Anti-dumping duties on Chinese aluminium foil, country by country
Before you negotiate a price, establish whether the goods can enter at all. On this product, three of the world's largest markets carry duties that change the commercial answer entirely — and the question is not whether your supplier mentioned it, but whether you checked.
EU: definitive anti-dumping duty of 30.0% (individual company rates 6.4–24.2%) on foil 0.008–0.018 mm thick, ≤650 mm wide, >10 kg per roll, since 11 March 2022; expiry scheduled 11 March 2027. India: USD 398.45–976.99 per tonne on foil ≤80 μm, with a further five years recommended in the 2026 sunset review. US: AD/CVD orders in force since 2018 at prohibitive levels. All three statuses are subject to review — verify before contracting.
This is the single most commercially decisive fact about exporting Chinese foil, and it is routinely discovered after a price has been quoted. We publish it here because a buyer who finds out at the port has lost a container, and a supplier who hides it has lost a customer.
Duty rates and product scopes change with reviews, expiry and appeals. The figures below reflect the position as at November 2026 and are provided as a starting point for your own verification — not as customs advice. Confirm against your jurisdiction's official gazette or a licensed customs broker before you contract.
European Union
Scope
Aluminium foil of a thickness of not less than 0.008 mm and not more than 0.018 mm, not backed, not further worked than rolled, in rolls of a width not exceeding 650 mm and of a weight exceeding 10 kg. CN code ex 7607 11 19 (TARIC 7607 11 19 10).
Rate
Definitive duties have applied since 11 March 2022. The general rate is 30.0% of the net free-at-Union-frontier price before duty. A number of companies hold individual rates between 6.4% and 24.2%.
Timing
The measures were notified in June 2026 as due to expire at midnight on 11 March 2027, unless the Commission initiates a review. Given the history of this file, assuming expiry is not a plan.
Household foil at 10–15 μm and catering foil at 12–15 μm fall directly inside this scope. This is not a border case — it is the core of the product range. If your market is the EU and your supplier is Chinese without an individual rate, the landed cost calculation usually does not close.
A second file, on flat-rolled products
The EU also maintains measures on aluminium flat-rolled products covering 0.03–6 mm, at rates of 14.3–24.6%. A expiry review was initiated in October 2026 and the existing measures remain in force during it. Foil proper sits below this thickness band, but converters who also buy thin sheet should be aware the two files are separate.
India
Scope
Aluminium foil of thickness 80 micron and below, originating in or exported from China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Indian customs heading 7607.
Rate
Duty is levied per tonne, not ad valorem, which produces a wide spread depending on whether the producer cooperated with the investigation.
| Producer category | Rate (USD per tonne) |
|---|---|
| Named Chinese producer — lowest | 398.45 |
| Named Chinese producer | 506.81 |
| Named Chinese producer | 510.24 |
| All other Chinese producers | 976.99 |
Read that last row carefully. If you are not buying from one of the named producers, the applicable rate is 976.99 USD per tonne — which, on a product selling in the low thousands per tonne, is a prohibitive number rather than a cost to absorb.
Timing
The original measures ran from September 2021 for five years. In June 2026 the end date was extended to 15 December 2026. A sunset review concluded in September 2026 recommended a further five years, with the final step being a notification by the Department of Revenue. Assume the measures continue.
Exclusions worth noting
India excludes a number of categories from the scope, including certain very thin foils below 5.5 μm, foil laminates, aluminium foil tape, lacquered and coloured foil, and aluminium composite panels. These are product-scope carve-outs, not loopholes — if your product genuinely falls within an exclusion, the classification has to be supported by the specification, not asserted on the invoice.
United States
The US has maintained anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders on aluminium foil from China since 2018. The rates are at a level that effectively closes the market for Chinese-origin foil on normal commercial terms.
We do not quote US rates here, because the orders have been through administrative reviews that change company-specific rates annually, and a stale number is worse than no number. If the US is your market, verify the current cash deposit rate for your specific exporter with a customs broker before anything else.
Other markets
Beyond the three above, measures exist or have existed in a number of additional jurisdictions, and the picture changes year to year. Two categories to watch:
- Eurasian Economic Union — has maintained measures on aluminium strip and related flat-rolled products; scope and expiry vary by product.
- Emerging-market producers — as domestic foil capacity grows in Turkey, India, Indonesia and the Gulf, safeguard and anti-dumping actions tend to follow. A market that is open today may not be open in three years.
Conversely, the markets where Chinese foil currently moves without anti-dumping exposure include most of the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America. That is where the commercial case is — see the market guide.
How to check whether your shipment is caught
- Get the exact thickness in millimetres, not microns. The EU threshold is 0.008–0.018 mm; 18 μm is 0.018 mm and sits exactly on the boundary.
- Check the width — the EU scope stops at 650 mm. Wider foil is outside this particular file.
- Check the roll weight — the EU scope applies to rolls over 10 kg. Small retail rolls still qualify via the underlying coil, but confirm with your broker.
- Identify the producer, not the trader. Individual rates attach to producers, and your invoice must show the producer's name to claim one.
- Confirm the origin rules for your market, including whether conversion in a third country changes origin. Usually it does not — substantial transformation is a higher bar than slitting.
The three things you must not do
This section exists because it is offered, routinely, and it is worth being explicit about why it is a bad trade.
1. Declaring a different HS code
Misclassification is customs fraud. The importer of record — you — carries the liability, and in most jurisdictions duty can be assessed retroactively for several years, with penalties on top.
2. Declaring a different origin
Trans-shipping through a third country, or claiming origin in a country where the foil was merely re-rolled or re-packed, is origin fraud. It is the specific practice that anti-circumvention investigations are designed to catch, and they are increasingly effective.
3. Under-declaring value
Besides the duty exposure, it caps your own legal recovery: if the container is damaged or lost, your insurance pays against the declared value, not the real one.
If a supplier offers to "help with the HS code" to reduce duty, that is the moment to end the conversation. A supplier who understands this business will tell you the duty position before you ask, because they know it decides whether there is a deal at all.
Frequently asked questions
Will the EU measures expire in 2027?
Unknown. They are scheduled to expire on 11 March 2027 unless a review is initiated, and reviews in this sector have historically led to continuation. Do not build a 2027 business case on expiry. Plan on the measures remaining, and treat any change as upside.
Can I import from a Chinese producer with a low individual rate?
In principle yes — the EU rates of 6.4–24.2% attach to named cooperating companies. In practice those producers are large, their minimum order is in coil tonnage, and they rarely supply finished consumer rolls to small importers. Confirm the producer's name appears on your export documents, because the rate is claimed against the producer, not the trader.
Does slitting in another country change the origin?
Almost never. Origin rules generally require substantial transformation, and slitting or rewinding Chinese coil is usually not considered substantial. This is exactly the arrangement anti-circumvention rules target.
Which markets are actually open to Chinese foil?
Most of the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America, subject to normal import requirements. That is where our own business is concentrated, and where the landed-cost arithmetic works — see where Chinese foil still wins.
Sources
- Hong Kong Trade and Industry Department, Commercial Information Circular No. 526/2026, 16 June 2026 — EU impending expiry notice C/2026/3203.
- Fujian Provincial Department of Commerce, 29 September 2026 — India sunset review final findings on aluminium foil ≤80 μm.
- Shanghai Metals Market, 9 October 2026 — EU expiry review initiation on aluminium flat-rolled products.
- European Commission, Implementing Regulation and notice of initiation, aluminium converter foil.