AFTER declaring Chinese standard shipping containers were sold below cost in the United States, the Commerce Department has decided to apply for anti-dumping duties on further imports from China.

Under a ruling, Chinese 53-footers would face anti-dumping duties of up to 153.24 per cent after a complaint from Stoughton Trailers, Reuters reports.

Other containers, including those produced by the world's biggest box maker, Shenzhen's China International Marine Containers (CIMC), face a lower 24.27 per cent rate.

In 2013, US$184 million worth of such containers were imported from China.

The duties, which must still be confirmed in a final decision by the Commerce Department and by the US International Trade Commission, would come on top of anti-subsidy duties set in September.