Document

High Purity Dissolving Pulp From Brazil: Final Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that high purity dissolving pulp (dissolving pulp) from Brazil is being, or is likely to be, sold in the United States at l...

Department of Commerce
International Trade Administration
  1. [A-351-866]

AGENCY:

Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

SUMMARY:

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that high purity dissolving pulp (dissolving pulp) from Brazil is being, or is likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The period of investigation (POI) is July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.

DATES:

Applicable October 16, 2026.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ian Riggs, AD/CVD Operations, Office IX, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-3810.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On May 27, 2026, Commerce published in the Federal Register the preliminary affirmative determination in the LTFV investigation of dissolving pulp from Brazil and postponed the final determination until 135 days after the date of publication of the Preliminary Determination.[1] Accordingly, the deadline for this final determination is now October 9, 2026. We invited interested parties to comment on the Preliminary Determination.[2]

A summary of the events that occurred since Commerce published the Preliminary Determination, as well as a full discussion of the issues raised by parties for this final determination, may be found in the Issues and Decision Memorandum.[3] The Issues and Decision Memorandum is a public document and is on file electronically via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to registered users at access.trade.gov. In addition, a complete version of the Issues and Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at access.trade.gov/​frnotices.

Scope of the Investigation

The product covered by this investigation is dissolving pulp from Brazil. For a complete description of the scope of this investigation, see Appendix I.

Scope Comments

In the Preliminary Scope Memorandum, we set aside a period of time for parties to raise issues regarding product coverage ( i.e., scope) in scope-specific case briefs or other written comments.[4] We received no scope case briefs from interested parties. Therefore, we made no changes to the scope of the investigation as it appeared in the Preliminary Determination.

Verification

As provided in section 782(i) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), in June and July 2026 Commerce conducted verifications of the sales and cost information submitted by Bracell Bahia Specialty Celulose S.A. and Bracell SP Celulose Ltda. (collectively, Bracell) for use in the final determination. We used standard verification procedures, including an examination of relevant sales and accounting records, and original source documents provided by Bracell. ( printed page 65724)

Analysis of Comments Received

All issues raised in the case and rebuttal briefs submitted by interested parties in this investigation are addressed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum. For a list of the issues addressed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum, see Appendix II.

Changes Since the Preliminary Determination

We made certain changes to the calculation of the estimated weighted-average dumping margin for Bracell since the Preliminary Determination. For a discussion of these changes, see the Issues and Decision Memorandum.

All-Others Rate

Section 735(c)(5)(A) of the Act provides that Commerce shall determine an estimated weighted-average dumping margin, i.e., all-others rate, for all exporters and producers not individually examined. This rate shall be an amount equal to the weighted average of the estimated weighted-average dumping margins established for exporters and producers individually investigated, excluding any zero and de minimis margins, and any margins determined entirely under section 776 of the Act.

In this investigation, Commerce calculated an individual estimated weighted-average dumping margin for Bracell. Because Bracell's estimated weighted-average dumping margin is the only individually calculated rate in this investigation and it is not zero, de minimis, or based entirely on facts otherwise available, the rate calculated for Bracell is also the estimated weighted-average dumping margin assigned to all other producers and exporters.

Final Determination

Commerce determines that the following estimated weighted-average dumping margins exist:

Exporter or producer Estimated weighted- average dumping margin (percent) Cash deposit rate (adjusted for subsidy offsets) (percent)
Bracell Bahia Specialty Cellulose S.A.; Bracell SP Celulose Ltda.5 6.50 6.40
All Others 6.50 6.40

Disclosure

Commerce intends to disclose the calculations performed in connection with this final determination to interested parties within five days of any public announcement or, if there is no public announcement, within five days of the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register , in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).

Continuation of Suspension of Liquidation

In accordance with section 735(c)(1)(B) of the Act, Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to continue to suspend liquidation of all entries of subject merchandise, as described in Appendix I of this notice, which were entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after May 27, 2026, the date of publication of the Preliminary Determination in the Federal Register .

Pursuant to section 735(c)(1)(B)(ii) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.210(d), upon publication of this notice, we will instruct CBP to require a cash deposit for estimated antidumping duties as follows: (1) the cash deposit rate for the respondents listed in the table above will be equal to the company-specific estimated weighted-average dumping margin determined in this final determination; (2) if the exporter is not a respondent listed in the table above, but the producer is, then the cash deposit rate will be equal to the company-specific estimated weighted-average dumping margin listed for the producer of the subject merchandise; and (3) the cash deposit rate for all other producers and exporters will be equal to the estimated weighted-average dumping margin for all other producers and exporters.

These suspension of liquidation instructions and cash deposit requirements will remain in effect until further notice.

U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) Notification

In accordance with section 735(d) of the Act, Commerce will notify the ITC of our final affirmative determination of sales at LTFV. Because the final determination in this proceeding is affirmative, in accordance with sections 735(b)(2) of the Act, the ITC will make its final determination as to whether the domestic industry in the United States is materially injured, or threatened with material injury, by reason of imports of dissolving pulp from Brazil no later than 45 days after this final determination. If the ITC determines that such injury does not exist, this proceeding will be terminated, all cash deposits posted will be refunded, and suspension of liquidation will be lifted. If the ITC determines that such injury does exist, Commerce will issue an antidumping duty order directing CBP to assess, upon further instruction by Commerce, antidumping duties on all imports of the subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the effective date of the suspension of liquidation, as discussed in the “Continuation of Suspension of Liquidation” section above.

Administrative Protective Order (APO)

This notice serves as a final reminder to parties subject to an APO of their responsibility concerning the return or destruction of proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3), which continues to govern business proprietary information in this segment of the proceeding. Timely written notification of the return or destruction of APO materials, or conversion to judicial protective order, is hereby requested. Failure to comply with the regulations and the terms of an APO is a violation subject to sanction.

Notification to Interested Parties

This final determination is issued and published in accordance with sections 735(d) and 777(i) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.210(c).

Dated: October 9, 2026.

Scot Fullerton,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Operations.

Appendix I

The merchandise subject to this investigation is high purity dissolving pulp, which is a dissolving pulp with an alpha ( printed page 65725) cellulose percentage of 90 percent by weight or higher on an oven dry basis, as calculated by: alpha cellulose percentage = (100−S10) + 0.5 * (S10−S18) where S10 and S18 values are determined by International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 692:1982, and having a brightness level of 90 percent or higher, as measured by ISO 2470-1:2016. High purity dissolving pulp may be derived from any virgin or recycled cellulose fiber source (including, but not limited to, those sourced from hardwoods, softwoods, woody crops, agricultural crops/byproducts/residue, and agricultural/industrial/other waste). High purity dissolving pulp may be produced from a chemical pulping process including without limitation a kraft (sulfate) pulping and/or sulfite pulping process.

High purity dissolving pulp can be shipped in any form, including, but not limited to, a liquid slurry or in any dried form such as flakes, powder, granules, pellets, shreds, rolls and sheets.

The scope includes merchandise matching the above description that has been finished, packaged, or otherwise processed in a third country, including but not limited to processes such as commingling, blending, diluting, repackaging, or any other process that would not otherwise remove the merchandise from the scope of the investigation if performed in the subject country. The scope also includes high purity dissolving pulp that is commingled or blended with high purity dissolving pulp from sources not subject to this investigation. Only the subject component of such commingled or blended products is covered by the scope of this investigation.

Excluded from the scope is high purity dissolving pulp with an intrinsic viscosity under 455 milliliters per gram (mL/g), as measured by ISO 5351:2010.

Also excluded from the scope is cotton linters pulp that consists of at least 90 percent by weight, on an oven-dried basis, of cotton linters fibers.

High purity dissolving pulp products are classified under subheadings 4702.00.0020 and 4702.00.0040 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). High purity dissolving pulp products may also enter under subheadings 4706.30.0000 or 4706.92.0100. Reference to the HTSUS classifications is provided for convenience and customs purposes, and the written description of the merchandise under investigation is dispositive.

Appendix II

List of Topics Discussed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum

I. Summary

II. Background

III. Changes Since the Preliminary Determination

IV. Discussion of the Issues

Comment 1: Whether To Continue To Apply Partial Adverse Facts Available (AFA) to Bracell's Packing Expenses

Comment 2: Whether To Deduct International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA) Tariffs From U.S. Price

Comment 3: Whether To Revise the Calculation of Inventory Carrying Costs Incurred in the United States

Comment 4: Whether Commerce Should Treat Certain Indirect Selling Expenses as Direct Selling Expenses

Comment 5: Whether To Continue To Allocate Certain Costs to the Merchandise Under Consideration

Comment 6: Whether To Incorporate All Minor Corrections From the Sales and Cost Verifications in the Calculations for the Final Determination

V. Recommendation

Footnotes

1.   See High Purity Dissolving Pulp from Brazil: Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, Postponement of Final Determination, and Extension of Provisional Measures; July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025,91 FR 31418 (May 27, 2026) ( Preliminary Determination), and accompanying Preliminary Decision Memorandum.

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2.   Id., 91 FR at 31420.

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3.   See Memorandum, “Issues and Decision Memorandum for the Final Determination in the Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigation of High Purity Dissolving Pulp from Brazil,” dated concurrently with, and hereby adopted by, this notice (Issues and Decision Memorandum).

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4.   See Memorandum, “Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigations of High Purity Dissolving Pulp from Brazil and Norway and Countervailing Duty Investigation of High Purity Dissolving Pulp from Brazil: Preliminary Scope Decision Memorandum,” dated May 18, 2026 (Preliminary Scope Memorandum).

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5.  Commerce determined that Bracell Bahia Specialty Celulose S.A. and Bracell SP Celulose Ltda. are a single entity. See Preliminary Determination.

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[FR Doc. 2026-21139 Filed 10-15-26; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P

Legal Citation

Federal Register Citation

Use this for formal legal and research references to the published document.

91 FR 65723

Web Citation

Suggested Web Citation

Use this when citing the archival web version of the document.

“High Purity Dissolving Pulp From Brazil: Final Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value,” thefederalregister.org (October 16, 2026), https://thefederalregister.org/documents/2026-21139/high-purity-dissolving-pulp-from-brazil-final-affirmative-determination-of-sales-at-less-than-fair-value.