US graphite producers have called on Washington to impose tariffs of 920% on imports of the material from China.
The American Active Anode Material Producers (AAAMP) coalition has submitted a petition to the Department of Commerce and International Trade Commission (ITC) to investigate whether China is exporting natural and synthetic graphite for anode material to the US at unfair prices.
Kallanish understands that the investigation is under the jurisdiction of US antidumping and countervailing duty statutes. The Department of Commerce will probe whether the graphite is being sold at less than fair value and if Beijing subsidises its production, while the ITC will assess any resulting damage to the domestic industry.
If both investigations are conclusive, the Department of Commerce can consider changing current tariffs.
The Biden administration has imposed 25% tariffs on natural graphite from 2026, while a 25% levy on synthetic graphite took effect earlier this year. According to Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, a law firm handling AAAMP’s case, China can absorb the extra 25% cost as its dumping margins are estimated to be as high as 920%.
Meanwhile, the industry projects demand for graphite in North America to rise by 300%, with China currently controlling the production of 92% of the world’s graphite anode materials.
“There is overwhelming evidence that China dumps artificially cheap graphite into global markets, which is made possible by state-sponsored policies and massive subsidies,” says Erik Olson, spokesperson for AAAMP, which includes companies such as Anovion Technologies, Epsilon Advance Materials, and Novonix.
“Without trade relief from the US government, the domestic graphite industry is in peril. China’s anticompetitive actions make it challenging for graphite producers to find secure financial footing, which prevents them from becoming established players in the global market,” he concludes.
Source:Kallanish
