Duties on Chinese Grinding Media and Tableware

Summary#

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced anti-dumping and countervailing decisions affecting two groups of imports from China: forged grinding media (preliminary findings) and thermoformed molded fibre tableware (final findings). As a result, provisional duties already apply to some shipments and a trade inquiry by the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) will examine whether Canadian industry has been harmed.

What it does#

• Forged grinding media (preliminary decisions, May 25, 2026):

  • The CBSA found preliminary evidence of dumping and subsidizing of certain forged or stamped steel grinding balls from China (nominal diameter 25 millimetres (1 inch) up to 160 millimetres (6.25 inches)).
  • Provisional duties are payable on goods released from CBSA custody starting May 25, 2026. The duty amount will not exceed the estimated dumping margin and estimated subsidy.
  • The Canadian International Trade Tribunal will hold a full inquiry into injury and must make a finding or order within 120 days after it receives notice of these preliminary determinations.
  • The Customs Act rules apply to accounting, payment and interest for unpaid duties.
  • The CBSA will publish a Statement of Reasons within 15 days of the decisions.

• Thermoformed molded fibre tableware (final decisions, May 28, 2026):

  • The CBSA made final determinations of dumping and subsidizing for these goods from China.
  • The CITT will continue its inquiry and is set to issue its decision by June 26, 2026.
  • Provisional duties remain in place until the CITT decision. If the Tribunal finds injury, antidumping and/or countervailing duties will be imposed on future imports and importers will be required to pay them.
  • The CBSA will also issue a Statement of Reasons for these decisions within 15 days.

• Additional information:

  • Full product definitions and tariff classifications are on the CBSA’s Dumping and subsidy investigations web page.

Who's affected#

• Importers and distributors who bring the listed forged grinding media or thermoformed molded fibre tableware into Canada from China.
• Canadian manufacturers of similar products who are part of the injury inquiry.
• Businesses that buy or use these products (for example, industries that use grinding media and retailers or food service operators that buy disposable or molded fibre tableware).
• The CITT and parties that want to participate in the Tribunal’s inquiries.

If it’s unclear whether a particular product is covered, the CBSA’s product definitions and tariff classifications should be checked.

Why it matters#

• Provisional duties can raise costs for shipments already in Canada and for future imports while the Tribunal decides. That can pass through to businesses and consumers.
• A final finding of injury could lead to ongoing antidumping or countervailing duties, changing the competitive landscape for importers and Canadian producers.
• The CITT’s timelines (120 days, June 26, 2026) mean the situation could change relatively quickly, so affected businesses may need to review supply chains, pricing, and whether to participate in the inquiry.