Saudi Arabia Imposes Duties on Chinese Can Lids from 13 October 2026

Saudi Arabia charges anti-dumping duties of 15.8% to 38.7% on Chinese aluminium drink can lids from Oct. 13, 2026.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Foreign Trade (GAFT) put five-year anti-dumping duties on Chinese aluminium lids for drink cans from Oct. 13, 2026¹.

The duties range from 15.8% to 38.7% of the shipment’s value, depending on the rate table in the decision¹. They run until Oct. 12, 2031².

In short, a shipment of Chinese can lids now pays an extra import tax at the Saudi border. Each shipment also faces a minimum charge per thousand lids and per kilogram, so cheap lids cannot escape the duty².

What did Saudi Arabia decide on beverage can lids?

Dr. Majed Alkassabi, the Minister of Commerce, issued the decision as Chairman of the Board of GAFT¹. GAFT is the Saudi agency that handles foreign trade and trade defence cases. The decision appeared in the official gazette on Oct. 12, 2026¹.

The measure is an anti-dumping duty, an extra import tax on goods sold abroad below their normal price. It is a definitive duty, the final duty at the end of an investigation¹. The decision tells the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, Saudi Arabia’s customs service, to impose and collect it¹.

The duty applies to imports that originate in China or are exported from China¹. It applies for five years starting Oct. 13, 2026¹.

Which can lids are covered?

The goods are aluminium lids for drink cans, the kind with a ring pull that opens without a tool. The official name is "Aluminium Easy Open Ends (Lids) for Beverage Cans"¹. The duty covers lids with a diameter from 50 mm to 63 mm¹.

When GAFT opened the case, it also described the lids by thickness. The investigation covered lids from 0.213 mm to 0.250 mm thick³. The Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the state news agency, reported the same size limits when the case began⁴.

GAFT lists the goods under Saudi customs tariff code 830990700000². A customs broker can use this 12-digit code to check whether a shipment is affected. Lids outside the size range, or lids made outside China and not shipped from China, are not named in the decision.

How much will importers pay on Chinese lids?

The decision sets duty rates from 15.8% to 38.7%¹. GAFT’s table of measures in force says the rate is a share of the CIF value². CIF value is the price of the goods plus the cost of insurance and freight to Saudi Arabia.

Each rate also has a floor. The duty cannot be lower than a fixed amount in Saudi riyals (SAR)². GAFT sets two floors:

• Per thousand lids: not less than SAR 7.418 to SAR 18.201².
• Per kilogram: not less than SAR 2.941 to SAR 7.215².

The floors matter when the declared price is very low. If 15.8% of a low price gives a small sum, customs charges at least the fixed amount instead. This stops a seller from cutting the invoice price to cut the duty.

Why does the rate differ between shipments?

The decision applies rates "according to the table included in this decision"¹. That table sets the rate for each case in detail¹. A shipment does not pay one single rate for all Chinese lids.

The GAFT news release and its table of measures give only the lowest and highest rates¹. They do not name the Chinese companies or say which rate each one pays. The full decision and GAFT’s public notice of final findings are on GAFT’s notices and circulars pages¹.

The rate on each customs entry will follow the decision’s table. Checking that table is the only way to know the exact charge.

Why did GAFT act against Chinese lids?

The case began with a complaint from Saudi lid makers, which GAFT calls the domestic industry¹. GAFT opened its investigation on Sept. 30, 2025³. The SPA reported the start of the case on the same day⁴.

GAFT says the decision follows the "final findings" of that investigation¹. The aim, in GAFT’s words, is to protect the domestic industry from unfair trade practices in the Saudi market¹. Unfair practice here means selling lids in Saudi Arabia below their normal price.

GAFT’s case list gives the investigation the number AD-25-2³. It now shows the case status as "Definitive Measures Into Force"³.

What law does the duty rest on?

The duty rests on the Law of Trade Remedies in International Trade and its Executive Regulations¹. Saudi Arabia issued that law on Nov. 23, 2022⁴.

Article 4.1 of the law makes GAFT responsible for trade remedies⁴. These are the tools a country uses against unfair or sudden surges in imports. Under the law, GAFT runs investigations and reviews and imposes measures⁴.

The article ties this work to Saudi Arabia’s international commitments. It names the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements on anti-dumping, on subsidies and on safeguards⁴. The SPA report said GAFT has used the law in several industries to protect local makers⁴.

Who is affected by the can lid duties?

Saudi importers of Chinese lids pay the duty when the lids clear customs. This includes drink makers and can fillers that buy lids directly from China.

Chinese makers and exporters now face a higher landed cost in the Saudi market. Their rate depends on the table in the decision¹.

Customs brokers must declare the right tariff code and the right rate. The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority will collect the duty at the border¹.

Saudi lid makers are the industry the duty is meant to protect¹. Lids from other countries do not carry this duty, so buyers may compare those prices too.

How does this case fit GAFT’s other duties?

The can lid case is one of several anti-dumping duties now in force. GAFT’s table lists them side by side².

Two months earlier, on Aug. 4, 2026, GAFT imposed duties on ductile iron pipes from India². Those rates run from 16.96% to 29.94% of CIF value². On Oct. 27, 2025, it imposed duties of 19.39% to 45% on titanium dioxide from China².

GAFT also has open investigations into other goods. They include epoxy resins, started on Jan. 22, 2026, and grey-back duplex cardboard, started on Aug. 19, 2026³. China is a named country in both cases³.

When do the can lid duties start and end?

The dates are short and clear:

1. Sept. 30, 2025: GAFT opens the investigation³.
2. Oct. 12, 2026: the decision appears in the official gazette¹.
3. Oct. 13, 2026: the duties start to apply¹.
4. Oct. 12, 2031: the duties are due to expire².

A shipment that clears Saudi customs from Oct. 13, 2026 pays the duty. The duties last five years unless the decision is changed¹.

Key points on Saudi duties on Chinese can lids

The main facts of the decision are below.

From Oct. 13, 2026, every shipment of these Chinese lids pays the duty at the Saudi border. The duties are due to end on Oct. 12, 2031².

Sources

1. ↩ The General Authority of Foreign Trade Announces the Imposition of Def… / GAFT https://gaft.gov.sa/en/lists/news/the-general-authority-of-foreign-trade-announces-the-imposition-of-definitive-anti-dumping-measures-on-the-imports-of-aluminium-easy-open-ends-lids-for-beverage-cans-with-diameters-from-50-mm-to-63-mm-originating-in-or-exported-from-the-peo/
2. ↩ Follow-up Trade Remedies Investigations / GAFT https://gaft.gov.sa/en/trade-remedies/follow-up-trade-remedies-investigations
3. ↩ Details of Investigations and Reviews Initiated by GAFT / GAFT https://gaft.gov.sa/en/trade-remedies/details-of-investigations-and-reviews-initiated-by-gaft
4. ↩ GAFT Opens Anti-Dumping Investigation into Chinese Easy-Open Aluminum Ends https://www.spa.gov.sa/N2411243