AD/CVD (antidumping and countervailing) duties are among the largest tariffs in the entire system — often far bigger than a normal duty, sometimes exceeding 100%. They apply to specific products from specific countries and stack on top of everything else. You can run a real self-check to see whether an order might cover your product, but confirming that your exact product falls within the order's scope is technical — a matter to review with your customs broker, and the definitive answer is a formal scope ruling. Here's how it works.

What AD/CVD Is

  • Antidumping (AD) duty is imposed when a foreign producer sells into the US below fair value — "dumping."
  • Countervailing (CVD) duty is imposed when a foreign producer benefits from unfair government subsidies.
  • They are administered by the Commerce Department's ITA (International Trade Administration) and the USITC (US International Trade Commission), and enforced by CBP (Customs and Border Protection).
  • Each order ties a specific product to a specific country (sometimes to specific producers). Case numbers starting with "A-" are antidumping; "C-" are countervailing.
  • The rates can be very large and are charged on top of your base duty and any Section 301 or 232 tariffs.

Come Prepared: Do a Quick Self-Check

Use the free ITA AD/CVD Search to see whether an order exists on your product:

  1. Go to https://access.trade.gov/adcvd/. The page is titled "AD/CVD Search."
  2. There's a single search box. Enter any one of: your product/commodity (for example, mattresses), your country of origin, your HTS number, or a case number. Click Search.
  3. Results list each order as "Country, Product" with a case number (A- = antidumping, C- = countervailing). The left sidebar lets you filter by Country, HTS Number, Commodity, Product, and Case Number.
  4. Click a result to open the case detail, which shows the HTS Numbers covered, the Scope of the Order (the legal description of exactly what's covered and excluded), upcoming review dates, and any final scope rulings.
  5. Read the Scope of the Order carefully. Whether your product is covered turns on the scope language, not just the HTS number — the HTS list is a guide, but the written scope, with its specific inclusions and exclusions, is what governs.

If a search for your product and country returns nothing, there is likely no active order — but treat that as a preliminary read, not a guarantee.

Why This Becomes Broker (and Sometimes Attorney) Work

  • Scope language is precise and full of inclusions and exclusions. A product can share an HTS code with a covered product yet fall outside the scope — or share nothing obvious and fall inside it — based on its exact characteristics.
  • If your review is inconclusive, the only way to get a binding answer is a formal scope ruling, filed through Commerce's ACCESS system at https://access.trade.gov. Commerce decides whether to take up the request within 30 days and issues a final ruling within roughly 120 days.
  • Getting AD/CVD wrong is expensive: the duties are large, cash deposits are required at entry, rates are revised in annual reviews, and evasion (misdeclaring to dodge AD/CVD) carries serious penalties. This is not a corner to cut.

The Process to Review With Your Broker

  1. Search before you commit to a supplier. If an order exists on your product and country, treat it as a serious cost until proven otherwise.
  2. Read the scope together. Confirm whether your exact product is inside or outside the scope language — not just whether it shares the HTS code.
  3. Confirm the current deposit rate. AD/CVD rates are set per case and per producer and change in annual reviews; ask your broker the current cash-deposit rate for your supplier.
  4. Decide whether you need a scope ruling. If it's genuinely ambiguous and the money is significant, discuss requesting a formal scope ruling for certainty.
  5. Confirm origin and the true manufacturer. Because AD/CVD is producer- and country-specific and a magnet for evasion schemes, be certain of the real country of origin and the actual maker — so you're never exposed to an evasion claim.

The Questions to Bring to Your Broker

  • Is there an AD or CVD order on my product from my country of origin?
  • Reading the scope, is my exact product inside or outside the order?
  • What is the current cash-deposit rate for my specific supplier or producer?
  • Do we need a scope ruling to be certain, given the amount at stake?
  • Are we confident in the true country of origin and manufacturer, so we're not exposed to an evasion claim?

This is general guidance, not legal advice. AD/CVD scope, rates, and procedures are technical, case-specific, and change over time — confirm how they apply to your goods with a licensed customs broker or trade attorney before relying on them.

Do you check for antidumping and countervailing orders before you choose a country to source from, or find out after the goods are on the water? We'd like to hear how you screen for it.