The US Commerce Department said on Thursday it will impose preliminary anti-dumping duties of 93.5% on anode-grade graphite imported from China after concluding that the materials, which are a key component for electric vehicle batteries, are being sold in the US at less than fair market value. A Commerce Department fact sheet seen by Reuters shows a single anti-dumping margin and cash deposit rate of 93.5% for all Chinese producers.
Duties on Chinese anode grade graphite materials
The new anti-dumping duty on graphite is expected to add more strain to the global electric vehicle supply chain, which is already under pressure due to China’s export restrictions on key minerals and battery-related technology. Following the announcement, shares of battery suppliers dropped, while stocks of North American graphite companies went up. A spokesperson for a group representing anode material makers told CNBCTV18 that the decision by the US government confirms that China has been selling graphite in the US at unfairly low prices.
The order affects imports valued at $347.1 million in 2023, Commerce said. The duties apply to anode-grade graphite material with a graphite minimum purity content of 90% carbon by weight, and can be synthetic graphite, natural graphite or a blend of the two. A separate but parallel anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese anode grade graphite materials by the Commerce Department on May 20 resulted in a preliminary countervailing duty of 6.55% for most producers but 712.03% for Huzhou Kaijin New Energy Technology Corp and 721.03% for Shanghai Shaosheng Knitted Sweat (sic).
Anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties cases in America
Final anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties for the material are due by December 5, 2025. The petitioner in both the anti-dumping and anti-subsidy cases is the American Active Anode Material Producers, an ad hoc coalition of US producers. It includes Anovion Technologies of Sanborn, New York, Syrah Technologies LLC of Vidalia, Louisiana, Novonix Anode Materials of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Epsilon Advanced Materials of Leland, North Carolina, and SKI US Inc of Marietta, Georgia.