Brazil calculates dumping margins for PE imports from the US at $734.32/mt: Abiplast

Brazil's Department of Foreign Trade published a technical review of the country's dumping investigation on polyethylene imports from the US and Canada, calculating dumping margins for US polyethylene imports at $734.32/metric ton, or 79.3%.

The current preliminary antidumping duty on US imports, $199.04/mt, was implemented Aug. 29.

Canadian dumping margins ranged from $232/mt to $264.99/mt, or 26.3% to 26.9%, for two producers. The current ADD is set at $238.49/mt.

The ministry published the review Feb. 2. Several Brazilian-based traders received a note early Feb. 3 detailing the outcome of the investigation, which the Brazilian Association of the Plastic Industry (Abiplast) and domestic producer Braskem also confirmed. Braskem requested the initiation of the antidumping process, and Abiplast has been a party to the legal process since December 2024, representing national converters against the decision on the use of the products under investigation, according to the ministry.

The technical review suggests there is harm to the Brazilian domestic industry, which is correlated to imports from both the US and Canada.

The preliminary ADD is valid until Feb. 28, six months after implementation. A 20-day deadline, starting Feb. 2, has been set for the publication of the final decision, but the note states that the final deadline for the investigation's conclusion can be postponed until May 14.

Review catches market off guard

Sources were surprised by the amount of dumping margins calculated for US imports, although market talks had already suggested that a higher value could be applied for the definitive ADD once the investigation concludes.

"We will definitely see an impact in import volumes entering Brazil," said a sell-side source.

"Today has been complicated," said a trader based in Brazil." We are reorganizing our sales team, given the current news."

The most up-to-date import data from the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce, and Services for December showed that the US market share in PE imports declined 17% to a record low for monthly data in 2025, accounting for 53% of current imports.

In turn, imports from Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt increased their market share sharply in the month.

Although trade flows changed, total imports in 2025 were only 1% below 2024 volumes, suggesting that import volumes might not decrease but instead shift to different suppliers and regions, according to several traders.