Australia's anti-dumping investigation into aluminium windows and doors from China has reached preliminary findings, with duties of up to 70.4% proposed. The determination was reported on 15 and 16 October 2026 and welcomed by Capral, the Australian producer behind the application. For importers, the headline rate is not the useful number: the rate that matters is the one attached to the exporter you actually buy from.
What has been found so far
The findings are preliminary. The Commission has formed a view on dumping and on the injury to the Australian industry, and proposed duty rates have been published. A final determination and any review process follow. Until then, importers should treat the preliminary rates as the working number in a landed-cost calculation, and should not assume a quotation issued before the findings still holds.
This is a trade remedy case, not a product standard. It does not change what the product has to be; it changes what it costs to bring it in.
Why the rate varies by exporter
Dumping cases are decided exporter by exporter. Exporters that cooperated and supplied cost and sales data typically receive an individual margin; exporters that did not cooperate usually receive a higher residual rate. That is why two shipments of the same window profile can attract very different duty, depending on which company produced them and whether that company is named in the case.
Before pricing a project, ask for the producer's name, not just the trading company that issued the invoice. If the goods are produced by a company with its own rate, the paperwork has to identify that producer consistently across the commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading and certificate of origin.
What to check before the next order
- The exact product scope. Confirm whether the profile or finished unit you buy falls inside the goods description in the case, and confirm the tariff classification with your customs broker.
- The exporter-specific rate. Ask your broker to check the rate published for the producer named in the case, rather than applying the headline maximum to every shipment.
- Who pays the duty. Under DDP terms the seller carries the duty; under FOB or CIF the importer does. A duty change of this size is enough to turn a DDP quotation into a loss, so the Incoterm has to be explicit about trade remedies.
- Goods already in transit. Shipments on the water at the time of a preliminary determination can fall on either side of the effective date. Confirm the treatment of in-transit goods with the Commission or your broker before the container arrives.
- Contract wording. Agree in writing how a change in duty, or a change in the rate applied to your exporter, is handled between order and delivery.
What this does not change
Compliance with the product standards and certification requirements for the destination market is a separate question from dumping duty. A window still has to meet the performance, glazing and labelling requirements that apply where it is installed, and a duty ruling does not replace that work.
One point worth stating plainly: the origin of the goods has to be declared accurately. Transhipment or a change of origin documents to reduce duty is not a commercial option, and no reputable supplier should offer it. If the numbers no longer work, the answer is a different product scope, a different origin or a different delivery structure — not different paperwork.
Where to verify
The authoritative source is the Australian Anti-Dumping Commission: the case record, the goods description, the exporter-specific rates and the dates all come from there. Your customs broker should confirm the rate that will actually be applied to your entry before you commit to a price.
This article is general market information, not legal or customs advice. Rates and scope change as a case moves from preliminary to final determination, so verify the current position before relying on it.
Planning the next project
If you are reviewing suppliers for a project that ships to Australia, the useful conversation is about scope, producer, documentation and delivery terms — not only price per unit. Our aluminium window systems and uPVC window systems are quoted with the producer and material information your broker needs, and we will confirm what we can and cannot document for a specific destination rather than leave it to the invoice.
Send the window schedule and the destination port through the contact form and we will come back with the specification and the documentation list.
