Twill fabric rolls, industrial steel pipe and polymer granules at a container port inspection area — Effective-date discipline across textiles, steel and industrial inputs

SEPTEMBER 25 TRADE BRIEF

Trade Changes Take Effect

Textile sourcing additions and company-specific duty rates become operative as new trade-remedy and Section 337 proceedings enter the pipeline.

U.S. trade and customs briefing · September 25, 2026 · English edition

September 25 changes the legal status of four CAFTA-DR fabric determinations, two company-specific antidumping review results and an OFAC rule. Separately, newly filed public-inspection documents advance tin mill, Indian shrimp and powered-recliner proceedings without yet creating new final duties or an import ban.

Status discipline: Items described as effective September 25 were formally published today. The tin mill, Indian shrimp and powered-recliner documents were filed for public inspection on September 25 and are scheduled for September 28 publication. Their publication-stage status must not be overstated.

Four fabricsNarrowly specified CAFTA-DR lining fabrics are now in Annex 3.25 in unrestricted quantities.

Rates now operativeLG Chem is 0.00%; HDM Celik and Cimtas are each 1.89%—all company-specific.

No new blanket remedyThe fresh case notices do not themselves create a final tin mill duty or a recliner import ban.

01 / APPLICABLE SEPTEMBER 25

Four CAFTA-DR lining fabrics enter Annex 3.25

CITA's four commercial-availability determinations are now applicable. The following fabrics have been added to CAFTA-DR Annex 3.25 in unrestricted quantities. The addition can support preferential treatment for otherwise qualifying apparel; it does not make every fabric under the cited heading duty free.

Added fabric	HTS	Controlling specification highlights
Polyester/cuprammonium dyed twill lining	5407.92.10	52–60% polyester; 40–48% cuprammonium; 72–82 g/m²; width 132.08–137.16 cm
Polyester/cuprammonium yarn-dyed twill lining	5407.93.20	Same fiber, weight and width ranges; yarn-dyed finish
Viscose printed twill lining	5408.24.90	100% viscose rayon; 70–80 g/m²; width 137.16–139.70 cm
Polyester/viscose dyed twill lining	5515.11.00	48–56% polyester; 44–52% viscose; 81–90 g/m²; width 127.00–142.24 cm

The written descriptions control. Fiber content, construction, finishing, weight, width and the finished good's remaining CAFTA-DR origin requirements all matter.

Importer action: Match mill specifications and certificates to the complete Annex 3.25 description before claiming preference, and retain the sourcing record supporting the claim.

Published September 25: dyed polyester/cuprammonium; yarn-dyed polyester/cuprammonium; printed viscose; and dyed polyester/viscose.

02 / FINAL AD REVIEWS

LG Chem moves to zero; two Turkish pipe companies move to 1.89%

Korean superabsorbent polymers: LG Chem's final 2023–24 dumping margin and cash-deposit rate are now 0.00%. Commerce will liquidate appropriate review-period entries without antidumping duties. The result is not Korea-wide; firms outside the review follow the notice's rate hierarchy, including the 26.05% all-others rate when that hierarchy reaches it.

Turkish large-diameter welded pipe: The final 2024–25 review rates are now 1.89% for HDM Celik and 1.89% for Cimtas. The 1.57% all-others rate continues for producer/exporter combinations not covered by a more specific rate.

Importer action: Validate both producer and exporter. Do not extend LG Chem's zero rate to other Korean SAP or the 1.89% result to every Turkish pipe supplier.

Published September 25: Korean SAP final review and Turkish welded-pipe final review.

03 / OFAC RULE EFFECTIVE

An obsolete Syria-specific general license is removed

OFAC's amendment to 31 CFR part 596 is effective September 25. It removes and reserves § 596.505, a Syria-specific general license that OFAC says is no longer necessary after Syria's State Sponsor of Terrorism designation was rescinded effective August 24, 2026.

This is a targeted regulatory cleanup—not a universal authorization for Syria-related activity and not a blanket unblocking action. Transactions still require screening against other OFAC programs, blocked-person ownership rules and applicable export controls.

Compliance action: Update the legal citation used in internal guidance, but keep multi-program sanctions and export-control screening in place.

Effective September 25: OFAC Terrorism List Governments Sanctions Regulations amendment.

04 / TRADE-REMEDY PIPELINE

Three case notices advance without announcing a new blanket rate

Proceeding	What changed	What did not change
Passenger and light-truck tires from South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam	USITC will conduct full five-year reviews of the AD orders and Vietnam CVD order.	No order was revoked and no new cash-deposit rate was announced.
Tin mill products from China, Taiwan and Turkey	A September 25 public-inspection notice schedules the USITC final phase; the hearing is set for December 4, 2026.	The notice is not a final injury determination and does not itself create a new duty rate.
Frozen warmwater shrimp from India	Commerce will rescind the 2025–26 review for Appendix I companies with no suspended reviewable entries; the Appendix II review continues.	No new margin is calculated. For rescinded companies, appropriate entries are assessed at the deposit rate required at entry; instructions are not planned earlier than 35 days after publication.

Importer action: For shrimp, verify whether the exporter is in Appendix I or II and preserve reimbursement certificates before liquidation. For tin mill products, track the written scope and final-phase schedule rather than treating the hearing notice as an order.

Sources: tire full-review determination (published September 25); tin mill final-phase schedule and Indian shrimp partial rescission (public-inspection PDFs filed September 25 for September 28 publication).

05 / SECTION 337

Powered-recliner mechanism investigation opens—without an import ban

The USITC instituted investigation 337-TA-1524 over powered glider-recliner mechanisms, powered rocker-recliner mechanisms and finished seating units containing them. The complaint alleges infringement of four U.S. patents and names respondents in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam and the United States.

Institution begins the investigation; it does not establish infringement and does not itself issue a limited exclusion order, cease-and-desist order or import prohibition. Named respondents generally have 20 days after service of the complaint and notice to respond.

Importer action: Map powered seating mechanisms to named suppliers and preserve patent/sourcing records, but do not stop entry solely because the investigation was instituted.

Public inspection September 25; scheduled September 28 publication: USITC Section 337 institution notice.

FAQ

Importer FAQ

Do the four CAFTA-DR additions cover all fabrics under the listed headings?

No. Each addition is controlled by a narrow written specification, including fiber content, twill construction, finishing process, weight and width. The finished apparel must also satisfy the remaining CAFTA-DR requirements.

Can any Korean SAP importer use LG Chem's 0.00% rate?

No. The result is company-specific to LG Chem. Other producer/exporter combinations remain subject to the notice's deposit hierarchy and any more specific prior rate.

Did the Syria amendment eliminate all U.S. restrictions involving Syria?

No. It removes one now-unnecessary provision in part 596. Other sanctions programs, blocked-person rules and export controls may still apply.

Does the tin mill final-phase schedule impose new duties?

No. It schedules the USITC injury phase and a December 4 hearing. It is not a final injury determination or a new cash-deposit instruction.

Are powered recliners prohibited from importation now?

No. The Commission opened an investigation but has not found a violation or issued an exclusion or cease-and-desist order.

Primary documents and publication status

Federal Register documents dated September 25 are formally published. FR Docs. 2026-19713, 2026-19779 and 2026-19811 were filed for public inspection September 25 and are scheduled for publication September 28, 2026.