Anti-dumping duties on Chinese aluminium windows in Australia: what builders need to know

What's happening with anti-dumping on Chinese aluminium?

Australia's Anti-Dumping Commission (ADC) has active measures on certain Chinese aluminium extrusions under investigations that have been running, with updates and renewal proceedings, for several years. If you're importing windows, doors, or any aluminium-framed building product from China, this investigation is relevant to your landed cost calculation.

The consequences of getting this wrong can be significant: additional duty bills from Australian Border Force arriving after your goods have cleared customs, at rates ranging from 4% to over 30% depending on the specific product and exporter.

This isn't a reason not to source from China. It's a reason to understand the rules before you order.

What exactly is being investigated?

Anti-dumping measures on aluminium extrusions cover Chinese aluminium profiles: the raw extruded sections that form window frames, door frames, curtain wall systems, and similar products.

The investigation focuses on extrusions as a product, not on finished window units per se. This distinction matters for tariff classification, but it's not a simple get-out. Customs authorities are aware of the issue and apply scrutiny to how finished units are classified.

Key questions for any order:

Is the product classified as a finished good (assembled window) or as extrusions?
What is the declared value of the aluminium component?
Which factory is supplying, and what is their specific duty rate under the investigation findings?

How anti-dumping duty rates work

Under Australian anti-dumping proceedings, individual exporters can apply to have their own export price and normal value assessed, resulting in a company-specific duty rate. Exporters who cooperated with the investigation typically receive lower rates. Exporters who didn't cooperate receive a higher "residual" rate.

This means the factory you source from matters, not just for quality but for duty exposure. A factory with a 5% duty rate and one with a 28% residual rate might produce identical products.

For windows sourced as assembled units (not raw extrusions), the classification is typically:

HS 8302.41 or 7610.10 for aluminium windows and frames
These may or may not be covered by the specific aluminium extrusion measures, depending on classification

The determination depends on how the goods are presented to customs. This is exactly where you need a good customs broker.

What to do before you order

1. Get a binding tariff ruling (BTR) You can apply to the ABF for a binding determination of how your specific product will be classified. This costs nothing and removes the uncertainty. Turnaround is typically 30–60 days, so start early.

2. Ask the factory for their ADC cooperation status Any reputable Chinese window factory exporting to Australia should know whether they are a cooperating exporter under the relevant investigation, and what their specific duty rate is. If they don't know, that's a red flag.

3. Use a licensed customs broker Not just a freight forwarder who handles the paperwork. A customs broker who understands current ADC proceedings will classify your goods correctly and identify duty exposure before it becomes a bill.

4. Factor all duties into your landed cost calculation The base customs duty on windows is 5%. Add potential anti-dumping duty, and you may be looking at 10–35% of factory price before you've paid GST. Model the numbers conservatively.

The AS2047 and anti-dumping connection

Here's something most builders don't realise: the factories most likely to comply with Australian Standards (AS2047) are also the ones most likely to be cooperating exporters with established ADC rates.

Large, sophisticated manufacturers who export consistently to Australian, NZ, and UK markets have invested in:

NATA-accredited structural testing
ADC cooperation processes
Australian-specific product certification

Smaller factories, trading companies, and manufacturers without export track records to Australia are more likely to have:

No AS2047 documentation
Residual (high) anti-dumping duty rates
Less rigorous quality systems

The selection criterion is the same for both issues: work with factories that have an established Australian export track record.

What Threadline does about this

We maintain an active list of factory partners whose ADC status we've verified. Before quoting on any aluminium window order, we confirm:

The factory's cooperation status and specific duty rate under current investigations
How the goods will be classified on import
Whether the specification requires a BTR

This is part of our standard process, not an add-on. We've seen too many first-time importers get hit with unexpected duty bills to leave it to chance.