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Anti-dumping duties: how EU trade defence measures hit your imports

Updated on 19 July 2026

Anti-dumping duties are additional import duties the EU imposes when goods are sold into the EU below their normal value and injure EU industry. Together with countervailing duties against unfair subsidies, they can add far more than the regular duty rate, in some cases well over 50 percent of the goods value.

Whether a measure applies is decided by three things: the TARIC code of the goods, their origin, and the specific exporter. This guide explains how the measures work and how to screen a product list for exposure.

How do anti-dumping measures come about?

The European Commission investigates on complaint by EU industry under Regulation (EU) 2016/1036. If dumping, injury, and a causal link are established, the Commission imposes duties:

  • Provisional duties can apply during the investigation
  • Definitive duties are typically imposed for five years
  • Expiry reviews can extend measures, often for many more years
  • Parallel countervailing duties under Regulation (EU) 2016/1037 target subsidised imports

TARIC codes and company-specific duty rates

Anti-dumping measures are implemented in the TARIC system: they attach to specific 10-digit codes combined with the country of origin. Within one measure, duty rates differ by exporter through TARIC additional codes: cooperating producers receive individual rates, while all other companies pay the residual rate, which is usually the highest.

This makes precise classification decisive. Whether an item falls under the product scope of a measure can depend on the exact subheading, and the difference between two adjacent codes can be a double-digit duty rate.

Circumvention and compliance risks

Trade defence enforcement reaches beyond the original measure. Importers face several risks:

  • Anti-circumvention investigations extend duties to goods transshipped or minimally processed in third countries
  • Imports can be registered during investigations, allowing retroactive collection of duties
  • Misclassification to avoid a measure is treated as customs fraud, with back duties, fines, and criminal exposure
  • Measures change frequently: new investigations, reviews, and extensions alter exposure during the year

Screening a product list for trade defence measures

Exposure screening starts from reliable customs tariff numbers. For each item, the relevant questions are: does a measure exist for this code, does it cover the origin, and which additional code applies to the supplier.

Zolltarif-Finder flags anti-dumping and countervailing measures automatically during classification, derived from the TARIC measure data, next to CBAM, EUDR, and the other compliance regimes. Codes with active trade defence measures are visible per item, so purchasing and compliance see the risk before the goods ship.

Frequently asked questions

How high can anti-dumping duties be?

Rates vary per measure and exporter. Many measures range between 10 and 50 percent of the customs value, and residual rates for non-cooperating exporters can be substantially higher.

How do I know whether my goods are affected?

Check the 10-digit TARIC code together with the country of origin against the active measures in TARIC. Because product scopes are defined by code and description, a reliable classification of the product list is the precondition for any screening.

How long do anti-dumping measures last?

Definitive measures normally run for five years. Expiry reviews frequently extend them, so some measures remain in force for well over a decade.

Can I avoid anti-dumping duties by importing via another country?

No. Rerouting or minimal processing in a third country is circumvention. The EU extends measures to such imports, registers shipments during investigations, and collects duties retroactively.

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