic of China: Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination
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 countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters of polypropylene corrugated boxes (corrugated boxes) from the People's Republic of China (China). The period of investigation is January 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 2734-2736]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-01177]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[C-570-208]
Polypropylene Corrugated Boxes From the People's Republic of
China: Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination
AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that
countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters
of polypropylene corrugated boxes (corrugated boxes) from the People's
Republic of China (China). The period of investigation is January 1,
2024, through December 31, 2024.
DATES: Applicable January 22, 2026.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rachel Accorsi or Shane Subler, AD/CVD
Operations, Office VIII, Enforcement and Compliance, International
Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-3149 or (202)
482-6241, respectively.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On August 20, 2025, Commerce published in the Federal Register the
Preliminary Determination in this investigation and invited interested
parties to comment.\1\ In the Preliminary Determination, and in
accordance with section 705(a)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended
(the Act) and 19 CFR 351.210(b)(4), Commerce aligned the final
countervailing duty (CVD) determination with the final determination in
the companion less-than-fair-value (LTFV) investigation of corrugated
boxes from China.\2\ On September 19, 2025, Commerce received a timely
letter in lieu of a case brief from the petitioners \3\ stating that
Commerce should make no changes to the Preliminary Determination.\4\
Based on our review, we made changes to the selected non-responsive
company rate based on facts available with adverse inferences (AFA).\5\
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\1\ See Polypropylene Corrugated Boxes from the People's
Republic of China: Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty
Determination, and Alignment of Final Determination With Final
Antidumping Duty Determination, 90 FR 40564 (August 20, 2025)
(Preliminary Determination), and accompanying Preliminary Decision
Memorandum (PDM).
\2\ See Preliminary Determination, 90 FR at 40565.
\3\ The petitioners are CoolSeal USA Inc., Inteplast Group
Corporation, SeaCa Plastic Packaging, and Technology Container Corp.
\4\ See Petitioners' Letter, ``Petitioners' Letter in lieu of
Case Brief,'' dated September 19, 2025.
\5\ See Memorandum, ``Information Accompanying the Federal
Register Notice for the Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty
Determination,'' dated concurrently with this notice.
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Due to the lapse in appropriations and Federal Government shutdown,
on November 14, 2025, Commerce tolled all deadlines in administrative
proceedings by 47 days.\6\ Additionally, due to a backlog of documents
that were electronically filled 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.\7\ Accordingly, the deadline for this final
determination is now January 15, 2026.
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\6\ See Memorandum, ``Deadlines Affected by the Shutdown of the
Federal Government,'' dated November 14, 2025.
\7\ See Memorandum, ``Tolling of All Case Deadlines,'' dated
November 24, 2025.
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Scope of the Investigation
The product covered by this investigation is 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.\8\
Therefore, we made no changes to the scope of the investigation.
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\8\ See Preliminary Determination, 90 FR at 40566.
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Methodology
Commerce conducted this investigation in accordance with section
701 of the Act. For each of the subsidy programs found to be
countervailable, Commerce determines that there is a subsidy, i.e., a
financial contribution by an ``authority'' that gives rise to a benefit
to the recipient, and that the subsidy is specific.\9\ In making this
final determination, Commerce relied on facts available, including with
an
[[Page 2735]]
adverse inference, pursuant to sections 776(a) and (b) of the Act. For
a full discussion of our application of AFA, see the section ``Use of
Facts Otherwise Available and Application of Adverse Inferences'' in
the Preliminary Determination PDM.
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\9\ See sections 771(5)(B) and (D) of the Act regarding
financial contribution; section 771(5)(E) of the Act regarding
benefit; and section 771(5A) of the Act regarding specificity.
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Verification
Because the non-responsive companies did not participate in this
investigation and because the Government of China (GOC) did not provide
information Commerce requested, Commerce did not conduct a verification
in this investigation.\10\
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\10\ See Preliminary Determination, 90 FR at 40565-66.
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All-Others Rate
Sections 703(d) and 705(c)(5)(A) of the Act provide that Commerce
shall determine an estimated all-others rate for companies not
individually examined. Pursuant to section 705(c)(5)(A)(ii) of the Act,
if the individual estimated countervailable subsidy rates established
for all exporters and producers individually examined are zero, de
minimis, or determined based entirely on section 776 of the Act,
Commerce may use any reasonable method to establish the estimated
subsidy rate for all other producers or exporters. In this
investigation, Commerce has determined the estimated subsidy rate for
the individually examined respondents under section 776 of the Act.
This is the only rate available in this proceeding for deriving the
all-others rate. Consequently, pursuant to sections 703(d) and
705(c)(5)(A)(ii) of the Act, Commerce established the all-others rate
by applying the countervailable subsidy rate assigned to the non-
responsive companies listed below. For a full description of the
methodology underlying Commerce's analysis, see the Preliminary
Determination PDM.\11\
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\11\ See Preliminary Determination PDM at 8-12.
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Final Determination
Commerce determines that the following estimated countervailable
subsidy rates exist:
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Subsidy rate (percent
Company ad valorem)
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Dongguan Jian Xin Plastic Products............. * 62.27
Jinan Mantis Co Ltd............................ * 62.27
Ningbo Luchen Packaging Technology Co., Ltd.... * 62.27
Shandong PPKG I&E Co. Ltd...................... * 62.27
Suzhou Huiyuan Plastic Products Co............. * 62.27
All Others..................................... 62.27
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* Rate is based on facts available with adverse inferences.
Disclosure
Commerce intends to disclose its calculations and analysis
performed to interested parties in this final determination within five
days of any public announcement, or if there is no public announcement,
within five days of the date of the publication of this notice in the
Federal Register, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).
Continuation of Suspension of Liquidation
In accordance with sections 703(d)(1)(B) and (d)(2) of the Act,
Commerce instructed U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to collect
cash deposits and suspend liquidation of entries of subject merchandise
from China as described in the scope of the investigation section
entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after
August 20, 2025, the date of publication of the Preliminary
Determination in the Federal Register, at the cash deposit rate
indicated above. In accordance with section 703(d) of the Act, we
instructed CBP to discontinue the suspension of liquidation of all
entries of subject merchandise entered or withdrawn from the warehouse,
on or after December 18, 2025, but to continue the suspension of
liquidation of all entries of subject merchandise on or before December
17, 2025.
If the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) issues a final
affirmative injury determination, we will issue a CVD order, reinstate
the suspension of liquidation under section 706(a) of the Act, and
require a cash deposit of estimated countervailing duties for such
entries of subject merchandise in the amounts indicated above. If the
ITC determines that material injury, or threat of material injury, does
not exist, this proceeding will be terminated, and all estimated duties
deposited, or securities posted as a result of the suspension of
liquidation will be refunded or canceled.
ITC Notification
In accordance with section 705(d) of the Act, Commerce will notify
the ITC of its final affirmative determination that countervailable
subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters of corrugated
boxes from China. As Commerce's final determination is affirmative, in
accordance with section 705(b) of the Act, the ITC will determine,
within 45 days, 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. In addition, we are making
available to the ITC all non-privileged and non-proprietary information
related to this investigation. 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 administrative protective order (APO), without the
written consent of the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and
Compliance.
If the ITC determines that material injury or threat of material
injury does not exist, this proceeding will be terminated and all cash
deposits will be refunded or canceled, as Commerce determines to be
appropriate. If the ITC determines that such injury does exist,
Commerce intends to issue a countervailing duty order directing CBP to
assess, upon further instruction by Commerce, countervailing 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
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to parties subject to the APO of their responsibility concerning the
destruction 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 pursuant to sections
705(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. 2026-01177 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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