The US Department of Commerce announced the initiation of new antidumping duty and countervailing duty investigations to determine whether refillable stainless steel kegs from China, Germany, and Mexico are being dumped in the United States and to determine if producers in China are receiving unfair subsidies. The alleged dumping margins are 204.42 percent for China, 72.80 percent for Germany, and 18.48 percent for Mexico. In addition, there are 26 Chinese subsidy programs alleged, including policy lending, export loans, income tax deductions and exemptions, as well as grants for energy conservation and international market expansion, among others. These antidumping and countervailing duty investigations were initiated based on petitions filed by American Keg Company, LLC (Pottstown, PA) on September 20, 2018.

If Commerce makes affirmative findings in these investigations, and if the US International Trade Commission determines that dumped and/or unfairly subsidized U.S. imports of refillable stainless steel kegs from China, Germany and Mexico are causing injury to the U.S. industry, Commerce will impose duties on those imports in the amount of dumping and/or unfair subsidization found to exist.

In 2017, imports of refillable stainless steel kegs from China, Germany, and Mexico were valued at an estimated USD 18.1 million, USD 11.8 million, and USD 5.7 million, respectively. 

Final determinations by Commerce in these cases are scheduled for February 27, 2019 for the countervailing investigation, and May 13, 2019 for the antidumping investigations, but those deadlines may be extended. If Commerce finds that products are not being dumped and/or unfairly subsidized, or the ITC finds in its final determinations there is no harm to the US industry, then the investigations will be terminated and no duties will be applied.