The Ministry of Commerce has announced this final determinations in its anti-dumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations into active anode material (AAM) from China. The final AD rates remained the same as in the preliminary decision, while the overall CVD rates increased.
Final dumping margins
| Exporters | AD rate |
| Tesla, Panasonic, Hunan Zhongke Shinzoom, Jiangxi Zichen Technology, Resonac, Shanghai Shanshan New Material | 93.5% |
| All other/China-wide entity | 102.72% |
Final subsidy rates
| Exporter/producer | CVD rate |
| Huzhou Kaijin new energy technology, Shanghai Shaosheng knitted sweat, BTR new material | 66.82% |
| Panasonic | 66.86% |
| Everyone else | 66.86% |
The AD/CVD study was requested in December 2024 by American Active Anode Material Producers (AAAMP), a group of start-up companies seeking to ramp up domestic production of active anode materials, a necessary component of lithium batteries used in the energy storage and EV markets. AAMP claims that Chinese dominance in AAM production has prevented the domestic market from establishing competitive operations. The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) made a preliminary affirmative determination in January 2025 that the imported active anode material from China was harmful to the U.S. industry, and the Commerce Department began calculating potential tariff amounts.
The ITC is organizing a hearing on this case today. If a positive final decision is made, these final AD/CVD rates will officially go into effect and Customs and Border Protection will begin collecting duties.
What are battery active anode materials?
A battery needs both a cathode and an anode to facilitate the flow of electric charge. As the battery charges, electrons move from the positive cathode to the negative anode, and that electrical difference translates into stored energy. The stated ‘chemistry’ of a battery consists of the active cathode materials – lithium iron phosphate (LFP) or lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC), for example. Active anode materials are typically carbon-based, such as graphite powder or silicon oxide. The materials are extracted, ground into a fine powder and then applied to the anode (usually copper foil).
AAMP claims that it represents the only domestic manufacturers of active anode materials. Membership includes Anovion Technologies (Georgia), Syrah Technologies (Louisiana), NOVONIX Anode Materials (Tennessee), Epsilon Advanced Materials 5060 (North Carolina), and SKI US (Georgia). Most of these companies are still in the start-up phase. AAMP claimed in its petition that the domestic AAM industry is struggling to get off the ground due to China’s oversupply.
The trade clarified that electric vehicles and completed battery energy storage system containers for both utility and residential applications are excluded from these rates. But raw AAM, battery cells and battery modules are in scope and subject to tariffs. Domestic battery makers will feel the tariff pressure, while BESS importers will not.
