The Commerce Department ruled that a Chinese-made brake drum built from compacted graphite iron instead of gray cast iron still counts as merchandise covered by existing antidumping and countervailing duty orders, in a preliminary circumvention finding published September 22.
A final ruling will decide whether covered drums face the China-wide antidumping rate of 150.25% plus the all-others countervailing duty rate of 11.94%, once Commerce weighs case briefs due October 6.
Commerce's original orders, issued August 12, 2025, cover gray cast iron brake drums 14.75 to 16.6 inches in diameter and over 50 pounds. Commerce opened the circumvention inquiry January 27 at the request of Webb Wheel Products, a domestic interested party. The inquiry covers a compacted graphite iron version built to the same dimensions and weight. Commerce now calls that version “later-developed merchandise” covered by the orders. Its suspension of liquidation applies to unliquidated entries dating to January 27, when the inquiry began.
Commerce made a separate finding the same day for steel wire garment hangers. It said hangers completed in Cambodia using steel wire, or steel wire and paper accessories, produced in China or Vietnam are circumventing both a 2008 antidumping order on Chinese hangers and 2013 antidumping and countervailing duty orders on Vietnamese ones.
Alpha Hanger (Cambodia) Co. is the sole mandatory respondent. Commerce said the Vietnam-linked rates are up to 220.68% for antidumping and 31.58% for countervailing duties. For shipments certified as using Chinese-origin materials, Commerce will instead apply the China antidumping rate. Case briefs in that inquiry are due September 29.
Both findings are preliminary. Commerce could still modify either one before issuing final determinations, Law360 notes in flagging the two rulings together.
