ITC Rules China Dumped Subsidized Plywood, Injuring U.S. Mills

by | Dec 6, 2017 | News

The International Trade Commission (ITC) issued its final determination, activating significant tariffs – nearly 200 percent – on some on imports of Chinese hardwood plywood, voting 4-0 that the domestic industry is materially injured, or threatened with material injury, by reason of these dumped and subsidized imports.

The trade group Coalition for the Fair Trade of Hardwood Plywood, which initiated efforts to get tariffs on Chinese plywood twice before times, commended the unanimous decision by the ITC, as “meaningful relief” for the U.S. hardwood plywood manufacturers. The Coalition says 42 mills have closed many more have had to reduce capacity, with a loss of 52,000 jobs in the U.S., and $2 billion in wages.

“Today’s decision demonstrates that the U.S. Government will not tolerate unfair trade practices and will support American manufacturing and workers,” said Kip Howlett, president of the Hardwood Plywood Veneer Association. “This puts American interests first by standing up to the illegal imports of Chinese hardwood plywood.”

Less exuberant are furniture and kitchen cabinet makers that favor the less expensive plywood from China, including members of  Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA), and other buyers who have lobbied against the ITC decision, which will lead to high tariffs. KCMA and other members of American Alliance for Hardwood Plywood – mostly distributors of Chinese plywood – expressed shock at the punitive tariffs that were not disclosed until President Trump returned from his recent trip to Asia following meetings with China’s President Xi.

From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/verdict-china-dumped-subsidized-plywood-injuring-usmills-says-itc?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news

Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Tout Formaldehyde-Free Solid Wood

by | Feb 24, 2016 | News

Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers, Inc. (AHMI), promoting the advantages of formaldehyde-free real, solid wood to public, are contrasting its natural qualities with the unsafe laminate flooring that had gotten Lumber Liquidators into trouble with consumers.

“Discount flooring companies selling imported laminate floors have been providing customers with products that can carry seven to twenty times the base amount of carcinogenic formaldehyde allowed by the EPA,” says the AHMI. “At these levels, formaldehyde secretes from the flooring and into the home’s air, becoming a high-level health risk, especially for children and pets who are most susceptible to its effects. Carcinogenic formaldehyde found in artificial wood has been linked to lung and nasal cancer, nausea, asthma, and other severe respiratory issues.”

Wood industry trade groups, including furniture and cabinetry makers, have been trying to separate their goods from the products made in China that contained high levels of formaldehyde. The Kitchen Cabinet Makers Association issued a statement last week saying that there is no risk of exposure to formaldehyde in cabinets that receive its Environmental Stewardship Program seal, because its program requires that engineered wood used in it must be CARB Compliant.

Other groups have questioned the validity of testing methods used to detect formaldehyde in wood products – such as flooring sold by online retailer Wayfair – tests that deconstruct the multi-layered sandwich that makes up laminate flooring. The Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Association estimates that “finishes of paint, lacquer, sealants, laminate, plastic or other material” reduce formaldehyde emissions of the underlying raw board by 90 percent.

From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/wood/pricing-supply/appalachian-hardwood-manufacturers-tout-formaldehyde-free-real-solid-wood