New Antidumping Duty and Countervailing Duty Petitions on Certain Fatty Acids from Indonesia and Malaysia

At a Glance

• Vantage Specialty Chemicals, Inc. filed antidumping and countervailing duty petitions on certain fatty acids from Indonesia and Malaysia.
• An investigation related to this petition could result in increased prices and/or decreased supply of certain fatty acids.
• The US Department of Commerce is expected to begin investigation on February 17, 2026.

On January 28, 2026, antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) petitions were filed on certain fatty acids from Indonesia and Malaysia. The petitions were filed by Vantage Specialty Chemicals, Inc. (Petitioner).

The US AD law imposes special tariffs to counteract imports that are sold in the United States at less than “normal value.” The US CVD law imposes special tariffs to counteract imports that are sold in the United States with the benefit of foreign government subsidies. For AD/CVD duties to be imposed, the US government must determine not only that dumping and/or subsidization is occurring, but also that there is “material injury” (or threat thereof) by reason of the dumped and/or subsidized imports. Importers are liable for any potential AD/CVD duties imposed. In addition, these investigations could impact purchasers by increasing prices and/or decreasing supply of certain fatty acids.

Scope

Please note that this section was not written by our authors but is taken verbatim from the petition.

The imported merchandise that Petitioner intends to cover in these investigations are certain fatty acids ("CFA"), as described by the following language:

The merchandise subject to these Petitions is certain fatty acids (CFA), which are organic acids made of a hydrocarbon chain with a carboxylic acid group (i.e., an organic acid that contains a carboxyl group (-C(=O)-OH) attached to an R-group, sometimes also written as R-COOH, R-C(O)OH, or R-CO2H) at one end with a carbon chain length (i.e., the number of carbon atoms in the fatty acid chain) of C6, C8, ClO, C12, C14, C16, or C18, with an iodine value below 105 g/100 g and with a ratio of free fatty acids to triglycerides ( also known as the "degree of split" or "DoS")) of at least 97 percent, including single fatty acid (also referred to as "pure cut"), and blends containing a combination of two or more carbon chain lengths.

CFA is also commonly called pure, pure cut, fractionated, or distilled fatty acid or mixed, mixed cut, or blended fatty acid, with the terms pure, pure cut, fractionated, and distilled typically referring to specific single-chain fatty acids that have been separated from a mixed natural source such as animal fat or vegetable oil using processes like hydrolysis (the breakdown of fat molecules by water, catalyzed by acid, base, or enzymes (lipases) to yield glycerol and free fatty acids), distillation, and crystallization, and the terms mixed or mixed cut referring to combinations, blends or mixtures of different single-chain fatty acids also derived from a natural source such as animal fat or vegetable oil using processes like hydrolysis, distillation, and crystallization. Common names for pure, pure cut, fractionated, or distilled fatty acids forms include stearic acid and oleic acid. Common names for mixed or mixed cut fatty acids include coconut fatty acid, hardened coconut fatty acid, topped coconut fatty acid, topped hardened coconut fatty acid, palm kernel fatty acid, hardened palm kernel fatty acid, topped palm kernel fatty acid, topped hardened palm kernel fatty acid, palm fatty acid, palm stearin fatty acid, palm fatty acid distillate, and palm olein fatty acid.

CFA is normally associated with Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) registry numbers 57-11-4, 112-80-1, 61790-38-3, 67701-05-7, 67701-06-8, 67707-01-3, 68938-15-8, 101403-98-9, 91771-90-3, 90990-15-1, 68440-15-3, 84238-17-5, 98106-68-4, 98106-66-2, 84238-17-5, 90990-08-1, and 90990-08-2 but several others may also be used.

CFA ranges in physical form from low viscosity liquids to solids. CF A is covered by the scope of these Petitions irrespective of whether it has gone through a distillation process and regardless of acid content, reactivity, functionality, freeze stability, heat stability, physical form, viscosity, grade, purity, molecular weight, or packaging.

CFA may contain additives, such as catalysts, solvents, antioxidants, fire retardants, colorants, pigments, diluents, thickeners, fillers, softeners, and toughening agents.

Specifically excluded from the scope are CF A containing 90 percent or more, by weight, of fatty acids with carbon chain lengths of C6, C8, or C 10 ( or any combination thereof).

The scope also does not include mixtures of CFA with other materials, when the combined CFA component comprises less than 80 percent of the total weight of the mixture.

The scope includes merchandise matching the above description that has been processed in a third country, including by commingling, diluting, introducing or removing additives, or performing any other processing that would not otherwise remove the merchandise from the scope of the Petitions if performed in the subject country.

The scope also includes CFA that is comingled or blended with CFA from sources not subject to these Petitions. Only the subject component of such comingled products is covered by the scope of these Petitions.

The merchandise is currently classifiable under Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) subheadings 2915.70.01.20, 2915.70.01.50, 2915.90.10.50, 2916.15.10.00, 2916.15.51.00, 3823.11.00.00, 3823.12.00.00, 3823.19.20.00, and 3823.19.40.00, and may also enter under 2915.70.01.10 and 2915.90.10.10.

The HTSUS subheadings set forth above are provided for convenience and customs purposes only. The written description of the scope is dispositive.

Estimated Dumping Margins

For imports from Malaysia, the Petitioner alleges dumping margins ranging from 64.67% to 94.41%.  For imports from Indonesia, the Petitioner alleges dumping margins ranging from 20.08% to 72.03%.

The Petitioner also alleges subsidies with respect to imports from Malaysia and Indonesia, although the petitions do not quantify the alleged net subsidy margins.

Estimated Schedule of Investigations

The following is an estimated schedule of investigations by the US Department of Commerce (DOC) and the US International Trade Commission (ITC):