U.S. Pizza Box Producers File Petitions for Relief from Unfairly Traded Imports from China, Malaysia, and Turkey

September 9, 2026

Washington, DC – The American Pizza Boxes Manufacturers Coalition and the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union filed petitions today alleging that unfairly traded imports of corrugated pizza boxes from China, Malaysia, and Turkey are injuring, and threaten to further injure, the U.S. pizza box industry.

The petitions demonstrate that pizza box producers in each of the subject countries sell pizza boxes in the United States at less than fair value. These pizza boxes are being dumped in the United States at rates ranging from 96.62% to 568.50% for China, 110.73% for Malaysia, and 120.65% to 210.37% for Turkey. These rates of dumping reflect the estimated amount of unfair pricing used by the foreign producers to gain market share in the United States. The petitions further demonstrate that producers in Turkey unfairly benefit from numerous countervailable subsidies provided by the Turkish government, such as tax breaks and discounted raw materials and inputs, which provide artificial advantages to the Turkish industry. There is also evidence that the Russian government has provided cross-border subsidies that benefit pizza box producers in Turkey. Together, these unfair advantages have allowed Chinese, Malaysian, and Turkish producers to gain significant market share at the expense of the U.S. industry and its workers.

The filing was made concurrently with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) in response to the surge in volumes of unfairly traded imports from China, Malaysia, and Turkey since 2023. From 2023 to 2025, subject imports increased by 130%, and they have increased even further thus far in 2026. By using highly dumped and subsidized prices, Chinese, Malaysian, and Turkish producers have gained a significant and increasing share of the U.S. market at the direct expense of the American industry. Due to the increasing volumes of dumped and subsidized imports, U.S. producers have suffered significant declines in production, shipments, profits, and employment.

“Trade relief is necessary to remedy the injurious effects unfairly traded imports have had on the U.S. pizza box industry,” commented Robert E. DeFrancesco, partner in Wiley’s International Trade Practice and counsel to the petitioners, emphasizing that “the application of antidumping and countervailing duties will be vital to supporting this quintessential American industry and its thousands of workers.”

For more information, please contact:

Robert E. DeFrancesco, III
202-719-7473
RDeFrancesco@wiley.law

Laura El-Sabaawi
202-719-7042
lel-sabaawi@wiley.law  

FACT SHEET

Antidumping and Countervailing Duties: Antidumping duties are intended to offset the amount by which a product is sold at less than fair value, or “dumped,” in the United States. The margin of dumping is calculated by Commerce. Estimated duties in the amount of the dumping are collected from importers at the time of importation. Countervailing duties are intended to offset unfair subsidies that are provided by foreign governments and benefit the production of a particular good. The USITC, an independent agency, will determine whether the domestic industry is materially injured or threatened with material injury by reason of the unfairly traded imports.

Product Description: The products covered by these investigations consist of certain corrugated food service boxes, which are commonly referred to as pizza boxes, whether finished or unfinished and assembled or unassembled. This includes ready-to-assemble corrugated cardboard die-cut blanks. In-scope pizza boxes have a length of at least five inches, a width of at least five inches, and a height that is no greater than four inches.

Next Steps: Commerce will determine whether to initiate the investigations within 20 days of today’s filing, and the USITC will reach a preliminary determination of material injury or threat of material injury within 45 days. The entire investigative process will take approximately one year, with final determinations of dumping, subsidization, and injury likely occurring in late 2027. However, duties can attach to imports of the subject pizza boxes at the time of the preliminary determinations in the case, or even earlier.

Coalition Companies: The petitioning coalition is comprised of Smurfit Westrock and Pratt Industries. The coalition is represented by Wiley Rein LLP. The coalition is joined by the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union as co-petitioner.