UK Trade Remedies Authority Proposes Five-Year Anti-Dumping Duty on Chinese Rutile Titanium Dioxide

The UK Trade Remedies Authority has proposed a five-year anti-dumping duty on imports of rutile titanium dioxide from China after finding that the product is being sold into the UK at dumped prices and poses an imminent threat of injury to domestic producers. The recommendation is preliminary, not a final duty decision, and interested parties can still challenge the findings before the government decides whether to impose the measure.

The proposed remedy would affect a widely used white pigment that helps provide brightness, opacity and durability in products including coatings, plastics and paper. For UK manufacturers that buy titanium dioxide, the case matters because the duty could raise the landed cost of covered Chinese material. For domestic producers, the TRA says the measure is intended to address a rapidly growing flow of dumped imports before that pressure causes material injury.

In its October 7 announcement, the TRA said imports from China rose sharply after the investigation began. The volume imported in May 2026 was more than 299% of the volume recorded in May 2025, according to the authority. The TRA said the increase was likely to continue without a trade remedy.

How the proposed anti-dumping duty would work

The TRA is proposing a mixed duty that pairs a percentage charge with a minimum amount per kilogram. Cooperating sampled exporters and cooperating exporters that were not sampled would face an ad valorem rate of 48.29%, subject to a minimum of £0.665 per kilogram. All other overseas exporters would face a 63.66% rate, subject to a minimum of £0.876 per kilogram.

Under the proposed structure, the applicable charge depends on which element produces the greater tariff revenue. That design is intended to keep the remedy effective when import prices vary, because a percentage duty alone can generate a smaller cash charge when the declared customs value is low. The TRA has proposed that the measure run for five years if it is ultimately adopted.

The case is narrower than a duty on every form of titanium dioxide. The investigation covers rutile titanium oxides in pigments and preparations based on rutile titanium dioxide containing at least 80% titanium dioxide by weight on a dry-matter basis, across all particle sizes, under specified chemical registry numbers. An earlier government notice on registration of the imports specifically excluded other forms, including anatase and brookite.

The investigation began on March 3, 2026, after an application from Tronox Pigment UK Limited. The TRA’s examination period for dumping covered January 1 through December 31, 2025. The authority’s public case file for AD0086 shows a broad group of participants, including Chinese exporters, UK importers, industrial users and trade bodies.

TRA points to import growth and pressure from other markets

The central finding at this stage is not that the UK industry has already suffered material injury from the Chinese imports. The TRA said it found an imminent threat of injury. That distinction matters because anti-dumping rules allow a remedy when dumped imports threaten material injury, but the authority still has to support that forward-looking conclusion with evidence about likely import volumes, pricing and the condition of the domestic industry.

According to the TRA, two forces contributed to the risk. It cited increased Chinese production capacity and trade remedies already imposed on titanium dioxide in other jurisdictions, including the European Union, Brazil, India and Saudi Arabia. The authority’s view is that restrictions in those markets have made destinations without comparable protection, including the UK, more attractive to Chinese exporters.

The May import figure is one of the clearest indicators behind that concern. Imports in May 2026 were more than 299% of the May 2025 level, equivalent to a year-over-year increase of more than 199%. The TRA did not present that single monthly comparison as the entire injury case. It cited the increase alongside Chinese capacity and measures in other markets as evidence supporting its view that elevated shipments could continue.

The authority also said the UK titanium dioxide production industry employs more than 570 people and supplies hundreds of downstream businesses. That creates a policy trade-off for the government. A duty could strengthen the position of domestic producers facing dumped competition, while manufacturers that use imported rutile titanium dioxide could face higher input costs if Chinese material becomes more expensive.

Importers have already been subject to a registration requirement for covered Chinese rutile titanium dioxide since March 27. The government’s March notice said HM Revenue & Customs would register those goods while the investigation remained active. It also stated that, if a definitive remedy is later implemented, duties may be payable on registered goods from a date up to 90 days before implementation of any provisional remedy, subject to the regulations. The notice did not say that retrospective collection will necessarily occur in this case, so import registration should not be read as a final duty decision.

October 26 comments come before the final recommendation

Interested parties have until October 26 to comment on the TRA’s initial findings. After considering those responses, the authority is expected to make its final recommendation to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade. The government decision therefore remains a separate step after the consultation period.

The distinction between the TRA’s recommendation and an imposed measure is important for companies planning purchases or pricing. The proposed rates provide a clear indication of the authority’s current position, but they are not yet a definitive customs charge. Importers and users of Chinese rutile titanium dioxide still need to watch the final recommendation and any subsequent government notice before treating the five-year duty as effective.

The form of the proposed duty matters as much as the headline percentage. A 48.29% or 63.66% ad valorem rate would already be substantial, while the minimum per-kilogram amounts are designed to prevent a low customs value from reducing the charge below the level the TRA considers necessary. If the recommendation is accepted, the measure would change the relative cost of covered Chinese supply across industries that rely on rutile titanium dioxide as a white pigment and performance additive.

For now, the next concrete milestone is the October 26 comment deadline. The TRA’s final recommendation, and the Secretary of State’s response to it, will determine whether the proposed five-year anti-dumping duty becomes part of the UK’s tariff regime.