EU Orders Customs to Register Chinese Silicon Imports from Oct. 27, 2026

European Union customs must record every import of Chinese silicon from Oct. 27, 2026, while anti-dumping duties are reviewed.

The European Commission has ordered customs across the European Union (EU) to register imports of Chinese silicon from Oct. 27, 2026, during a duty review¹.

The order is Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2346, adopted on Oct. 23, 2026 and published in the Official Journal on Oct. 26, 2026¹. It enters into force the day after publication, and registration lasts nine months¹.

In short, Chinese silicon still clears customs at today’s duty rate. But each shipment is now recorded while the Commission checks whether the anti-dumping duty is too low.

What does registration mean for silicon shipments?

Registration is a customs step. Customs authorities in every EU country must record each import of the product as it enters¹. The goods are not stopped, and no new duty is charged at the border on the day of entry.

The point is to keep track of these shipments while the Commission reviews the existing duty. The regulation says the purpose is to collect detailed data on imports that arrive after the review’s investigation period¹. That data will help the Commission decide what action is needed to make the current duties work again¹.

The regulation itself does not set any extra amount. The Commission says it does not find it appropriate to estimate future liability at this time¹. So importers have no figure yet for what a later charge could be.

Which silicon products are covered?

The product is silicon, the chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14¹. It must originate in the People’s Republic of China¹.

The goods are currently classified under CN code 2804 69 00¹. The CN, or Combined Nomenclature, is the EU’s list of customs codes. This code covers silicon containing less than 99.99% silicon by weight¹. Purer silicon, at 99.99% or more, falls outside this code.

The regulation says the code is given for information only¹. A later change in tariff classification would not change which goods are covered. What counts is the product itself and its Chinese origin.

What duty already applies to Chinese silicon?

Chinese silicon already pays an anti-dumping duty. This is an extra import tax on goods sold abroad below their normal price. The duty now in force was imposed by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1394 of Aug. 11, 2022, after an expiry review¹.

That duty also covers silicon shipped from South Korea and from Taiwan¹. It applies whether or not those shipments are declared as made in South Korea or Taiwan¹.

The 2022 regulation records the history of the measures. It says the measures it reviewed took the form of duties between 16.3% and 16.8% of the value of the imported goods². The Commission first investigated Chinese silicon in 1990, according to the review notice³.

The new registration order covers silicon originating in China¹. Its text does not mention the Korean and Taiwanese shipments covered by the existing duty.

Why did the Commission act now?

The registration follows a request for a new review. Euroalliages, the association of EU silicon producers, filed it on July 8, 2026¹. It acted for producers making 100% of EU silicon output¹.

Euroalliages argued that the market has changed for good since the duty was set. It said China has built up large overcapacity, meaning far more production capacity than it needs³. Chinese demand at home fell at the same time, the review notice says³. According to the request, this has pushed export prices down³.

The request also says Chinese imports have risen sharply in volume and market share³. Their low prices hurt EU producers’ market share, jobs and finances, according to the applicant³. In its view, the duties at their current level no longer offset the harm from dumping¹.

The Commission also gave its own reason for registration. It pointed to the risk of further increases in imports after the review began¹. For that reason the Commission acted on its own initiative, under Article 14(5) of the EU’s basic anti-dumping law, Regulation (EU) 2016/1036¹.

How will the interim review of silicon duties work?

The Commission opened the review with a notice in the Official Journal on Sept. 1, 2026³. It is an interim review, meaning a check of a duty while it is still in force. It examines both dumping and injury³. Its aim is to set new rates of dumping and of injury³.

The investigation looks at the period from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026³. For harm to EU industry, it looks at trends from Jan. 1, 2023 to the end of that period³.

The Commission will not use Chinese domestic prices and costs to set a normal value, the review notice says³. The request pointed to significant distortions in the Chinese economy, such as state influence over land, energy, finance, raw materials and labour³. Instead, the Commission will build a normal value from undistorted prices. The request named Malaysia as a possible comparison country³.

The review will also look at raw materials. The request says Chinese medium ash coal faces a distortion in the form of an export licence³. This coal accounts for more than 17% of the cost of making silicon, according to the request³. The Commission will check whether this affects the level of any duty³.

Which deadlines did the review notice set?

The notice gave companies short windows to take part. Some of these have already passed. They ran from the date of publication, Sept. 1, 2026³:

• Within 7 days: Chinese exporting producers had to send company information for sampling³.
• Within 15 days: requests for a hearing on the start of the review were due³.
• Within 15 days: Chinese producers had to describe the materials and energy they use³.
• Within 37 days: comments on the request and the start of the review were due³.
• Within 65 days: factual data to value costs and prices could be filed³.

The Commission may pick a sample of Chinese exporters to investigate, because there may be many of them³. Sampled producers must answer a questionnaire within 30 days of being told they were chosen³. Exporters that agree to be sampled but are not chosen will count as cooperating³.

Who is affected by silicon registration?

Importers of Chinese silicon are affected most directly. Their shipments entering from Oct. 27, 2026 are on record. The Commission has given no estimate of any later charge on these goods¹.

Customs brokers must declare the goods correctly so customs can record them. The origin of the silicon and its customs code matter most here.

Buyers in the EU who use silicon in their own products do not yet know the outcome of the review on the duty level. Chinese makers that export to the EU are part of the review itself³.

EU producers asked for the review¹. They argue that the current duties no longer protect them from low-priced imports³.

When does registration start and end?

The regulation was published on Oct. 26, 2026¹. It enters into force on the following day, Oct. 27, 2026¹. Registration then lasts nine months from that date¹.

Personal data collected during registration will be handled under EU data protection rules, Regulation (EU) 2018/1725¹.

Key points on Chinese silicon registration

The main facts of the measure are below.

Registration runs for nine months from Oct. 27, 2026¹. Chinese silicon entering in that time stays on record while the Commission decides whether the current duties should rise.

Sources

1. ↩ L_202602346EN.000101.fmx.xml https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32026R2346
2. ↩ Implementing regulation – 2022/1394 – EN – EUR-Lex http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2022/1394/oj
3. ↩ EUR-Lex – 52026XC04547 – EN – EUR-Lex https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/4547/oj/eng