Is my product subject to AD/CVD?
Five questions to gauge your risk before you open the database. This is a triage check, not a verdict. If you answer yes to two or more, go run a real lookup.
The five questions
Is your product from China?
China faces more AD/CVD orders than any other country. Steel, aluminum, wood, chemicals, textiles, kitchen goods, the list is long.
Is it a raw material or basic manufactured good?
AD/CVD targets commodities and intermediate goods (steel coil, plywood, garlic) far more than finished consumer electronics or software.
Is there a US industry making the same thing?
AD/CVD exists to protect US producers. No US industry, no one to file a case, usually no order.
Has your product category been in trade-war news?
Steel, aluminum, solar, batteries, and similar flashpoint categories tend to attract AD/CVD cases on top of Section 301.
Are you importing at meaningful volume?
Low-volume personal imports sometimes slip through informal-entry thresholds. Commercial volume means formal entry, which means the full duty stack applies.
How to read your answers
0 to 1 yes. Lower risk. Still worth a quick check before a large order, but you can probably move forward with confidence on small ones.
2 to 3 yes. Moderate risk. Run a lookup before you commit. This is the band where surprise bills usually come from.
4 to 5 yes. High risk. Almost certainly worth a serious lookup, and possibly a customs broker if the order scope is ambiguous. Do not ship blind.
What "subject to" actually means
An AD/CVD order does not ban your product. It adds an extra duty on top of the normal one. You can still import. You just owe more money, sometimes several times more than the goods are worth.
The practical question is rarely "can I import this?" It is "can I import this at a price that still makes sense?" That is why checking before you order, not after, matters. The rate can change the entire economics of a deal.
Get the real answer
Type your product name. The checker matches against 1,200+ active AD/CVD orders. Free, no signup.
Check my product →Common questions
Does this checklist give me a definite answer?
No. It tells you whether your risk is high enough to warrant a real lookup. The only way to know for sure is to match your product against active orders and read the scope. This page helps you decide whether to bother.
I answered no to most questions. Am I safe?
Probably, but not certainly. AD/CVD orders sometimes cover products you would not expect, and new ones land through the year. A 30-second check on the database is still worth it before a big order.
My product is not from China. Does that mean no AD/CVD?
No. China faces the most orders, but Vietnam, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and many others also have active AD/CVD cases against them. Country of origin matters, but no country is exempt across the board.
I am importing for personal use, not resale. Does AD/CVD still apply?
Generally yes for formal entries. AD/CVD is tied to the goods and the order, not the importer's intent. Personal-use exemptions exist for very small informal entries, but the thresholds are low. When in doubt, check.
What if my product is only partly made in a flagged country?
That gets into country-of-origin rules, which are complex. Substantial transformation, rules of transformation, and the specific order scope all matter. This is a case where a customs broker or trade attorney earns their fee.