17 Chinese furniture makers get 29.98% duty

Applies to shipments to United States in 2007

Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, August 17, 2009

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Commerce has assigned a nearly 30% duty to 17 Chinese wood bedroom furniture producers as part of its 2007 administrative review process.

Yihua Timber Ind., which manufactures for case goods importer New Classic Home Furnishings, received a 29.98% rate, as did 16 other manufacturers. Importers of record must pay the duty on wood bedroom furniture imported from the listed companies.

In addition to Yihua Timber, manufacturers with a 29.98% rate include:

Brother Furniture Manufacture Co., Ltd.

COE Ltd.

Decca Furniture Ltd.

Dongguan Landmark Furniture Products Ltd.

Dongguan Mingsheng Furniture Co. Ltd.

Dongguan Yihaiwei Furniture Ltd.

Fujian Lianfu Forestry Co. Ltd., aka Fujian Wonder Pacific Inc. (Dare Group).

Fuzhou Huan Mei Furniture Co. Ltd. (Dare Group)

Jiangsu Dare Furniture Co. Ltd. (Dare Group)

Hwang Ho International Holdings Ltd.

Meikangchi (Nantong) Furniture Co. Ltd.

Qingdao Shengchang Wooden Co. Ltd; Shenzhen Shen Long Hang Industry Co. Ltd.

Transworld (Zhangzhou) Furniture Co. Ltd.

Winny Universal Ltd., Zhongshan, Winny Furniture Ltd., Winny Overseas Ltd.

Xingli Arts & Crafts Factory of Yangchun.

Zhongshan Gainwell Furniture Co. Ltd.

The rate is a significant drop from the preliminary 124.31% duty these companies received in February. However, it is still higher than the Section A rate of 7.24% assigned to many other companies during previous reviews.

The duties apply to shipments made in calendar year 2007.
The DOC assigned an all-China rate of 216% to Orient International Holding, Shanghai Foreign Trading Co. Ltd., Dongguan Bon Ten Furniture Co., Dongguan Qingzi Xinyi Craft Furniture Factory, Tianjin Sande Fairwood Furniture Co., Yida Co. Ltd. and Hamilton & Spill Ltd. These companies received a higher rate because they did not provide the necessary documentation to the DOC that would make them eligible for a lower rate.

Two other companies, Golden Well International, and Dongguan Sunshine Furniture, received a zero percent duty for 2007.

The duties are part of an antidumping case initiated in 2003 by U.S. manufacturers that claimed the domestic industry had been injured by unfairly priced wood bedroom furniture imports from China. The assigned duties represent the rate the government believes the products are being sold in the U.S. below normal market values.