Certain Chinese hardwood flooring products that were granted a temporary exemption from 25% tariffs were not among a list of products given an extension to the tariff exemption by the U.S. Trade Representative Aug. 6.
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Certain Chinese hardwood flooring products that were granted a temporary exemption from 25% tariffs were not among a list of products given an extension to the tariff exemption by the U.S. Trade Representative Aug. 6.
Temporary tariff exemptions on hybrid engineered flooring with an oak veneer and stone-plastic composite core and flooring with a hardwood veneer and waterproof stone-polymer composite base were announced in November 2019 and retroactively extended from Sept. 24, 2018, to Aug. 7, 2020.
In February, the USTR added two-layer wood flooring consisting of non-coniferous wood veneer to the exemption list expiring Aug. 7, and in May it added flooring planks measuring at least 121 cm but not more than 122 cm in length and at least 12.7 cm but not more than 19.7 cm in width.
The temporary exemption list also included several vinyl flooring products, which were also excluded from the tariff extension list. The latest USTR extension list will extend from Aug. 7, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2020.
USTR definitions for wood flooring products now set to resume 25% tariffs following the temporary exemption include the following:
“Engineered flooring, of oak, consisting of a 1.2 mm thick oak veneer top layer, 5.8 mm stone-plastic composite core and a 2 mm polyethylene backing, such flooring coated with aluminum oxide, measuring not over 191 cm long by 19 cm wide by 0.9 cm thick (described in statistical reporting number 4412.99.5105).”
“Flooring panels constructed of a hardwood veneer measuring 0.6 mm or more but not over 1.2 mm in thickness laminated onto a waterproof stonepolymer composite base, with the thickness of each panel between 5 mm and 7.5 mm, with tongue and groove mechanism for installation and an attached foam pad (described in statistical reporting number 4412.99.5105).”
“Two-layer wood flooring consisting of a non-coniferous wood veneer measuring at least 0.6 mm but not more than 1.2 mm in thickness laminated to a single-layer base of fiberboard, each board measuring at least 9 cm but not more than 21 cm in width, at least 35 cm but not more than 1.9 m in length and at least 5 mm but not more than 12 mm in thickness (described in statistical reporting number 4412.99.5105).”
“Flooring planks, each measuring at least 121 cm but not more than 122 cm in length and at least 12.7 cm but not more than 19.7 cm in width (described in statistical reporting number 4411.13.2000).”
The U.S. imposed duties on $200 billion-worth of Chinese products in September 2018 to retaliate for what it described as unfair trade practices by the Chinese government.
