Caspian Weekly Digest - October 27, 2026

Weekly Digest

Canada's Tariff List Changes Again

WESCCON 2026

• November 5–8: Carlsbad, CA

Let Us Know If You'll Be There

The Bottom Line

Last week we covered the Russia tariffs that were set and waived in one order. On October 23 the President signed another Section 338 proclamation on Canada, taking plywood sheets, corrugated boxes and some packing machinery off the 50% list as of October 30 and putting carpets, cocoa powder, shampoo and hand valves on it. The same week, a New Jersey cheese importer sued to stop the Section 338 duties, and USTR proposed keeping the China ship fees on hold through January 9.

Section 338

Canada's 50% List Changes October 30

The President signed a proclamation on October 23 that changes which Canadian goods pay the 50% Section 338 duty. It kicks in for goods entered on or after 12:01 a.m. ET on October 30.

Coming off are thin plywood sheets, corrugated cartons, some plastic and paper packing bags, coated paperboard, and some refrigeration and packing machinery. Going on is a longer list with carpets and rugs, cocoa powder, shampoo and soap, lubricants, wood packing crates, wood flooring, window air conditioners, chest freezers, hand valves, canoes and archery gear.

It still applies if the goods qualify for USMCA, and it's still on top of Section 232. We haven't seen CBP filing guidance for this one yet. In September CBP said these duties are eligible for drawback.

Why It Matters

If you bring in Canadian goods, a line that didn't owe anything extra last week might owe 50% on Friday.

Sources: White House, product annex, fact sheet, CBP bulletin

Section 301

USTR Wants Two More Months Without Ship Fees

USTR's Section 301 fees on Chinese ships, and the duties tied to that case, have been on hold for a year. The hold ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on November 9. USTR proposed keeping it on hold through January 9, 2027 so it can keep negotiating with China.

Comments are due by 5 p.m. ET on October 30.

Why It Matters

That's only two more months, so it's worth asking your carriers what they'd charge you if the fees come back in January.

Source: Federal Register

Court of International Trade

A Cheese Importer Sues Over the Canada Duties

Gellert Global Group imports food into New Jersey, including a lot of Canadian cheese. It sued in the Court of International Trade on October 20 to block the Section 338 duties and get back what it paid, plus interest. On October 23 it asked the court for a preliminary injunction and summary judgment.

The complaint says Congress replaced Section 338 with Section 301 long ago. It also says the statute bars collecting a duty for 30 days after the goods are listed. Cheese was listed on September 8 and charged starting September 15.

Gellert wants the case to cover every importer of record who has paid Section 338 duty on entries since August 22.

Why It Matters

Keep paying, and keep your entry records in case a class win brings refunds.

Sources: complaint, motion

Mail shipments. CBP pushed the date for formal entry on some mail shipments out to January 20, 2027. That's mail with partner agency requirements, Chapter 99 duties or an FTA claim. CBP's low-value mail entry test will also take filings without all the partner agency data for now. (Federal Register: deadline, test change)

Van trailers. The ITC found that van-type trailers and subassemblies from China hurt U.S. makers. That's the last vote before the antidumping and countervailing duty orders go out. We covered Commerce's final rates in September. (Federal Register)

Corrugated boxes. Pizza box makers and their union got Commerce to open dumping cases on corrugated die-cut boxes from China, Malaysia and Türkiye. Türkiye gets a subsidy case too. The petition's margins go as high as 297.26% for China. (Federal Register: dumping, subsidy)

Amine compounds. Commerce also opened dumping and subsidy cases on some amine compounds from China. The alleged dumping margins go up to 352.32%. (Federal Register: dumping, subsidy)

Wind turbines. The President agreed wind turbine imports are a national security threat but didn't put a tariff on them. Commerce and USTR are supposed to negotiate and report back within 180 days. Parts made of steel, aluminum or copper still pay the Section 232 duties they paid before. (White House)

Dates That Matter

• Oct 26: Electronic export manifest rule for rail cargo took effect; CBP enforces it from Oct 26, 2027
• Oct 30: New Section 338 Canada list takes effect, 12:01 a.m. ET
• Oct 30: Comments due to USTR on the China ship fee suspension, 5 p.m. ET
• Nov 2: Third 100,000-metric-ton tranche of the extra beef quota opens
• Nov 9: China ship fee suspension ends at 11:59 p.m. ET unless USTR extends it
• Jan 20, 2027: Formal entry required for mail with partner agency requirements, Chapter 99 duties or FTA claims

What To Do Now

Rerun Your Canadian Lines Before Friday
Check every Canadian line against both halves of the October 23 annex, the goods coming off and the goods going on. If something comes off, it still owes whatever else it paid before.

Keep Your Section 338 Records in One Place
Paid the Canada duty since August 22? Pull the entry numbers and duty paid now. You'll want them for a refund if the lawsuit goes your way, and for drawback if the goods leave the country again.

Comment on the Ship Fees by Friday
USTR takes comments on the portal under docket USTR-2026-0694 until 5 p.m. ET on October 30.

Reach Out to Caspian to Understand Your Impact

What's New at Caspian

We've been busy making Caspian easier to use and giving you more visibility into your trade data. Here's what's new this month.

Review Findings Directly in Caspian
We're now sharing investigations right in the app, making it easier to see what we've found in your entries and what we recommend doing about it. We've been using these to walk customers through itemization issues and share claim summaries for approval.

• Each investigation links to the related claim, so you can review our recommendations before anything is filed.
• You can also download a PDF for your records.

See Why an Entry Was Flagged
You can now click into any audit finding to see exactly why it was flagged, along with the highlighted source citation.

A New Look + Easier Access to Ask
Caspian has a fresh look, including dark mode! We've also moved Ask to the home screen, so it's the first thing you see when you log in. If you haven't tried Ask yet:

• Ask questions about your entries, products, HTS codes, or CBP bulletins in plain English.
• Ask knows what you're viewing in the app, so you can ask about a specific entry without having to provide all the context.
• Not sure where to start? Try asking: “Which entries need attention this week?”

New to Caspian? Check out our platform page to see how audits, drawback, and refunds work together.

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