Jalousie shutters from the Dominican Republic to fall under US trade orders against Chinese aluminium extrusion

A press release from the Aluminum Extruders Council confirms that the U. S. Department of Commerce has ruled that jalousie shutters exported from the Dominican Republic fall under the scope of the Aluminum Extruders Council trade orders against the Chinese aluminium extrusion industry.  This is a key decision for the U.S. aluminium industry because these shutters are made from window frame aluminium extrusions imported from China.

Jalousie shutters are glass-less louver windows composed of parallel aluminium slats set in a frame, which are joined on an aluminium track. The shutters tilt open and shut together to control airflow.  

The Ruling document from Department of Commerce stated, “…we also find that record evidence establishes that China is the country of origin, and that the further processing performed in the Dominican Republic does not amount to the “substantial transformation” necessary to designate the Dominican Republic as the country of origin.”

Trade statistics from the country reveal that substantial volumes of Chinese extrusions are being exported to the Dominican Republic every year.  This decision will impact the flow of these semis shipment to Dominican Republic.

The AEC has worked towards creating a level playing field for the U.S. aluminium extrusion industry by winning tariff protection that offsets unfair trade practices of extruders/importers of aluminium profiles from China. The efforts are crucial to the domestic industry as it is saving their jobs and revenue. AEC estimates 800 million pounds per year of extrusions are being produced in the U. S. that would have otherwise been lost to China.