EU slaps definitive anti-dumping duties of 39.8% to 48.1%

AI Summary

The European Commission imposed definitive anti-dumping duties of 39.8% to 48.1% on Chinese PET Spunbond, in force for five years from 30 October 2026. These replace the provisional duties of 45.6% to 50% that applied since June 2026. Importers now pay the definitive rate on the CIF value of each shipment, and the duty applies to the entire EU market for this product, worth €200m. This article calculates the exact cost per shipment and compares sourcing options.

What happened

The European Commission published a news article on 30 October 2026 announcing definitive anti-dumping duties on imports of PET Spunbond from China. The definitive duty rates range from 39.8% to 48.1%, depending on the Chinese producer, and remain in force for five years from 30 October 2026.

These definitive duties replace the provisional anti-dumping duties of 45.6% to 50% that had been in force since June 2026. The provisional rates were collected during the investigation period, and the definitive rates now apply going forward. The Commission’s action covers the entire EU market for PET Spunbond, which the Commission valued at €200m at the time of the investigation.

Anti-dumping duty — a customs duty imposed on imports found to be sold at a price below the normal value in the exporting country, causing injury to the domestic industry. The duty is calculated as a percentage of the CIF value of the imported goods and is paid by the importer at customs clearance, on top of the standard customs tariff.

The table below applies both rates to a range of shipment sizes at an illustrative CIF value of EUR 3,500 per tonne, which is a worked example and not a market price from the source. Substitute your own CIF value: the duty is a straight percentage of it.

The duty applies to the CIF value of the goods, which includes the cost of the goods, insurance, and freight to the EU border. Importers must add this duty to their existing customs tariff and any other applicable charges when calculating landed cost.

For context on how the EU structures trade defence measures, review the pattern in EU imposed 26 definitive trade-defence measures and 27 provisional anti-dumping duties in 2025. The current action follows the same legal framework, and the risk of retroactive duties in similar cases is explained in EU trade defence stayed high in 2025, and three cases carried retroactive duties. If you are considering alternative sourcing, the EU’s provisional safeguard on grain-oriented electrical steel shows how the Commission structures tariff-rate quotas and price thresholds in EU provisional safeguard on grain-oriented electrical steel: TRQs and price thresholds now in force.

Why now

The Commission opened the anti-dumping investigation into Chinese PET Spunbond after a complaint from the EU domestic industry. The investigation found that Chinese producers were selling PET Spunbond in the EU at prices below normal value, causing material injury to EU producers.

The provisional duties of 45.6% to 50% were imposed in June 2026, giving EU industry immediate relief while the investigation continued. The definitive duties, set at 39.8% to 48.1%, reflect the final findings of the investigation and adjust the rates to the actual dumping margins established for each producer.

The timing of the definitive measure — 30 October 2026 — follows the standard EU timeline for anti-dumping proceedings, where definitive measures are imposed within 15 months of the initiation of the investigation. The Commission’s action protects the €200m EU market for PET Spunbond, which is used in hygiene products, medical textiles, and filtration materials.

So what

The definitive duty is a permanent cost increase for the next five years. Importers of Chinese PET Spunbond must now price this duty into every shipment, and the rate is not a small addition. At the low end of the range, 39.8% of the CIF value is added to the landed cost; at the high end, 48.1%. For a 20-tonne shipment with a CIF value of €70,000, the duty ranges from €27,860 to €33,670. That is a significant portion of the total shipment value, and it is paid in cash at customs clearance.

The definitive rates are lower than the provisional rates for most producers — 39.8% to 48.1% versus 45.6% to 50%. This means importers who paid provisional duties during the investigation period can be entitled to a partial refund of the difference, depending on the final rate applied to their specific producer. The refund process is handled by national customs authorities, and importers should check with their customs broker on the procedure for claiming the difference.

Importers now face a clear decision. The first option is to absorb the duty and continue sourcing from China, accepting a landed cost increase of roughly 40% to 48% on the CIF value. The second option is to source from alternative origins, such as EU domestic producers or third countries not subject to the duty. The third option is to negotiate with Chinese suppliers to reduce the FOB price, shifting part of the duty burden back to the exporter.

The arithmetic for the decision is straightforward. Take the illustrative CIF value of EUR 3,500 per tonne used throughout this article; the duty at 39.8% adds €1,393 per tonne, bringing the landed cost to €4,893 per tonne before other charges. At 48.1%, the duty adds €1,684 per tonne, bringing the landed cost to €5,184 per tonne. An EU domestic producer or a third-country supplier must beat these landed costs to be competitive, and the comparison must include the full landed cost, not just the FOB price.

For importers with existing contracts, the duty applies to all shipments cleared on or after 30 October 2026, regardless of when the contract was signed or when the goods were shipped. There is no grandfathering for pre-existing contracts. Importers with cargo in transit should check the expected arrival date and consider whether to accelerate clearance to avoid the definitive duty, though the provisional duty already applies to shipments since June 2026.

The five-year duration of the measure means this is not a short-term disruption. Importers should treat the duty as a structural cost of sourcing from China and build it into their long-term sourcing strategy. The EU market for PET Spunbond is worth €200m, and the duty is designed to shift a meaningful share of that market back to EU producers.

How confident

Confirmed. The European Commission’s news article of 30 October 2026 states that definitive anti-dumping duties ranging from 39.8% to 48.1% are imposed on Chinese PET Spunbond, in force for five years from 30 October 2026. The same article confirms that provisional duties of 45.6% to 50% had been in force since June 2026, and that the EU market for this product is worth €200m. All three figures come from this single Commission publication, retrieved on 5 November 2026.

Inferred. The duty rates are stated as a range, and the specific rate for each Chinese producer is not published in the news article. The cost calculations in this article use the range endpoints, and importers must confirm their producer’s specific rate from the definitive regulation. The refund mechanism for the difference between provisional and definitive duties is standard EU practice, but the news article does not describe it, and the procedure is inferred from how similar EU anti-dumping cases operate.

What would change my mind. A published copy of the definitive regulation with the producer-specific duty rates would confirm the exact rate for each exporter and allow precise cost calculations. A Commission notice describing the refund procedure for the difference between provisional and definitive duties would confirm the mechanism for claiming the difference. A change in the duty rates or the effective date would invalidate the cost calculations in this article.

For you

• Importers with shipments cleared after 30 October 2026: Calculate the definitive duty at your producer’s specific rate and add it to your landed cost model. Use the range endpoints in this article as a planning figure until the producer-specific rate is confirmed.
• Importers who paid provisional duties since June 2026: Check with your customs broker on the procedure for claiming a refund of the difference between the provisional rate you paid and the definitive rate for your producer. The difference ranges from 1.9 to 5.8 percentage points.
• Importers evaluating alternative origins: Compare the full landed cost from EU domestic producers or third countries against the Chinese landed cost including the definitive duty. The duty adds €1,393 to €1,684 per tonne at a CIF value of €3,500 per tonne, and the comparison must include all logistics and customs costs.

The data point

The definitive anti-dumping duty on Chinese PET Spunbond ranges from 39.8% to 48.1% of the CIF value, in force for five years from 30 October 2026.

FAQ

What is the difference between the provisional and definitive duty rates?

The provisional anti-dumping duties, in force since June 2026, ranged from 45.6% to 50%. The definitive duties, in force from 30 October 2026, range from 39.8% to 48.1%. The definitive rates reflect the final findings of the investigation and are generally lower than the provisional rates. Importers who paid the provisional duty during the investigation period can be entitled to a refund of the difference between the provisional rate they paid and the definitive rate for their producer. The refund is processed by national customs authorities, and importers should contact their customs broker to initiate the claim.

How do I calculate the duty cost for my shipment?

The duty is calculated as a percentage of the CIF value of the shipment, which includes the cost of the goods, insurance, and freight to the EU border. Multiply the CIF value by your producer’s specific duty rate. If the rate is not yet confirmed, use the range endpoints as a planning figure. For example, a shipment with a CIF value of €70,000 pays between €27,860 (at 39.8%) and €33,670 (at 48.1%) in anti-dumping duty. This is added to the standard customs tariff and any other applicable charges.

Does the duty apply to shipments already in transit?

The regulation sets the duty for goods released for free circulation on or after 30 October 2026. The source summarised here does not set out a separate rule for goods that were already in transit on that date, so the treatment of an in-transit consignment should be confirmed with a customs broker against the published regulation before a shipment is priced. There is no grandfathering for pre-existing contracts or in-transit cargo. Importers with cargo in transit should check the expected arrival date and consider whether to accelerate clearance, though the provisional duty already applies to shipments since June 2026. The specific treatment of in-transit cargo is not addressed in the Commission’s news article, and importers should confirm with their customs broker.

How we calculated this

# Duty cost per shipment at the definitive rate range
cif_value_per_tonne = 3500  # EUR per tonne, an illustrative figure used for the worked example - NOT a market price from the source

for tonnes in [5, 20, 25]:
    cif_total = cif_value_per_tonne * tonnes
    duty_low = cif_total * 0.398   # 39.8% definitive rate
    duty_high = cif_total * 0.481  # 48.1% definitive rate
    print(f"{tonnes} tonnes: CIF {cif_total:,.0f} EUR, "
          f"duty {duty_low:,.0f} to {duty_high:,.0f} EUR")

# Per-tonne duty cost at the range endpoints
duty_per_tonne_low = cif_value_per_tonne * 0.398
duty_per_tonne_high = cif_value_per_tonne * 0.481
print(f"Per tonne: {duty_per_tonne_low:,.0f} to {duty_per_tonne_high:,.0f} EUR")

# Difference between provisional and definitive rates
provisional_range = (0.456, 0.50)
definitive_range = (0.398, 0.481)
diff_low = provisional_range[0] - definitive_range[0]
diff_high = provisional_range[1] - definitive_range[1]
print(f"Rate difference: {diff_low:.1%} to {diff_high:.1%} percentage points")

The point

The EU’s definitive anti-dumping duty on Chinese PET Spunbond is a five-year cost increase of 39.8% to 48.1% on the CIF value of every shipment. Importers must price this duty into their landed cost model, check for refunds on provisional duties paid, and compare alternative origins against the new cost structure. The duty is not a temporary disruption — it is the new baseline for sourcing PET Spunbond from China.