U.S. Launches Countervailing Duty Investigations on Hardwood and Decorative Plywood from China, Indonesia, and Vietnam
Estimated reading time: 5–10 minutes
On June 11, 2025, the U.S. Department of Commerce started countervailing duty (CVD) investigations on hardwood and decorative plywood imported from China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. This action was announced in the Federal Register on June 16, 2025.
Background
The Coalition for Fair Trade in Hardwood Plywood filed CVD petitions on May 22, 2025. The coalition includes U.S. producers like Columbia Forest Products, Commonwealth Plywood Inc., Manthei Wood Products, States Industries LLC, and Timber Products Company. They claim that manufacturers in China, Indonesia, and Vietnam benefit from government subsidies, making it hard for American producers to compete.
The CVD petitions came with antidumping duty (AD) petitions for the same products from these countries.
Process and Investigation Period
The Department reviewed the information in the petitions and exchanged several supplemental questions and answers with the Coalition until June 10, 2025.
The investigation period is from January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024.
Product Scope
The investigations cover hardwood and decorative plywood. These are flat, layered wood panels made with two or more wood veneers, possibly over a core. At least one outer veneer must be made of hardwood, softwood, or bamboo. The panels can have different surface coatings or coverings but are still included under this review.
More details and exclusions are listed in the Federal Register notice.
Submitting Scope Comments
Interested parties can comment on which products should be included. Comments must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on July 1, 2025. Rebuttal comments are due by July 11, 2025, also at 5:00 p.m.
All submissions must use the Department’s electronic filing system, ACCESS.
Consultations
The Department notified the governments of China, Indonesia, and Vietnam about the petitions and invited consultations. Meetings were held with Indonesia and Vietnam on June 5, 2025. China did not request a meeting but sent written comments.
Industry Support
For a petition to proceed, U.S. producers supporting the petition must make up at least 25 percent of total production and more than 50 percent of those expressing either support or opposition. The Department found that the coalition met these requirements.
Injury Test
The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will decide if the imported plywood causes or threatens harm to the U.S. industry.
Allegations
The coalition says that imports from these countries are getting subsidies and that the U.S. industry is suffering. Reasons include a large rise in imports, lower prices, lost sales, and falling profits in the U.S. industry.
Initiation of the Investigations
The Department found enough support to start investigations on nearly all the subsidy programs listed in the petitions: 33 for China, 12 for Indonesia, and 26 for Vietnam. Public checklists with more details are available online.
Respondent Selection
The Department plans to issue questionnaires to many identified producers and exporters in each country. If companies do not get a questionnaire directly, they can still submit information. Responses are due by June 25, 2025.
Next Steps
The Department will send a copy of the public version of the petitions to the governments involved and, as much as possible, to all named exporters.
The ITC will make a preliminary decision in 45 days on whether U.S. industry has been harmed. If they decide there is no harm for any country, the case for that country will end.
Other Instructions
- All parties must follow specific rules when submitting evidence and requests for more time.
- Special certification forms and procedures must be used for anything submitted.
- Rules on who must be notified and how paperwork is served have been updated.
What Is Covered Under the Scope
The plywood covered under investigation includes a wide range of wood panels. Some products are excluded, such as plywood certified to certain U.S. structural standards, products with cork veneers, specific wood flooring, some fully assembled or ready-to-assemble furniture, finished countertops, certain laminated door parts, and some two-ply products.
The plywood usually enters under many different customs numbers, which are listed in detail in the notice. These customs numbers help identify which products are included, but the written descriptions are what matter most for the investigations.
Published By
Steven Presing, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Negotiations, signed the notice for publication.
For full legal text and more details, please refer to the official Federal Register Volume 90, Number 114, dated June 16, 2025.
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.
