US Keeps Duties on Small Chinese Lawn Mower Engines from 20 October 2026

United States keeps anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on Chinese 99cc to 225cc lawn mower engines, effective Oct. 20, 2026.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has kept its extra duties on small Chinese lawn mower engines in place, effective Oct. 20, 2026.

The decision covers spark-ignited engines of 99cc up to 225cc, mainly used in walk-behind lawn mowers, and some of their parts¹. Commerce signed its continuation notice on Oct. 22, 2026, and it is set for publication in the Federal Register on Oct. 26, 2026¹.

In short, nothing gets cheaper for these engines from China. Customs will keep collecting the same extra duty deposits at the border, at the rates in force on the day each shipment enters¹.

What did Commerce decide on small vertical engines?

The notice continues two separate duty orders on the same goods. One is an anti-dumping duty, an extra import tax on goods sold abroad below their normal price. The other is a countervailing duty, an extra tax that cancels out subsidies a foreign government pays its makers¹.

Commerce first issued both orders on May 4, 2021¹. U.S. law says such orders end after five years, unless two agencies find that ending them would bring back the harm². Those two agencies are Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), an independent body that judges harm to American industry².

Both agencies have now reached that finding. Commerce therefore ordered the continuation of both orders under section 751(d)(2) of the Tariff Act of 1930¹. The case numbers are A-570-124 for the anti-dumping order and C-570-125 for the countervailing duty order¹.

Why did the orders stay in place?

Commerce looked first at prices and subsidies. In July 2026 it found that removing the anti-dumping order would likely lead to more dumping³. It put the likely dumping margins, the gap between the export price and normal value, at up to 541.75%³.

In a second notice the same month, Commerce found that Chinese subsidies would likely continue if the countervailing duty order ended⁴. It listed the subsidy rates it expects would apply without the order⁴.

The ITC then looked at harm to U.S. makers. It found that ending the orders would likely bring back "material injury" to a U.S. industry within a reasonably foreseeable time⁵. Material injury means real damage to American producers, such as lost sales or lower prices.

The ITC vote was unanimous among those who took part. Chairman Brett W. Doyle and Commissioners Jason E. Kearns, Peter-Anthony Pappas, Bart Thanhauser and David Foley Jr. voted in favour². Commissioner Samuel T. Negatu did not take part in the vote².

Which engines does the order cover?

The order covers spark-ignited vertical shaft engines used off the road, mainly in walk-behind lawn mowers¹. They may also power other outdoor machines that are not held in the hand, such as pressure washers¹.

The covered engines have these features¹:

• Single cylinder, air cooled, with a spark plug for ignition.
• A vertical output shaft, the spinning rod that drives the blade or pump.
• A size of at least 99cc and below 225cc (cubic centimetres).
• Power that is typically between 1.95 and 4.75 kilowatts.

These engines normally must meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air pollution rules for small non-road engines, under 40 CFR part 1054¹. An engine that lacks this EPA approval is still covered if it matches the physical description¹.

The order covers engines that are finished or unfinished, assembled or not, and mounted or not¹. It also covers engines made in China and then fitted onto a machine in a third country¹.

Are whole lawn mowers and engine parts included?

Yes, in part. An engine still counts when it arrives already fitted on a lawn mower or pressure washer¹. In that case, only the engine is covered, not the rest of the machine¹.

A set of core engine parts can also count as an "unfinished engine." The minimum set is the crankcase, crankshaft, camshaft, piston or pistons, and connecting rod or rods¹. Shipping these parts together brings them under the order, whether or not they are put together¹.

Adding other parts does not change this. A sump, cylinder head, valve parts, spark plugs or ignition coils in the same box do not take the goods out of the order¹. Adding other parts in a third country does not remove the engine from the order either¹.

Which engines are left out?

One group of stronger engines is excluded. These are engines rated "Commercial" or "Heavy Commercial" under EPA rules 40 CFR 1054.107 and 1054.135¹.

To be excluded, such an engine must have all four of these features¹:

• A size of 160cc or more.
• A cast iron cylinder liner, the hard sleeve inside the cylinder.
• An automatic compression release, which makes the engine easier to start.
• A muffler with at least three chambers and a volume above 400cc.

An engine that misses even one of these features stays inside the order.

Which tariff codes should shipments check?

Commerce lists the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) codes where these goods usually enter. Most engines enter under HTSUS 8407.90.1010¹. Engine part sets enter under 8409.91.9990¹.

Engines already fitted to machines enter under 8433.11.0050, 8433.11.0060 and 8424.30.9000¹. Covered engines may also enter under 8407.90.1020, 8407.90.9040 and 8407.90.9060¹.

The codes are only a guide. Commerce says the written description of the goods decides what is covered, not the code¹. A shipment under another code can still owe the duties if the engine fits the description.

What duty rates apply to Chinese engine makers?

The continuation notice itself sets no new rates. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the U.S. border agency, will keep collecting cash deposits at the rates in force when goods enter¹. A cash deposit is money paid at entry to cover the duty owed.

The countervailing duty review named the subsidy rates likely to apply without the order⁴:

• Chongqing Kohler Engines Ltd: 2.84%.
• Chongqing Zongshen General Power Machine Co: 18.13%.
• All other Chinese makers: 10.46%.

On the anti-dumping side, Commerce found likely dumping margins of up to 541.75%³. These figures show what Commerce expects without the orders. The deposit for each shipment remains the rate in force on its entry date¹.

Who asked for the duties to stay?

Briggs & Stratton, LLC, a U.S. maker of these engines, asked Commerce to keep the orders³. It filed its notice to take part on April 13, 2026, and its full response on May 1, 2026⁴.

No Chinese maker or exporter sent a full response to Commerce³. Commerce told the ITC of this on May 20, 2026⁴. As a result, Commerce ran a shorter, expedited review lasting 120 days⁴.

The ITC also chose a quick review. On July 6, 2026, it decided to hold expedited reviews⁵. Three commissioners found the U.S. industry’s responses adequate and the foreign responses inadequate².

In an expedited review, the ITC usually holds no hearing². It decides on the facts it already has, including earlier findings and information from Commerce².

Who is affected by the continued duties?

U.S. importers of these engines from China keep paying the deposits at entry¹. This includes companies that buy Chinese engines already fitted on lawn mowers or pressure washers, since the engine part stays covered¹.

Makers of outdoor machines in other countries are also affected. A Chinese engine fitted onto a machine elsewhere still counts as Chinese for these orders¹.

Chinese engine makers face the same rates as before. Two named makers have their own countervailing duty rates, and all others share a common rate⁴.

U.S. engine makers, such as Briggs & Stratton, keep the protection the orders give against low-priced imports³.

When does the continuation start and what comes next?

The continuation takes effect on Oct. 20, 2026¹. That is the date the ITC published its determination in the Federal Register¹. The ITC completed and filed its determinations on Oct. 16, 2026⁵.

The ITC’s full public report is USITC Publication 5801⁵. It is due on the ITC website by Nov. 13, 2026².

Commerce will start the next five-year review no later than 30 days before the fifth anniversary of the ITC’s latest determination¹. Until then, the duties stay in place.

Key points on Chinese small vertical engine duties

The table below sums up the decision.

For importers, deposits on Chinese small vertical engines continue unchanged from Oct. 20, 2026. The ITC’s full report on the case is due by Nov. 13, 2026².

Sources

1. ↩ 2026-21819.pdf https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-21819.pdf
2. ↩ USITC Makes Determinations in Five-Year (Sunset) Reviews Concerning Small Vertical Shaft Engines from China | United States International Trade Commission https://www.usitc.gov/press_room/news_release/2026/er1007_69328.htm
3. ↩ Federal Register :: Certain Vertical Shaft Engines Between 99cc and Up To 225cc, and Parts Thereof (Small Vertical Engines) From the People’s Republic of China: Final Results of the Expedited First Sunset Review of the Antidumping Duty Order https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/31/2026-15473/certain-vertical-shaft-engines-between-99cc-and-up-to-225cc-and-parts-thereof-small-vertical-engines
4. ↩ Federal Register :: Certain Vertical Shaft Engines Between 99cc and Up to 225cc, and Parts Thereof From the People’s Republic of China: Final Results of the Expedited First Sunset Review of the Countervailing Duty Order https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/31/2026-15566/certain-vertical-shaft-engines-between-99cc-and-up-to-225cc-and-parts-thereof-from-the-peoples
5. ↩ Federal Register :: Small Vertical Shaft Engines From China; Determinations https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/10/20/2026-21459/small-vertical-shaft-engines-from-china-determinations