Three big US synthetic fiber producers have filed petitions against China, India, South Korea and Taiwan for dumping fine denier polyester staple fiber into the US market. They say the fiber is sold in the US at less than fair value and this is hurting domestic industry.

The three fiber producers are: DAK Americas, Nan Ya Plastics and Auriga Polymers. They want the US to investigate the dumping and impose anti-dumping and countervailing duties on imports of the fiber from those countries. The petitions allege that producers in each of the countries are dumping the fiber in the US market at sizeable margins: 88.07 per cent to 103.06 per cent from China, 21.31 per cent to 29.7 per cent from India, 27.16 per cent to 45.23 per cent from South Korea and 29.32 per cent to 43.81 per cent from Taiwan.

Anti-dumping duties are intended to offset the amount by which a product is sold at less than fair value, or dumped, in the US. The margin of dumping is calculated and estimated duties in the amount of the dumping are collected from importers. Countervailing duties are intended to offset unfair subsidies that are provided by foreign governments and benefit the production of a particular good.