United States Commerce found on Nov. 4, 2026, that dumping of Mexican and Chinese magnesia carbon bricks would return without duties.
The U.S. Department of The U.S. Department of Commerce said on Nov. 4, 2026, that ending anti-dumping duties on magnesia carbon bricks from Mexico and China would bring back dumping.
The finding comes from the third sunset review of the two duty orders. A sunset review is a check every five years on whether a duty is still needed1.
In short, nothing changes yet for a shipment of these bricks. U.S. customs keeps collecting the extra duty, and the duty stays in place unless a second agency decides otherwise.
What did Commerce decide on magnesia carbon bricks?
Commerce published its final results in the Federal Register on Nov. 4, 2026, and they apply from that date1. The notice covers the anti-dumping duty orders on bricks from Mexico and from China. An anti-dumping duty is an extra import tax on goods sold abroad below their normal price.
Commerce found that removing the orders would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping1. In plain words, it expects makers in Mexico and China to sell the bricks in the United States at unfairly low prices again if the duties end.
The notice also states how large that dumping would likely be. Commerce put the likely dumping margins, the size of the price gap, at up to 57.90% for Mexico and up to 236.00% for China1.
The notice was signed on Oct. 30, 2026, by Scot Fullerton, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Operations1.
Which bricks do the duties cover?
Magnesia carbon bricks are heat-resistant bricks. They are made mostly from magnesia, a mineral form of magnesium oxide, bonded with carbon. The new notice refers readers to a separate Commerce memo for the full product description1.
What makes a brick covered
| Feature | Rule in the orders |
|---|---|
| Bonding | Chemically bonded with resin or pitch |
| Magnesia content | At least 70% by weight |
| Carbon content | Trace amounts to 30% by weight |
| Antioxidants | Covered, from trace amounts to 15% by weight |
| Extra treatments | Covered, such as coating, coking or metal casing |
The description in the orders is detailed. It covers chemically bonded bricks, held together with resin or pitch, with at least 70% magnesia by weight2. The carbon content can range from trace amounts to 30% by weight2.
The orders cover the bricks whatever the source of the magnesia raw material2. They also cover bricks with extra treatments. The orders list these examples2:
- Surface work, such as coating or grinding
- Tar impregnation or coking, which adds or bakes in carbon
- High-temperature heat treatment
- Anti-slip treatments
- Metal casing around the brick
Bricks with added antioxidants are covered too. These additives can range from trace amounts to 15% by weight and may be metals, metal alloys or metal carbides2.
Which tariff codes apply at the border?
The orders list five subheadings of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), the U.S. list of import codes3. The bricks are currently classified under these codes:
- 6902.10.1000
- 6902.10.5000
- 6815.91.0000
- 6815.99.2000
- 6815.99.4000
The codes are a guide for customs only. The written description of the product decides what is covered, not the code3. So a brick that meets the description is covered even if it enters under another code.
Why did Commerce act without a full review?
The review began when Commerce published a notice starting it on July 2, 20261. The law requires this check on each duty order every five years.
Steps in the 2026 review
On July 14, 2026, a group of U.S. brick producers told Commerce it would take part1. The group described itself as an association formed for the case, made up of U.S. makers of the bricks1. On July 31, 2026, the same group filed full written arguments on time1.
No foreign maker, exporter or importer filed a response. Commerce said it received no substantive response from any respondent1. It told the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), the agency that rules on harm to U.S. industry, of this on Aug. 24, 20261.
Because only the U.S. side took part, Commerce used a short process. It held an expedited 120-day sunset review, based on the papers on file rather than a full investigation1.
How did the original 2010 duties work?
Commerce first issued the orders on Sept. 20, 20102. It had found earlier that year that the bricks were sold in the United States below fair value2. On Sept. 8, 2010, the ITC found that these imports caused material injury to a U.S. industry2.
2010 anti-dumping rates on magnesia carbon bricks, %
The 2010 orders set a rate for each company. The Mexican producer RHI-Refmex S.A. de C.V. received a rate of 57.90%, and the same rate applied to all other Mexican exporters2.
For China, the rates were higher. RHI Refractories Liaoning Co., Ltd. and 13 other named Chinese companies received 128.10%2. All other Chinese exporters, grouped as the China-wide entity, received 236.00%2.
The China-wide rate also covered two named firms, Liaoning Mayerton Refractories Co., Ltd. and Dalian Mayerton Refractories Co., Ltd.2. The highest margins in the new review, 57.90% and 236.00%, match the highest rates set in 20101.
Who pays the duty and how?
The duty is paid by the U.S. importer, not by the foreign maker. Under the 2010 orders, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) collects a cash deposit when the bricks enter the country2. The deposit is an advance payment of the expected duty, made at the same time as normal customs duties2.
Commerce later sets the final amount owed. The orders say the duty equals the amount by which the normal value of the bricks exceeds their export price2.
For Chinese bricks, there is also a separate countervailing duty order, a tax that offsets foreign government subsidies3. In 2010 Commerce lowered the anti-dumping deposit for some Chinese firms by the part linked to export subsidies2. This stops the same subsidy from being charged twice.
The rate charged on a shipment today is not always the 2010 rate. After the last review in 2021, Commerce said CBP would keep collecting deposits at the rates in effect at the time of entry3.
What happened at the last review in 2021?
The new review is the third. The second review began on Jan. 4, 20213. Commerce then found that ending the duties would bring back dumping and subsidies3.
On Aug. 3, 2021, the ITC found that ending the orders would likely lead to renewed harm to a U.S. industry3. Commerce then published a notice on Aug. 19, 2021, keeping the anti-dumping orders and the countervailing duty order in force3.
That 2021 notice also set the timing of the next check. Commerce said it would start the next five-year review not later than 30 days before the fifth anniversary of the continuation3. The July 2026 start fits that schedule.
What happens next for the brick duties?
Commerce’s finding is only half of the review. The ITC runs its own third review of the same orders, under case numbers 701-TA-468 and 731-TA-1166-11674. Its notice starting the reviews is dated June 24, 20264.
The ITC must decide whether ending the orders would again harm U.S. brick makers. In 2021, Commerce kept the orders only after both agencies found against ending them3. If the ITC rules the same way this time, Commerce will publish a notice keeping the orders.
Until then, the duties stay in force. Importers of covered bricks from Mexico and China keep paying deposits at the border.
Key points on the magnesia carbon brick duties
The table gives the main facts from the review.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What changed? | Commerce found dumping would return without the duties |
| Who issued it? | U.S. Department of Commerce |
| Which goods? | Magnesia carbon bricks, at least 70% magnesia |
| Which countries? | Mexico and China |
| Likely margin, Mexico | Up to 57.90% |
| Likely margin, China | Up to 236.00% |
| Tariff codes | 6902.10 and 6815.91 / 6815.99 subheadings |
| Type of review | Expedited 120-day third sunset review |
| Applies from | Nov. 4, 2026 |
| Who pays? | U.S. importers, through cash deposits |
| What comes next? | The ITC’s ruling on harm to U.S. makers |
The duties on these bricks stay in place while the ITC completes its review. A U.S. buyer of covered bricks from Mexico or China still pays a deposit at entry, at the rate in effect for that exporter.
Sources
- ↩ Federal Register :: Magnesia Carbon Bricks From Mexico and the People’s Republic of China: Final Results of the Expedited Third Sunset Reviews of the Antidumping Duty Orders https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/11/04/2026-22523/magnesia-carbon-bricks-from-mexico-and-the-peoples-republic-of-china-final-results-of-the-expedited
- ↩ Federal Register :: Certain Magnesia Carbon Bricks From Mexico and the People’s Republic of China: Antidumping Duty Orders https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2010/09/20/2010-23427/certain-magnesia-carbon-bricks-from-mexico-and-the-peoples-republic-of-china-antidumping-duty-orders
- ↩ Federal Register :: Certain Magnesia Carbon Bricks From Mexico and the People’s Republic of China: Continuation of Antidumping Duty Orders and Countervailing Duty Order https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/08/19/2021-17790/certain-magnesia-carbon-bricks-from-mexico-and-the-peoples-republic-of-china-continuation-of
- ↩ Magnesia Carbon Bricks from China and Mexico | United States International Trade Commission https://www.usitc.gov/fed_reg_notices/five_yearsunset_reviews/magnesia_carbon_bricks_china_and_mexico_062426.htm