European Union Imposes Anti-Dumping Duties on PTA From South Korea and Mexico

The European Commission imposed temporary anti-dumping duties on imports of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) from South Korea and Mexico, effective from April 10. The EU Commission stated that, amid weakening demand, dumped products have continued to expand their market share, causing material injury to the EU industry.

The tax levy covers PTA products with a purity of no less than 99.5%, which are mainly used for the production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

Samnam Petrochemical and Hanwha Impact will be subject to a duty rate of 6.2%, while other Korean exporters will be subject to a rate of 13.7%; the duty rate for all imports into Mexico is 25.7%. Following the investigation, Taekwang Industrial was determined not to have engaged in dumping and therefore is not required to pay anti-dumping duties.

Due to macroeconomic uncertainty and inventory reduction in the PET industry, PTA consumption in the EU declined significantly in 2023, with total demand falling by 28%. It was not until 2024 that the market showed partial stabilization. During this period, self-use consumption in the industry decreased by 42%, primarily due to the shutdown of PTA/PET plants in Portugal in 2023 and in the Netherlands in 2024 by Indorama.

According to the European Commission's implementing regulation, despite significant fluctuations in demand, the market share of dumped imported products rose to 28% during the investigation period, and the average import price decreased by 24% compared to 2022.

The Commission stated that, due to the impact of low-priced imported goods, EU industries have been selling at below-cost prices during this period, and it has been determined that these imported goods have caused substantial harm to the EU industry. The Commission also pointed out that even after multiple rounds of facility closures, EU producers still have the capacity to meet 85% of the total demand and can obtain alternative supplies from additional production capacities in Taekwang Industries, China, and Turkey, thus there is no risk of supply shortage.

The European Commission also mentioned that trade defense measures against India and China have already been implemented in the EU’s downstream PET market.

The final anti-dumping measures are expected to be announced by October 9, 2026.

The EU had previously required the registration of imported PTA goods in preparation for potential retroactive duties. The European Commission has now instructed customs authorities to halt the registration process and stated that no decision has yet been made on whether to impose retroactive duties. Data on goods declared for customs clearance within the 90 days prior to the entry into force of any measure will be retained until a final decision on the measures is made or the investigation is terminated.

According to S&P Global Commodity Insights (Platts), the North West Europe PTA spot free-on-truck price on April 10 was EUR 875.95 per metric ton, down EUR 52.16 per metric ton from April 2, with the premium to paraxylene (PX) remaining stable at EUR 220 per metric ton.