Wiley Rein LLP Reports that ITC Makes Affirmative Preliminary Determination in Trade Cases on Pizza Boxes from China, Malaysia, and Turkey

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- In a victory for U.S. producers, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) today found that there is a reasonable indication that imports from China, Malaysia, and Turkey are materially injuring the U.S. pizza box industry.

The Commission's vote comes in response to petitions filed on September 9, 2026, by the American Pizza Boxes Manufacturers Coalition – comprised of U.S. producers Smurfit Westrock and Pratt Industries – as well as the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union. The cases allege that unfairly dumped and subsidized imports of Chinese, Malaysian, and Turkish pizza boxes are injuring the domestic industry and threaten further injury. The case is titled Corrugated Die-Cut Cardboard boxes from China, Malaysia and Turkey , and the goods covered are overwhelmingly comprised of pizza boxes.

"U.S. pizza box producers and the thousands of American manufacturing jobs they support are being harmed as a result of dumped and subsidized imports from China, Malaysia, and Turkey," said Robert E. DeFrancesco , lead counsel to the Coalition and partner in Wiley's International Trade Practice . "We are encouraged by the Commission's vote, which takes the domestic industry one step closer to restoring a level playing field for U.S. manufacturers and their workers."

On October 19, 2026, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced the initiation of antidumping (AD) investigations into imports of corrugated die-cut cardboard boxes from China, Malaysia, and Turkey, as well as a countervailing duty (CVD) investigation into such imports from Turkey. The petitions allege significant dumping margins, and Commerce is examining a large number of subsidy programs – including tax breaks, grants, and discounted inputs provided by the government of Turkey, as well as "transnational" subsidies provided by the Russian government.

The ITC's affirmative preliminary injury determination paves the way for Commerce to move forward with its investigations. Assuming extensions, Commerce is expected to issue its preliminary CVD determination in February 2027 and its preliminary AD determinations in April 2027. If Commerce also reaches affirmative preliminary determinations in these cases, provisional AD and CVD duties will be collected from importers based on the preliminary margins calculated.

If both Commerce and the ITC ultimately reach affirmative final determinations, AD and CVD orders on pizza boxes from China, Malaysia, and Turkey will be issued, imposing duties on the unfairly traded imports for a minimum of five years. Duty evasion, absorption, and circumvention are strictly illegal.