WASHINGTON—The U.S. International Trade Commission has scheduled a public hearing Oct. 10 on whether the domestic mattress industry is suffering material injury because of imports from China.
Nine U.S. mattress manufacturers petitioned the ITC in September 2018 for antidumping relief against Chinese imports.
The agency initiated an investigation in November, and on May 29, the Commerce Department issued preliminary antidumping duties ranging from 38.56 to 1,731.75 percent.
Commerce also found critical circumstances against all but two of the Chinese manufacturers, meaning that it directed Customs and Border Protection to impose duties retroactively on these manufacturers effective 90 days from publication of the antidumping notice in the Federal Register.
All mattresses designated as "adult" and "youth," whether of innerspring, non-innerspring (foam and other resilient fillings) or hybrid construction, are included in the investigation, the ITC said in a June 13 notice. Futons, waterbeds and inflatable beds are excluded.
Parties interested in testifying at the hearing must contact the ITC in writing by Oct. 4. Interested parties also must submit prehearing briefs by Sept. 28 and posthearing briefs by Oct. 17. The agency has scheduled a prehearing conference for Oct. 8.
Commerce's final determinations on antidumping margins are due Oct. 10, the same day as the ITC hearing. The ITC's final vote on material injury is scheduled on or about Nov. 24.
According to Commerce, China imported 4.33 million mattresses to the U.S. worth $376.7 million in 2015. Those figures dropped to 1.83 million and $172.2 million in 2016, but increased again in 2017 to 4.61 million and $436.5 million.
The notice of the Oct. 10 hearing may be found online.