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CSMS # 64824395 - Initiation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Investigations: Certain Monomers and Oligomers from Republic of Korea (Korea) and Taiwan

On April 16, 2025, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) initiated its less-than-fair-value and countervailing duty investigations on “Certain Monomers and Oligomers from Korea and Taiwan” (Initiation Notices). These investigations have been assigned the following case numbers: A-580-921(Korea) A-583-879 and C-583-880 (Taiwan).

The Scope of Merchandise covered by these investigations reads as follows:

The products subject to these investigations are certain multifunctional acrylate and methacrylate monomers, and acrylated bisphenol-A epoxy-based oligomers (collectively, certain monomers and oligomers or CMOs) that are derived from chemical reactions involving the use of acrylic or methacrylic acid.  Products within the scope are listed below and have the following Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) numbers:

The monomers are generally known as multifunctional acrylates (MFAs) or multifunctional methacrylates (MFMAs) depending on whether the functional groups are acrylate or methacrylate. The monomers generally contain stabilizers/inhibitors, which include but are not limited to Hydroquinone, Methyl Hydroquinone, and Butylated Hydroxy Toluene. The monomers are either difunctional or trifunctional (having 2 or 3 functional groups/molecule), have viscosities of 9 to 15 centipoise (cPs) at 25 degrees Celsius (if difunctional) or 44 to 110 cPs at 25 degrees Celsius (if trifunctional), have (meth)acrylate equivalent weights (molecular weight per number of functional groups) between 99 and 158 and molecular weights between 226 and 472 grams per mol.

The acrylated bisphenol-A epoxy-based oligomer is commonly referred to as epoxy acrylate or acrylated epoxy.  In contrast to epoxy resin, the main characteristic of the epoxy acrylate oligomer is that it contains acrylate functional groups which make them curable by free-radical polymerization.  The epoxy acrylate has a molecular weight between 508 to 536 grams per mol and a viscosity of 2400 to 3600 cPs at 65 degrees Celsius. The epoxy acrylate generally contains stabilizers/inhibitors, which include but are not limited to Hydroquinone, Methyl Hydroquinone, and Butylated Hydroxy Toluene.

Certain monomers and oligomers are subject to the scope even if an in-scope monomer or oligomer is blended or mixed with one or more other in-scope monomers or oligomers.

Certain monomers and oligomers in any blend or mixture are also subject to the scope, so long as the blend or mixture contains no less than 20 percent by weight of in-scope CMOs.

The scope includes merchandise matching the above description that has been processed in a third country, including by commingling, diluting, introducing, or removing ingredients, or performing any other processing that would not otherwise remove the merchandise from the scope of the investigations if performed in the subject country.

The scope also includes CMOs that are commingled, mixed or blended with in-scope products from sources not subject to these investigations.

Only the subject component(s) of such blends, mixtures or commingled products described above is covered by the scope of these investigations.  Subject merchandise contained in a blended, mixed or commingled product described above will not have undergone a chemical reaction as a result of being blended, mixed or commingled.

Notwithstanding the above, specifically excluded from the scope are downstream products, including but not limited to, inks, coatings and overprint varnishes.  For purposes of this exclusion, the downstream product requires only the application of energy to be cured, e.g., inks or varnish applied to packaging, coatings applied to wood flooring, etc. The energy source required to cure the downstream product to its substrate can be thermal, ultraviolet radiation, visible light, electron beam radiation, or infrared radiation.

This merchandise is currently classifiable under Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) subheadings 2916.12.5050, 2916.14.2050, 3824.99.2900, 3907.29.0000 and 3907.30.0000. Subject merchandise may also be entered under subheadings 2916.12.1000 and 3824.99.9397. The HTSUS subheadings and CAS registry numbers are provided for convenience and customs purposes only; the written description of the scope is dispositive.

Parties may submit comments on the scope of the investigations. Please be sure to comply with all requirements pertaining to submitting comments as described in the forthcoming Initiation Notices. Upon their publication in the Federal Register, the Initiation Notices may be found at www.federalregister.gov via the search bar using the case numbers assigned to these investigations.

Importers should be aware that entries of subject merchandise made after the initiation of an investigation may retroactively be subject to antidumping and/or countervailing duties.

For questions about CBP’s AD/CVD enforcement, see Priority Trade Issue: Antidumping and Countervailing Duties | U.S. Customs and Border Protection (cbp.gov).