PVC resin from US, Indonesia: NTC slaps up to 37.30pc anti-dumping duties

ISLAMABAD: The National Tariff Commission (NTC) has imposed definitive anti-dumping duties of up to 37.30 percent on imports of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) resin from the United States and Indonesia for five years after concluding that dumped imports caused material injury to the domestic industry.

According to a final determination issued by the NTC on November 8, 2026, the duties have been imposed on imports of PVC Resin (Suspension Grade), classified under Pakistan Customs Tariff (PCT) Code 3904.1090, originating in and/or exported from the two countries.

The definitive anti-dumping duties will be effective retrospectively from July 23, 2026, for a period of five years.

The investigation was initiated on April 17, 2026, following an application filed by Engro Polymer & Chemicals Limited, Karachi, a domestic producer of PVC Resin. The Commission had earlier imposed provisional anti-dumping duties ranging from 17.70 percent to 37.30 percent on the investigated imports for four months through its preliminary determination dated July 23, 2026.

The Commission, in its final determination, concluded that PVC resin from the exporting countries had been sold in Pakistan at dumped prices and that the resulting imports had caused material injury to the domestic industry.

The investigation established that the domestic industry suffered injury due to increased volumes of dumped imports, price undercutting, price depression and price suppression, besides a decline in market share, profits and return on investment.

The Commission also considered the magnitude of dumping margins and examined other factors that could have contributed to the injury under Section 18 of the Anti-Dumping Duties Act, 2015.

Under the final determination, Westlake Vinyls Company LP of the United States will face an anti-dumping duty of 37.30 percent, while Westlake Vinyls Inc. will be subjected to a duty of 22.28 percent.

A duty of 37.30 percent will apply to all other exporters and producers from the United States, while imports from Indonesia will attract a definitive anti-dumping duty of 17.70 percent.

The Commission determined individual dumping margins for the two US companies after they provided the requisite information and data. For non-cooperating US exporters and producers, the residual dumping margin was determined on the basis of the highest dumping margin established for a US exporter.

None of the Indonesian exporters or producers provided the required information. Consequently, their dumping margins were determined on the basis of the best available information under Section 32 of the Act.

The Commission stated that the duties had been determined under Section 50 of the Anti-Dumping Duties Act, 2015. It also applied the lesser-duty rule, under which the duty is restricted to the injury margin where it is lower than the dumping margin.

PVC Resin is used in the manufacturing of pipes and fittings, garden hoses, shoes, cables, films and sheets, as well as in compounding and packaging industries.

The NTC has clarified that definitive anti-dumping duties will not be levied on imports of the investigated product used as inputs in products destined exclusively for export or for foreign grant-in-aid projects, provided such imports are covered under the relevant customs duty exemption schemes under the Customs Act, 1969.

The anti-dumping duties will be collected in the same manner as customs duty under the Customs Act, 1969 and will be in addition to other taxes and duties applicable to imports.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026