US Sets Final 6.51% Dumping Margin on Norwegian Dissolving Pulp

United States sets a final 6.51% anti-dumping margin on high purity dissolving pulp from Norway, applicable Oct. 16, 2026.

The U.S. Department of Commerce set a final dumping margin of 6.51% on high purity dissolving pulp from Norway, applicable Oct. 16, 2026.

The decision appeared in the Federal Register on Oct. 16, 2026, and confirms an earlier preliminary finding¹. Commerce found that the pulp is being, or is likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value¹.

In short, U.S. importers of this Norwegian pulp keep paying a cash deposit at the border. The deposit rate now falls slightly, from 6.54% to 6.51% of the value, and a final duty order depends on one more vote.

What did Commerce decide on Norwegian pulp?

Commerce made a final affirmative determination of dumping. Dumping means selling goods abroad below their normal price, usually the price in the home market. An anti-dumping duty is an extra import tax that offsets that price gap.

The final margin is 6.51% for Borregaard AS, the Norwegian producer that Commerce examined¹. The same 6.51% rate applies to all other Norwegian producers and exporters¹. In the preliminary decision of May 27, 2026, both rates were 6.54%².

The notice was dated Oct. 9, 2026, and signed by Scot Fullerton, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Operations¹. The International Trade Administration, the part of Commerce that runs trade cases, issued it under case number A-403-808¹.

Which pulp is covered by the case?

The goods are a very pure, very white wood or plant pulp. Factories dissolve it to make other products. The case calls it high purity dissolving pulp¹.

To be covered, the pulp must meet two tests¹:

• Purity: at least 90% by weight of alpha cellulose, the purest form of cellulose, measured on a dry basis under the ISO 692:1982 standard.
• Brightness: a brightness level of 90% or higher, measured under the ISO 2470-1:2016 standard.

The fibre source does not matter. Hardwoods, softwoods, farm crops, crop waste, recycled fibre and industrial waste all count¹. The pulp may be made by the kraft (sulfate) process, the sulfite process, or both¹.

The form of shipment does not matter either. The rule covers liquid slurry and dry forms such as flakes, powder, granules, pellets, shreds, rolls and sheets¹.

Which pulp is left out?

Two kinds of pulp are excluded¹:

• Low-viscosity pulp: high purity pulp with an intrinsic viscosity under 455 milliliters per gram, measured under ISO 5351:2010. Viscosity here describes how thick the pulp is when dissolved.
• Cotton linters pulp: pulp made of at least 90% by weight of cotton linters fibres, the short fibres left on cotton seeds.

Commerce received no comments on its scope decision of May 18, 2026¹. It therefore made no changes to the product description used when the case began¹.

Which tariff codes should importers check?

The pulp normally enters under Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) codes 4702.00.0020 and 4702.00.0040¹. It may also enter under codes 4706.30.0000 or 4706.92.0100¹.

The codes are given for convenience only. The written product description decides what is covered, not the code¹. A shipment under another code can still owe deposits if the pulp meets the description.

Does pulp processed in another country escape the duty?

No. The scope covers Norwegian pulp that is finished, packaged or processed in a third country¹. Examples given are mixing, blending, diluting and repackaging¹.

Blends are also covered. When Norwegian pulp is mixed with pulp from other sources, the Norwegian part is subject to the case¹. Only that part counts, not the whole blend¹.

How do the cash deposits work at the border?

Commerce will tell U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to keep holding the final duty bill open. In legal terms, CBP will continue to suspend liquidation, meaning it delays the final calculation of duties on each entry¹.

This applies to covered pulp entered, or taken out of a warehouse for sale, on or after May 27, 2026¹. That is the date the preliminary decision was published¹.

From the publication of the final notice, CBP must collect a cash deposit at these rates¹:

1. If Borregaard exports the pulp, the deposit equals Borregaard’s own rate of 6.51%.
2. If the exporter is not on the list but the producer is, the deposit equals the producer’s rate.
3. All other producers and exporters pay the all-others rate of 6.51%.

A cash deposit is money paid at entry as security for the possible duty. These deposit rules stay in force until further notice¹.

How was the 6.51% rate reached?

The period of investigation ran from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025¹. Commerce compared Borregaard’s U.S. sales prices with the normal value of its pulp in that period².

In June and July 2026, Commerce checked Borregaard’s sales and cost figures¹. Staff examined sales and accounting records and original documents from the company¹. The verification reports are dated July 27, 2026, for sales and Aug. 17, 2026, for costs¹.

Commerce then changed some of its calculations for Borregaard after the preliminary decision¹. The one issue argued by the parties was which comparison market Commerce should use¹. That market sets the normal price against which U.S. sales are measured.

Borregaard was the only company examined. U.S. law sets the rate for unexamined companies as an average of the examined ones’ rates¹. With only one rate, which was not zero or tiny, Borregaard’s 6.51% became the all-others rate¹.

Who asked for the duties and why?

The case began with petitions filed on Aug. 12, 2025³. They were filed by Rayonier Advanced Materials, Inc., of Jacksonville, Florida, and the United Steelworkers union³. The union’s full name is the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union.

The petitioners claimed that U.S. industry was hurt by unfairly priced pulp imports from Brazil and Norway³. They also claimed that pulp from Brazil was subsidized by its government³.

Commerce opened its dumping investigations on Sept. 8, 2025². The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), an independent agency that judges harm to U.S. industry, voted in its first phase on Sept. 26, 2025³. It found a reasonable sign that U.S. industry was materially injured by these imports³.

Why did the case take more than a year?

The U.S. federal government shutdown delayed the case. On Nov. 14, 2025, Commerce paused all its trade case deadlines by 47 days². On Nov. 24, 2025, it added another 21 days because of a backlog of filings².

On Feb. 18, 2026, Commerce also postponed the preliminary decision to May 18, 2026². After that decision, Borregaard asked on May 11, 2026, to delay the final decision².

Commerce agreed. It set the final decision at no more than 135 days after the preliminary one². It also extended the provisional deposits from four months to no more than six months². The final deadline became Oct. 9, 2026¹.

What happens next with the ITC vote?

Commerce will now notify the ITC of its final finding¹. The ITC must decide within 45 days whether U.S. industry is materially injured, or threatened with injury, by these imports¹.

The ITC held its final hearing on Oct. 8, 2026⁴. Posthearing briefs were due Oct. 15, 2026⁴. On Oct. 29, 2026, the ITC will release the remaining information to the parties, who may send final comments by Nov. 2, 2026⁴.

There are two possible results¹:

• If the ITC finds no injury: the case ends, all cash deposits are refunded, and CBP lifts the hold on entries.
• If the ITC finds injury: Commerce will issue an anti-dumping duty order. CBP will then collect duties on covered pulp entered on or after May 27, 2026.

The same ITC case also covers dissolving pulp from Brazil, under investigation numbers 701-TA-777 and 731-TA-1762-1763⁴.

Who is affected by the Norway pulp duty?

U.S. importers pay the deposit at entry. They carry the cost until the ITC decides and the final duty is set.

Borregaard and other Norwegian makers face a 6.51% charge on their U.S. sales. Traders who blend or repack Norwegian pulp in a third country remain inside the rule¹.

Customs brokers must check each shipment against the purity, brightness and viscosity tests. The product description, not the tariff code, decides whether the deposit is due¹.

Key points on the Norway dissolving pulp duty

The table sums up the final decision and the next steps.

The ITC’s injury vote now decides the case. A finding of injury brings a duty order at 6.51%, and a finding of no injury refunds every deposit paid since May 27, 2026¹.

Sources

1. ↩ Federal Register :: High Purity Dissolving Pulp From Norway: Final Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/10/16/2026-21140/high-purity-dissolving-pulp-from-norway-final-affirmative-determination-of-sales-at-less-than-fair
2. ↩ Federal Register :: High Purity Dissolving Pulp From Norway: Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, Postponement of Final Determination, and Extension of Provisional Measures https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/05/27/2026-10527/high-purity-dissolving-pulp-from-norway-preliminary-affirmative-determination-of-sales-at-less-than
3. ↩ Federal Register :: High Purity Dissolving Pulp From Brazil and Norway; Determinations https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/09/30/2025-19027/high-purity-dissolving-pulp-from-brazil-and-norway-determinations
4. ↩ Federal Register :: High Purity Dissolving Pulp From Brazil and Norway; Scheduling of the Final Phase of Countervailing Duty and Antidumping Duty Investigations https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/10/2026-11617/high-purity-dissolving-pulp-from-brazil-and-norway-scheduling-of-the-final-phase-of-countervailing