Smurfit Westrock and Pratt Industries file US anti-dumping case on pizza boxes
Smurfit Westrock, Pratt Industries and the United Steelworkers filed trade petitions on 9 September 2026 alleging dumped and subsidised pizza box imports from China, Malaysia and Turkey are harming the US corrugated industry. The petitions, submitted via law firm Wiley Rein, ask the Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission to investigate duties on boxes sold at margins the filers put as high as 568.5% below US prices. A preliminary ITC injury ruling is expected by late October 2026, with final determinations likely in late 2027.
Why this mattersA successful case would raise landed costs for imported pizza boxes and could shift US foodservice packaging volume back to domestic corrugated producers.
- Petitions were filed on 9 September 2026 by the American Pizza Boxes Manufacturers Coalition, made up of Smurfit Westrock and Pratt Industries, with the United Steelworkers.
- Alleged dumping margins are 96.62% to 568.50% for China, 110.73% for Malaysia and 120.65% to 210.37% for Turkey.
- A countervailing duty petition targets Turkey alone, alleging Turkish government tax breaks and discounted inputs plus Russian cross-border subsidies.
- Pizza box imports from the three countries rose at least 130% between 2023 and 2026.
- Commerce must decide on initiation within 20 days of filing; the ITC votes on preliminary injury by 26 October 2026.
- Final dumping, subsidy and injury determinations are expected in late 2027, though duties can attach from the preliminary determinations.