On the 19th February, the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) published initial findings proposing an anti-dumping measure on ceramic tiles from China be kept, except on certain larger subsets of the product that are not produced in the UK.

This measure was among those inherited from the EU system and has been in place for 12 years. The TRA conducted a transition review to establish whether it was still suitable for the UK’s needs.

In its Statement of Essential Facts (SEF), the TRA has proposed that the measure on ceramic tiles with a surface area of less than or equal to 3600cm², with no tile edge greater than 600mm in length, be maintained for a further five years.

However, it has also proposed that the measure applying to large format ceramic tiles and ceramic panels be revoked as the TRA found no evidence of production of these types in the UK and there is no interchangeability in the end use of such tiles when compared with other ceramic tiles produced by the UK industry.

By comparison, on the 13th February the European Union adopted the regulation to renew anti-dumping duties on ceramic tiles originating from China for another five years. The anti-dumping laws therefore continue to apply to EU tile imports regardless of size.

• A large format ceramic tile is defined as a ceramic tile with a surface area greater than 3600cm², with no tile edge exceeding 1200mm.
• A ceramic panel is defined as a ceramic tile with a surface area exceeding 1m², with any tile edge exceeding 1200mm.

The UK imported over £382 million worth of ceramic tiles in 2021, with 1.5% of these imports coming from China. Chinese imports of tiles to the UK currently face duty rates ranging from 14% to 70%.

Businesses that may be affected by these findings (such as importers or exporters of the products or UK producers of similar products) can submit comments to the TRA by 11th March 2024.