SIMA Administrative Review for Fasteners: Two Supplier Margins Just Changed

CBSA just published the results of an administrative review for carbon steel fasteners (SIMA case FAS 2026 UP1). Two exporters from China and Chinese Taipei now have updated normal values and export prices on the record: Pinghu Gete Auto Fastener Co. Ltd. and Sheh Fung Screws Co., Ltd. If you import fasteners from either supplier, your anti-dumping deposit math just changed.

What a SIMA Administrative Review Actually Does

When CBSA finds dumping or subsidization and imposes SIMA measures, the initial determination usually assigns a few specific exporter rates (normal value margins) and an “all others” rate. That “all others” rate is typically higher because CBSA uses worst-case or best-available-info methodology when an exporter doesn’t cooperate in the original investigation.

Administrative reviews let exporters or importers ask CBSA to calculate a company-specific rate after the fact. If the exporter provides proper cost data and sales records, CBSA runs a full margin calculation. The new rate goes on the official record, and future imports from that supplier are subject to the updated normal value.

In this case, two importers filed requests for re-determination. CBSA reviewed the data and published new margins for Pinghu Gete and Sheh Fung. If your fastener imports are coded to one of those suppliers in CBSA’s enforcement system, you’re now subject to the new rate, not the old “all others” bucket.

Why This Matters for Your Deposit Math

Every time you bring in subject goods, you pay a provisional anti-dumping or countervailing duty deposit on the CAD filing. That deposit is calculated using the margin on record for your specific supplier. If your supplier was previously lumped into “all others” at, say, 85% margin, and the new review drops them to 22%, your deposit requirement just fell.

The reverse can happen too, though it’s rare that a review increases a margin.

Most importers don’t track this actively. The broker files the CAD, the deposit gets paid, and unless someone is watching the SIMA update notices, you keep paying the old rate until CBSA enforcement catches the discrepancy or your broker notices during a file review.

If you’ve been importing from Pinghu Gete or Sheh Fung in the last few months and your deposits were calculated at the old rate, you’re likely owed a refund. CBSA doesn’t automatically adjust. It’s on you (or your broker) to file a request for re-determination of the amount paid.

How to Know If Your Supplier Got a New Rate

CBSA publishes SIMA update notices on the CBSA SIMA homepage. The notices list the case code (in this instance, FAS 2026 UP1), the affected exporters, and the effective date.

Your customs broker should be monitoring these if you import subject goods regularly. But not all do. If you’re filing your own CADs or using a broker who treats SIMA as set-and-forget, you’ll miss updates.

Check your commercial invoices against the exporter names in the notice. If the manufacturer or seller of record matches, pull your recent CADs and confirm the normal value being applied. If it’s still coded to the old rate, flag it.

What to Do If You’ve Been Overpaying

File a request for re-determination with CBSA. You’ll need the original CAD transaction numbers, proof that the goods originated from the reviewed supplier, and evidence that the new margin applies. CBSA has a four-year lookback window from the date of the original accounting, so if you’ve been importing from the same supplier for a while, the refund can add up.

This is routine duty recovery work for brokers who handle SIMA-sensitive goods. If your current broker isn’t set up to do it, we are. The paperwork is straightforward if you have clean origin documentation and a clear supplier match.

The Larger Point About SIMA Compliance

Most Canadian importers treat anti-dumping duties as a black box: CBSA says pay X, so you pay X. But SIMA enforcement is a live system. Margins get reviewed. Exporters go off the list. Scope rulings change. Tribunal findings get appealed. If you’re importing subject goods and you’re not watching the updates, you’re either overpaying or underreporting.

A good compliance program for SIMA-affected goods includes quarterly checks against the current enforcement list, supplier origin verification, and a process to catch margin updates within the refund window. If your inbound logistics partner is handling physical Montreal port clearance but not tracking the regulatory side, the two halves of the operation aren’t talking.

We see this routinely: the warehouse knows what’s on the dock, the broker knows what’s in the CAD, but nobody is connecting the dots when CBSA publishes a notice that drops the duty rate by 40 points.

If you import fasteners or any other subject goods under SIMA orders and you’re not sure whether your deposit math is current, get in touch. We’ll pull the current margins and run the comparison.

Source: CSCB