The Coalition for Fair Trade in Ceramic Tile has filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Court of International Trade, challenging the Department of Commerce's final determination in its antidumping investigation of ceramic tile imports from India.

The legal action, filed June 23, follows a summons the Coalition submitted on May 23. The group is contesting Commerce's "Final Negative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and Final Negative Determination of Critical Circumstances" regarding Indian ceramic tile, published in the Federal Register as 90 Fed. Reg. 17030.

The Coalition's complaint targets three specific areas of Commerce's investigation: the department's handling of affiliates connected to major Indian exporters, its acceptance of new information during on-site verification processes, and its treatment of scrap materials in tariff calculations.

Eric Astrachan, the Coalition's executive director, acknowledged the challenges facing Commerce investigators during a period of unprecedented trade remedy actions. "We are truly sympathetic to the obstacles Commerce investigators faced, but we firmly believe Commerce didn't have all the facts at hand to decide this case," Astrachan said.

The Coalition warned importers and distributors that any resulting antidumping tariff would be retroactive to April 23, 2025. Andrew Whitmire, trade data analyst for the Tile Council of North America, suggested the potential tariff could be "substantial," noting that current world ceramic tile pricing trends indicate dumping duties remain possible once Commerce obtains complete information.

The case highlights ongoing tensions in the ceramic tile trade between domestic manufacturers and importers of Indian products.