On October 19, 2026, the U.S. Department of Commerce published the preliminary results of its antidumping administrative review of thermal paper from South Korea. The period of review runs from November 1, 2024 through October 31, 2025. Commerce preliminarily calculated a 1.69% weighted-average dumping margin for Hansol Paper Company. For logistics-label and packaging buyers, that number is neither a finalized assessment for every import nor a duty rate to apply indiscriminately to all label stock.
What the 1.69% number does, and does not, say
Commerce preliminarily found that Hansol sold subject merchandise below normal value during the review period. Interested parties may comment before separate final results are issued. The notice also rescinds the review for 16 companies after the relevant review requests were withdrawn. That procedural action is distinct from the preliminary calculation for Hansol.
The final assessment of duty on reviewed entries and the cash deposit required on future entries are separate questions. The notice describes assessment instructions after the final results; it does not announce that every shipment now carries a 1.69% deposit, nor that thermal paper has become duty-free. Contract pricing based solely on a preliminary margin would get ahead of the official process.
Three checks for a thermal-label supply chain
First, compare the actual imported material with the antidumping order’s scope. Use as a logistics label does not, by itself, establish that every label material or shipping carton is covered. The notice points to its preliminary decision memorandum for the complete scope description.
Second, identify the supplier, country of origin, importer, existing cash-deposit instructions and entry date. A historical review-period calculation need not equal the deposit currently required for a quotation or an entry. Third, follow the final-results notice and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s assessment/deposit instructions before revising contract duty-allocation and price-adjustment terms. This is a procurement checklist, not legal or customs advice for a particular entry.
What is established today is the preliminary 1.69% margin for Hansol and an opportunity for public comment. The final margin and an individual importer’s actual cost depend on subsequent decisions and entry-specific circumstances.
About the Author
PackingMaster: Editor of PaperPackLog, covering paper-packaging industry developments, products and technical decisions.
References
- U.S. Federal Register, Thermal Paper From the Republic of Korea: Preliminary Results and Rescission, in Part, October 19, 2026 — Primary notice on preliminary margin, review period, partial rescission and assessment process.