Key takeaway
What This Development Means
United States Commerce has finally excluded qualifying aluminium can stock from antidumping and countervailing duty orders covering 17 origins. The partial revocation applies to all unliquidated entries back to the relevant suspension dates. Importers should match gauge, temper, lubricant and end use to the written exclusion before seeking duty-free liquidation or refunds.
Is all aluminium sheet from the 17 origins now duty free?
No. The orders are revoked only for can stock meeting the written gauge, temper, lubricant and suitability criteria. Other common alloy aluminium sheet remains within the orders where it meets the applicable scope.
Can importers recover earlier duty deposits?
Potentially. Commerce directs duty-free liquidation and refunds for qualifying unliquidated entries back to the relevant suspension date. Eligibility depends on the written scope and entry status, supported by product and customs records.
Source basis: United States Department of Commerce, Federal Register notice 2026-19516, 91 FR 60591, 24 September 2026
Aluminium Can Stock Duties Are Revoked In Part
The United States Department of Commerce has issued final changed-circumstances review results that partially revoke antidumping and countervailing duty orders on common alloy aluminium sheet for qualifying aluminium can stock. Federal Register notice 2026-19516 is applicable from 24 September 2026.
The orders cover China, Bahrain, Brazil, Croatia, Egypt, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Oman, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan and Türkiye. The revocation is partial. Other common alloy aluminium sheet meeting an order's scope remains subject to the applicable cash-deposit and assessment regime.
Qualifying can stock must be suitable for manufacturing aluminium beverage cans, lids or opening tabs. It must have a gauge from 0.200 to 0.292 millimetres, an H-19, H-41, H-48, H-39 or H-391 temper, and lubricant on its flat surfaces to facilitate movement through can-making machinery.
The material is generally classifiable under Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States subheadings 7606.12.3045 and 7606.12.3055. The written description is dispositive, however, so a tariff code alone neither proves nor defeats eligibility. The final language also expressly includes H-39 across the exclusions, correcting and aligning earlier scope wording.
Retroactive Treatment Creates A Refund Opportunity
Commerce made the partial revocation retroactive to all qualifying unliquidated entries from the date suspension of liquidation began under the relevant order. Those dates differ by case, including 2018 for the China orders and 2020 for the later country orders.
United States Customs and Border Protection will be instructed to liquidate covered entries without antidumping or countervailing duties and refund estimated deposits. Commerce intends to issue instructions within 15 days after publication, faster than its normal 35-day timetable. It cited support from more than 85% of the domestic industry and the absence of opposing comments.
Importers should identify unliquidated entries, match each shipment to the written criteria and assemble mill certificates, temper and gauge data, lubricant specifications, purchase records and can-making end-use evidence. Customs brokers should not submit refund or liquidation instructions based solely on the HTSUS code. Exporters and distributors should provide consistent product descriptions across invoices, certificates and technical data.
What changed is the legally operative scope and treatment of qualifying can stock. What remains unchanged is the orders' coverage of other common alloy sheet. This is not a general repeal of aluminium duties from the 17 origins.
Foresight analysis: because relief reaches historic unliquidated entries, the immediate value lies in customs-record review as well as future sourcing. Companies that can connect technical evidence to entry numbers may recover deposits, while weak product descriptions can delay or undermine claims.
Practical call to action: Review open entries now and prepare a shipment-level evidence file before Customs processes Commerce's instructions.
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