Pagoda Roof Tiles Not Covered by AD/CVD on Ceramic Tiles From China
Pagoda roofing kits imported by Landscape Associates aren’t subject to antidumping and countervailing duties on ceramic tile from China, although one type of decorative board brick is, the Commerce Department said in a Nov. 26 scope ruling. Roofing tiles aren’t covered by the orders, it explained.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
The merchandise covered by the AD/CVD orders include ceramic floor, ceiling, wall, hearth and mosaic tile. Ceramic tiles contain clay and other minerals -- certain forms of alumina or magnesium -- and are fired so that the raw materials fuse into a product “that is less than 3.2 cm in actual thickness,” although decorative features “may in spots exceed” that width, Commerce said.
The ruling, meanwhile considered “Chinese ornamental roof tiles, components, decorations and board brick made of Kaolin clay, bauxite and porcelain clay” of various shapes and sizes, including tiles that feature a dragon head. They are in particular designed for “structures featuring Chinese style roofs" such as garden pavilions, pagodas, gateways, mosques and Buddhist temples, the department said.
The department looked to the language of the orders and materials from the orders’ petitions and investigations.
One type of tile imported by Landscape Associates, decorative board brick that is less than 3.2 cm thick, is “clearly” intended to cover a wall, Commerce said. The importer also admitted that the bricks “frame wall decorations” and are for “[i]ndoor and outdoor wall decoration,” it said.
As a result, the department said the bricks are within the scope of the orders.
Landscape Associates' 14 other brick types, imported as a package, are roofing tiles, so they aren’t covered by the orders, it said.