Chinese Pencil Manufacturer Makes Case Against U.S. Duties

U.S. antidumping duties on certain Chinese pencil imports are too steep, Shandong Rongxin Import and Export Co. argued to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Jan. 2.

The Chinese company is squaring off against the Justice Department and U.S. pencil manufacturer Dixon Ticonderoga Co. in arguing that the 114.9 percent duty rate on its cased pencils is too high.

Cased pencils are those with writing cores encased in wood or other materials, like the standard Number 2 pencil. The duties don’t affect mechanical pencils, cosmetic pencils, or typical crayons.

The U.S. imported an estimated $73.5 million worth ...