Softwood Lumber Trade Dispute
British Columbia and the forest industry have been engaged for decades with the United States in ongoing Softwood Lumber trade litigation. The 2006 Softwood Lumber Agreement provided stability and predictability until its expiry on October 12, 2015, triggering the latest round in the lumber dispute.
On this page:
Current state of Softwood Lumber trade with the U.S.
On November 25, 2016, the Committee Overseeing Action for Lumber International Trade Investigations or Negotiations ( “COALITION”) filed a petition with the U.S. Department of Commerce, alleging Canadian lumber is unfairly subsidized and dumped into the U.S. market, launching the “Lumber V” proceedings. B.C. is well prepared to respond to this litigation and will continue to defend B.C.'s interests against these unfounded allegations. B.C. is working alongside the federal government, other Provinces and the forest industry to respond to the ongoing litigation that imposes countervailing duties and anti-dumping duties on Canadian lumber. We also seek recourse through appeals to the US Court of International Trade, the World Trade Organization, and under the Canada/US/Mexico Agreement (formerly NAFTA).
- Additional Lumber V update information may be found on the Government of Canada website
- Learn more about the current litigation
- Learn more about the appeals challenges and decisions
Recent news
March 14, 2023: AR5 - Initiation
The U.S. Department of Commerce initiated the Fifth Administrative Reviews (AR5) of the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders for certain softwood lumber products from Canada. Each year (unless the case is settled), administrative reviews are conducted to recalculate the countervailing and antidumping duty rates for shipments during the period of review and to establish new cash deposit rates for future shipments. A company is subject to the review if there has been a specific request for a review of that company filed by interested parties with the U.S. Department of Commerce.
January 24, 2023: AR4 - Preliminary Determination
The U.S. Department of Commerce released its preliminary determinations for the Fourth Administrative Review (AR4) in antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations of imports of certain softwood lumber products from Canada.
The preliminary determinations do not have any impact on current duties or cash deposit rates. Rates will not change until the U.S. Department of Commerce issues its final determination, which is expected in August 2023. The preliminary determination rates are listed in the table below. See the U.S. Federal Register Notice for preliminary results of the AD (PDF, 199KB) and CVD (PDF, 221KB) investigations.
August 4, 2022: AR3 - Final Determination
The U.S. Department of Commerce released its final determination for the Third Administrative Review (AR3) in the countervailing duty (CVD) and antidumping duty (AD) investigations of imports of certain softwood lumber products from Canada.
- The U.S. Department of Commerce published the final results of the AD and CVD cases for AR3 in the Federal Register, rates are effective August 9, 2022
- Government of British Columbia Statement
- Government of Canada Statement
- U.S. Department of Commerce Final Determination Memo of AR3 AD investigation (PDF, 551KB)
- U.S. Department of Commerce Final Determination Memo of AR3 CVD investigation (PDF, 200KB)
- Learn more about the current rates
Rate tables
| Company | CVD - AR4 | AD - AR4 | Total - AR4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canfor | 2.04% | 5.25% | 7.29% |
| West Fraser | 2.48% | 6.90% | 9.38% |
| Resolute | 2.19% | 6.05% | 8.24% |
| JD Irving | 1.72% | 6.05% | 7.77% |
| All Others | 2.19% | 6.05% | 8.24% |
| Company | CVD - AR3 | AD - AR3 | Total - AR3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canfor | 0.95% | 4.92% | 5.87% |
| West Fraser | 3.62% | 4.63% | 8.25% |
| Resolute | 10.1% | 4.76% | 14.86% |
| JD Irving | 2.41% | 11.59% | 14.0% |
| All Others | 3.83% | 4.76% | 8.59% |
| Company |
CVD - AR2 (Amended) |
AD - AR2 |
Total - AR2 (Amended) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canfor | 2.42% | 17.12% | 19.54% |
| West Fraser | 5.08% | 6.06% | 11.14% |
| Resolute | 18.07% | 11.59% | 29.66% |
| JD Irving | 3.46% | 11.59% | 15.05% |
| All Others | 6.32% | 11.59% | 17.91% |
| Company | CVD - AR1 Cash Deposit | AD - AR1 Cash Deposit | Total - AR1 Cash Deposit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canfor | 2.63% | 1.99% | 4.62% |
| J.D. Irving | 2.66% | 1.57% | 4.23% |
| Resolute | 19.10% | 1.15% | 20.25% |
| West Fraser | 7.57% | 1.40% | 8.97% |
| All Others | 7.42% | 1.57% | 8.99% |
| Company | CVD - AR1 Assessment | AD - AR1 Assessment | Total - AR1 Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canfor | 2.94% | 1.99% | 4.93% |
| J.D. Irving | 3.43% | 1.57% | 5.00% |
| Resolute | 18.71% | 1.15% | 19.86% |
| West Fraser | 6.76% | 1.40% | 8.16% |
| All Others | 7.26% | 1.57% | 8.83% |
