Duties on Chinese grinding media and tableware

Summary#

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced trade-investigation decisions under the Special Import Measures Act on imported goods from China. On May 25, 2026 it made preliminary findings about forged grinding media, and on May 28, 2026 it made final findings about thermoformed molded fibre tableware; provisional duties are being applied while tribunals examine injury.

What it does#

• Forged grinding media (preliminary)

  • The CBSA determined there is dumping and subsidizing of forged or stamped steel grinding media from China (preliminary finding on May 25, 2026).
  • The Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) will hold a full inquiry into whether Canadian industry has been injured and must issue an order or a finding within 120 days after it receives the notice of the preliminary determinations.
  • Provisional duties are payable on subject goods released from the CBSA during the period starting May 25, 2026 and ending when the investigations stop, the CITT decides, or an undertaking is accepted.
  • The product definition includes balls with nominal diameters from 25 millimetres (1 inch) up to and including 160 millimetres (6.25 inches).
  • A Statement of Reasons will be issued within 15 days of the decision.
  • The CITT plans a hearing for this inquiry during the week of August 24, 2026 (listed in the Tribunal notice).

• Thermoformed molded fibre tableware (final)

  • The CBSA made final decisions of dumping and subsidizing regarding thermoformed molded fibre tableware from China on May 28, 2026.
  • The CITT will continue its inquiry and must issue its decision by June 26, 2026; provisional duties remain in place until then.
  • If the CITT finds dumping or subsidizing caused injury (or threatens injury), antidumping and/or countervailing duties will be applied to future imports and importers in Canada will be required to pay them.
  • A Statement of Reasons will be issued within 15 days of the decision.

• Other practical notes

  • The Customs Act governs how provisional, antidumping and countervailing duties are accounted for and paid; failure to pay on time can trigger interest under that Act.
  • Full product definitions and possible tariff classification numbers are available on the CBSA’s Dumping and subsidy investigations web page.

Who's affected#

• Importers who bring the specified forged grinding media and thermoformed molded fibre tableware into Canada.
• Canadian producers or suppliers of these kinds of goods who are parties to the CITT injury inquiries (the domestic industry).
• Businesses that buy or use these imported products could see changes in cost or availability while duties are in place.
• Specific companies or tariff codes are not named in the notice; the CBSA web page is the place to find the detailed product and tariff information.

Why it matters#

• Provisional duties raise the immediate cost of importing the named products while investigations proceed.
• If the CITT later finds injury, longer-term antidumping or countervailing duties could be imposed, affecting future import prices and supply.
• These measures are the government’s trade-remedy process intended to address alleged unfair pricing or subsidies from foreign producers; they can affect businesses that import, sell, or use the affected goods.