U.S. Finds Chinese Float Glass is Sold Below Fair Value

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The U.S. Department of Commerce has made a preliminary decision about float glass products from China. They found that these glass products are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value. This is sometimes called “dumping.”

The period of investigation is April 1, 2024, through September 30, 2024.

What Is Float Glass?

Float glass is a type of soda-lime-silica glass. It is made by floating melted glass over a bath of tin to make it flat and smooth. This glass is often used for windows, doors, and mirrors. The trade investigation covers float glass that is at least 2 millimeters thick and has at least 0.37 square meters surface area.

Some float glass can have coatings, be colored, or be made stronger with special treatments.

Key Findings

Commerce found that many Chinese companies are exporting float glass to the U.S. at prices lower than their fair value. The estimated weighted-average dumping margins for most companies are 246.68%, with an adjusted cash deposit rate of 246.66%. The China-wide entity, which includes companies not given a separate rate, faces a margin of 311.81%, with an adjusted cash deposit rate of 311.79%. These deposit rates must be paid when float glass products are imported into the U.S.

A list of exporters and producers and their dumping margins is in the official notice.

Separate Rates and China-Wide Entity

Commerce gave some companies “separate rates.” These are for companies that proved to the Commerce Department that they are independent from the Chinese government. For these companies, Commerce used the average rates from the original petition because the main companies being checked did not give the required information. Companies that did not reply are counted as part of the “China-wide entity.” These companies get the highest dumping rates.

Scope of the Investigation

The investigation covers float glass made in China. The country of origin is where the glass is first made by the float process, no matter where finishing is done.

Some products are included even if they are finished or assembled differently, like laminated glass, glass units for insulation, and mirrors with LED lights. Some products are excluded, such as wired glass, car glazing certified to certain safety standards, and solar glass with very specific properties.

A full description of what is covered and what is excluded is listed in Appendix I of the official notice.

What Happens Next

U.S. Customs will suspend liquidation of float glass from China. This means they will stop finalizing import entries and will instead collect the cash deposit amounts listed for each exporter-producer group or for the China-wide entity.

Commerce will accept public comments from interested parties about non-scope issues for these findings. These comments can be submitted until 30 days after the notice date. Rebuttal briefs are due five days after case briefs. Requests for a hearing can also be made.

Because the main companies under review did not cooperate, there will be no verification process.

Postponement of Final Determination

The final decision was postponed because a company called Shandong Jinjing requested it. Now, the final determination will happen no later than 135 days after the preliminary notice.

What’s Next for the U.S. Industry

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will look at whether these imports hurt U.S. companies. If the final determination finds injury, extra duties might remain for float glass from China.

The official notice was published July 15, 2025, as required by U.S. law.

For more details, see the full Federal Register notice, Volume 90, Number 133.

Legal Disclaimer

This article includes content collected from the Federal Register (federalregister.gov). The content is not an official government publication. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For case-specific consultation, please contact us. Read our full Legal Disclaimer, which also includes information on translation accuracy.