Methodology
Why you can trust the number — and where to check it
AD/CVD exposure is high-stakes and the public data is scattered across hundreds of Federal Register notices. ImportSentry assembles that data into a tracker you can search and briefs you can act on — but accuracy is the product, so the way we build it matters as much as the answer. Here is how the dataset behind the tracker and the briefs is sourced and verified.
Primary-source grounding
Every rate traces to a primary U.S. Federal Register record — the official notices in which the Department of Commerce (International Trade Administration) publishes antidumping and countervailing duty determinations. We do not paraphrase secondary trackers. Each figure links to the exact document, so you and your broker read the same source we did.
Event-sourced current rates
An AD/CVD order's rates change over time through administrative reviews. Rather than freeze a single snapshot, we event-source each case's history and surface the most recent determination, with its effective date and whether it is a final or preliminary result.
Confidence scoring — flagged, never hidden
Rates are extracted with a confidence score from the structure of the source document. Anything below our confidence floor carries a visible 'unverified' flag rather than being presented as authoritative, and the primary record is always one click away. A wrong duty number is a six-figure liability, so the flag stays on until the extraction is confirmed.
A verification pass on every refresh
Each dataset refresh runs a verification layer: it re-checks citation integrity, screens for internally inconsistent or implausible rates, and audits a sample of extractions against the primary Federal Register text. The pass reports what it could and could not confirm; low-confidence and unconfirmed extractions stay flagged rather than being silently trusted.
Origin-neutral, supplier-agnostic
We do not sell sourcing, represent exporters, or earn more when an answer points one way. The tracker and the briefs report what the record says about a product and origin — nothing else rides on the result.
Analysis of the public record, not legal advice
ImportSentry narrows the question and shows you the source. It does not replace your licensed customs broker or trade counsel, who make the final determination of scope and the operative cash-deposit rate at entry. Treat every figure and every brief as a starting point for that conversation.
How we read a case
Every brief reads a case along the same three axes, so two briefs are always comparable.
Scope reach
Narrow, contested, or broad. The written scope of the order — not the HTS code — defines what is covered, and we say where the contested edges are.
Rate severity
Measured on the full landed stack (base rate + Section 301 + AD + CVD), not the headline margin alone: nuisance under 10%, material 10–50%, prohibitive over 50%.
Action window
Open, closing, or closed — always dated. Separate-rate applications, review participation, and supplier moves each have a deadline, and the deadline is the analysis.