BEIJING (April 27, 2010)—The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has imposed tariffs of as much as 96.5 percent on Nylon 6, or polycaprolactam, imported from the U.S. and other countries, according to a press release from the ministry. Nylon 6 is widely used to make tire cord and other common items such as hosiery, knitted garments, nets, thread, rope and filaments, the ministry said.
The final tariff nearly triples the preliminary antidumping duty of 36.2 percent the ministry recommended last October for U.S. Nylon 6. The 96.5-percent level covers all U.S. Nylon 6 importers except Honeywell Resins & Chemical L.L.C., which will be charged the 36.2-percent tariff, and the U.S. arm of BASF A.G., which will be levied a duty of only 29.3 percent, according to news reports from China.
Nylon 6 from Taiwan, Russia and the European Union will be charged tariffs ranging from 4 to 23.9 percent. Those rates are unchanged from last October, when China started collecting security deposits on Nylon 6 imports.
News of the tariffs created concerns among U.S. tire distributors as to how they would affect the price of tires imported from China. “Anything that impacts the prices of tires from China impacts everyone who imports tires from China,” said Pat McLaughlin, president of private brander Sure Tire Co. in Wentzville, Mo.