U.S. Department of Commerce Investigates Alkyl Phosphate Esters from China
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The U.S. Department of Commerce has opened an investigation. They are looking into certain chemicals called alkyl phosphate esters. These come from the People’s Republic of China. The Department wants to know if these chemicals are included in existing trade rules.
The inquiry started because of a request by ICL-IP America, Inc. This company asked the Department to check if spray-foam systems from China are avoiding rules made to stop unfair trading. The rules are called antidumping and countervailing duty orders.
The Department is not starting a full investigation yet. They will first look at what is included in the trade rules. This is called a scope inquiry. For now, the bigger investigation, called a circumvention inquiry, will wait. They will decide if the Chinese spray-foam systems fall under the current rules. If parts of these systems include the esters in question, then they might be covered by the orders.
The purpose of the investigation is to find out if the esters meet certain rules. The rules say that the esters must make up a big part, at least 20 percent, of the spray-foam systems.
While the investigation is happening, the Department will ask U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to keep holding on to any of these spray-foam systems coming into the U.S. This means that the companies involved will have to pay a deposit. This deposit is a protection in case the Department decides that the rules do apply.
The Department will use specific sections of their rules to guide this investigation. They plan to finish the investigation within 120 days, but they can take up to 180 days if needed. They will understand more about these imports and decide if they need to pay the duties under existing orders.
The products being investigated come from an order that covers various chemicals like TCPP, TDCP, and TEP. These are special esters used in many products as a fire retardant. The chemicals have specific names and numbers to identify them.
The investigation is technical, but very important. It helps keep American businesses safe from unfair practices. This inquiry shows that the U.S. takes its trade rules seriously.
For more details, please refer to the Federal Register Volume 91, Number 140 published on July 23, 2026.
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