Export Growth
August 7, 2026
Commerce expands aluminum container circumvention inquiry
Written by Nicholas Bell
The US Department of Commerce opened a circumvention inquiry into disposable aluminum containers completed in Malaysia and Indonesia using Chinese-origin aluminum foil.
The inquiry will determine whether Commerce should bring those imports within the scope of antidumping and countervailing duty orders covering disposable aluminum containers, pans, trays and lids from China. The action took effect Aug. 6.
The Aluminum Foil Containers Manufacturers Association (AFCMA) and several member companies requested the inquiries July 1. They alleged companies were completing containers in Malaysia and Indonesia from foil manufactured in China.
Commerce intends to issue preliminary determinations within 150 days and final determinations within 300 days unless it extends or ends the proceedings.
Vietnam and Thailand antidumping and countervailing duty case
The Malaysia and Indonesia inquiries follow Commerce’s earlier investigation of the same trade pattern involving Vietnam and Thailand.
For Thailand and Vietnam, Commerce found on a preliminary basis containers made with Chinese foil and exported to the US should fall within the orders’ scope. The department directed CBP to suspend liquidation and require estimated duty deposits on qualifying unliquidated entries made on or after Oct. 28, 2024.
For products produced from aluminum foil originating from China, CBP could collect deposits using the China-wide antidumping duty rate of 287.80% and the all-others countervailing duty rate of 317.85%.
The preliminary determinations did not close the Vietnam and Thailand cases. Commerce still must issue final determinations, after which the US International Trade Commission would issue its own final determinations.
Trade increased before circumvention inquiry
US imports from Malaysia under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) codes covered by the inquiries increased 102% year over year during January through June 2026. Even with that increase, however, Malaysia supplied only 4% of aggregate US imports under those classifications.
Imports from Indonesia increased 58% over the same period and represented 3.4% of the total.
The import figures refer to the number of units entered under the investigated HTS classifications. Gross weight can vary across the covered product categories and does not provide a directly comparable measure of volume.
Data from Commerce show a similar direction to the trade changes that preceded the Vietnam and Thailand cases. Though, Malaysia and Indonesia represent smaller portions of imports than Vietnam and Thailand at the time of the case’s initiation.
Vietnamese shipments under the investigated classifications increased 139% in 2025 from 2024 and accounted for around 15.7% of the US total that year. Thailand’s shipments increased 710% and represented 13.1%.
Their shares then fell after Commerce initiated the inquires in mid-2025.
Vietnam supplied 2.6% of imports under the classifications during the first half of 2026, while Thailand supplied 0.8%.
Malaysia and Indonesia together accounted for 7.4% of first-half 2026 imports. Vietnam and Thailand supplied a combined 28.8% in 2025.
Imports under the aluminum container circumvention inquiry
HTS code 7615.10.7125, which covers disposable food-grade aluminum containers, pans, trays and lids with a thickness between 0.04 and 0.22 millimeters, accounted for nearly two-thirds of total US imports covered by the inquiries during the first half of 2026.
That classification made up 97.5% of Malaysia’s first-half shipments under review and accounted for 79% of Indonesia’s. Indonesia’s remaining imports were concentrated in other kitchenware classifications, which represented 13.6% of shipments, and aluminum bakeware, which accounted for 7%.
In total, the investigation covers 10 HTS classifications.
Most fall under HTS subheading 7615.10 for aluminum tables, kitchen or other household articles. Two fall under HTS subheading 8309.99 for base metal packaging accessories, including stoppers, caps, lids, bottle capsules, and seals.
The remaining classification, HTS 7612.90.1090, covers non-gaseous aluminum containers. This includes casks, drums, cans, boxes and similar containers with capacities between 3.8 and 20 liters.
Sourcing shifts after the investigation initiation
Other sourcing changes also altered the aggregate import mix.
China supplied 15% of US imports under the investigated classifications in 2025. Its share fell to 7.9% during the first half of 2026.
Canada’s share increased from 16% in 2025 to 48% during January through June 2026. Austra also remained a significant supplier, accounting for 19% during the first half of 2026 after representing 17% in 2025.
Overall, total US imports of the investigated product classifications fell 27% in the first half of 2026 from the same period in 2025.
