ACE AD/CVD Case Management: Case Numbers, Suffixes and Entry Lines

Key Points

• ACE AD/CVD case management is where CBP publishes Commerce's antidumping and countervailing duty case data, and the live case record, not a Federal Register notice, is what the entry line must match.
• Case numbers start with A (antidumping) or C (countervailing), followed by a three-digit country code, a three-digit case number and a three-digit company suffix, as in CBP's example A122503000.
• Suffix 000 denotes the all-others rate and should be used only when the live case record shows no company-specific suffix for the actual producer or exporter.
• AD/CVD merchandise is entered as entry type 03, with the case number, suffix, rate and deposit transmitted on the entry summary line.
• Rate changes and liquidation instructions arrive later through the same case files, so an error keyed at entry can surface as a bill or refund years afterward.

On this page

1. At a glance
2. What is ACE AD/CVD case management?
3. How is an ACE AD/CVD case number structured?
4. When is ACE AD/CVD case management used in the entry lifecycle?
5. Common ACE AD/CVD case management errors
6. How ACE AD/CVD case management interacts with other ACE functions
7. Frequently asked questions
8. What importers and brokers should do
9. Key references

ACE AD/CVD case management is the function in CBP's Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), with its public ADCVD Search, through which CBP publishes the Department of Commerce's antidumping and countervailing duty case numbers, company suffixes, cash deposit rates, effective dates and liquidation instructions. Customs brokers and importers use it before filing to find the live case record and key that data on each entry summary line subject to an order. CBP then uses the same case files after entry to drive suspension of liquidation, rate updates, and final liquidation.

This entry reflects the workflow as of October 2026. The links in this article go to the primary documents: the regulation, CBP's ADCVD Search, and official CBP pages themselves. Read the source.

At a glance

• Full name: ACE antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) case management, including the public ADCVD Search
• Who prepares or uses it: CBP publishes and messages case data from Commerce; brokers and importers look it up and transmit it on entry lines
• When in the lifecycle: Before entry summary filing, then again through suspension of liquidation and final liquidation
• System or channel: ACE, ABI entry summary case records, and the public ADCVD Search
• Governing authority: Commerce sets the orders and rates; CBP collects deposits and liquidates; see 19 CFR 351.107
• Entry type: 03
• Related terms: ACE Cargo Release, DIS, ACE protest module, ACE reconciliation, CATAIR Appendix B, ABI client rep

What is ACE AD/CVD case management?

ACE AD/CVD case management is CBP's authoritative, system-level record of every antidumping and countervailing duty case that CBP administers at the border. Commerce determines whether an order exists, who is covered, and what rate applies; CBP translates those determinations into case records in ACE so that entries can be validated, deposits collected and liquidation controlled. The public ADCVD Search lets anyone, including importers without an ACE account, look up case numbers, company suffixes, rates and effective dates, and read the messages CBP has posted to a case.

The scope of ACE AD/CVD case management is CBP's administration of the case. It is not Commerce's ACCESS docket, where case filings and determinations are lodged, and it does not decide whether a product falls within an order; that question belongs to Commerce. Brokers who need the underlying determinations should search federalregister.gov, but they key the entry from the live ACE case record.

How is an ACE AD/CVD case number structured?

An ACE AD/CVD case number is a ten-character identifier made of a one-letter prefix and three three-digit segments. The structure is:

• Prefix: A for antidumping or C for countervailing.
• Country: a three-digit country code.
• Case: a three-digit case number.
• Company suffix: a three-digit code identifying the producer, exporter or producer/exporter combination with its own rate.

CBP's example is A122503000: an antidumping case, country segment 122, case segment 503 and company suffix 000. Suffix 000 represents the all-others rate. The suffix matters because rates frequently differ by company; the right suffix is the one the live case record ties to the actual producer and exporter of the goods, as Commerce's rate assignment rules in 19 CFR 351.107 describe. When a single product is subject to both an antidumping and a countervailing order, expect two case records on the line and confirm the reporting sequence in the ACE CATAIR.

When is ACE AD/CVD case management used in the entry lifecycle?

ACE AD/CVD case management touches an entry at three points: before filing, at entry summary, and after entry until liquidation.

Before filing

The broker looks up the live case record in ADCVD Search or through ABI and verifies the case number, the producer or exporter suffix, the current deposit rate, the effective dates, and whether the case calls for a cash deposit or permits bonding. Commercial documents, such as the manufacturer and exporter names on the invoice, are checked against the suffix description. Release is often obtained earlier through ACE Cargo Release, the ACE transaction through which the broker transmits the data CBP needs to decide release of cargo before or on arrival, but the case data still has to be right for the summary.

At entry summary

The entry is filed as entry type 03, and the case number, suffix, rate and deposit amount go on the line's case record with the deposit. Code values for entry types and related fields are listed in CATAIR Appendix B (the ACE ABI CATAIR appendix of Valid Codes); record layouts are in the CATAIR chapters themselves on cbp.gov.

After entry

CBP posts rate changes and liquidation instructions as messages on the same case files. Those messages control suspension of liquidation and, once Commerce's final results issue, the liquidation that produces a bill for additional duties or a refund with interest, sometimes years after the goods arrived.

Common ACE AD/CVD case management errors

ACE AD/CVD case management errors usually come from keying data from the wrong source or the wrong date. The recurring problems are:

• Copying a rate from a Federal Register notice instead of the live case file. The notice may predate a correction, amendment or later review.
• Fabricating or defaulting the company suffix. Using 000 when a company-specific suffix exists, or inventing a suffix that matches a name loosely, misstates the deposit and the liquidation instructions that will apply.
• Missing a rate change that took effect between the order and the date of entry. Check the effective dates on the case record, not the date the order first published.
• Cash versus bond mismatch, where the line is bonded although the case record requires cash.

The cost is rarely immediate. Wrong case data can mean rejected summaries, deposit underpayments, CBP requests for information, penalty exposure, and liquidation at a rate the importer did not anticipate. Errors on an unliquidated entry are generally corrected by post summary correction; after liquidation, the route is usually a protest. Confirm the correct path and timing with CBP or your broker for the specific entry.

How ACE AD/CVD case management interacts with other ACE functions

ACE AD/CVD case management feeds or depends on several neighboring ACE functions:

• DIS: the Document Image System (DIS), CBP's ACE channel for transmitting electronic images and structured documents, is how brokers answer CBP document requests on AD/CVD lines, such as invoices or certifications. See our DIS guide.
• ACE protest module: the ACE Protest module, where protests (the electronic CBP Form 19) are filed and tracked, is where challenges to an AD/CVD liquidation are lodged, within the limits of what CBP can decide. See ACE Protest Module explained.
• ACE reconciliation: ACE Reconciliation (entry type 09) handles undeterminable value, classification, 9802 or FTA issues; whether AD/CVD lines can be flagged is a question to confirm with CBP. See ACE reconciliation filing.
• ACE in-bond and ACE truck eManifest: goods subject to orders may move under ACE in-bond, the electronic in-bond system for unentered merchandise, or arrive on an ACE truck eManifest (ACE e-Manifest: Trucks); the case data still attaches at entry, not at the manifest or in-bond stage.
• ITRAC: Importer Trade Activity (ITRAC) data, requested from CBP under the Freedom of Information Act, historically let importers audit the case numbers and suffixes their brokers transmitted.
• Proxy TAO: an ACE Trade Account Owner proxy (proxy TAO) can grant importer staff ACE portal access to review AD/CVD entry reports.
• ABI client rep: the ABI client representative, the CBP Office of Trade contact for each ABI filer, is the escalation point when case records will not validate or transmit.

Frequently asked questions

Is the ADCVD Search the same as ACE AD/CVD case management?

ADCVD Search is the public window onto ACE AD/CVD case management: it shows case numbers, suffixes, rates, effective dates and messages, while ABI filers also validate against the same records when they transmit entry lines.

Can I use the rate published in the Federal Register?

Use the Federal Register to understand the determination, but key the entry from the live record in ACE AD/CVD case management, because that record reflects corrections and changes CBP has loaded after publication.

When is suffix 000 correct?

Suffix 000 in ACE AD/CVD case management is the all-others rate, and it applies only when the live case record has no company-specific suffix for the actual producer and exporter combination.

Does ACE AD/CVD case management decide whether my product is covered?

No. ACE AD/CVD case management administers the case; product coverage is decided by Commerce, and coverage questions should go to Commerce rather than CBP.

What importers and brokers should do

• Pull the live case record in ADCVD Search for every entry type 03 filing and save the lookup with the entry file.
• Match the company suffix to the producer and exporter named on commercial documents, and never default to 000 without confirming no specific suffix applies.
• Check case effective dates against the date of entry and monitor case messages for rate changes and liquidation instructions until each entry liquidates.
• Audit transmitted case data periodically through ACE reports and correct unliquidated errors promptly.

Key references

• CBP ADCVD Search: public lookup of AD/CVD case numbers, suffixes, rates, effective dates and CBP case messages.
• 19 CFR 351.107: Commerce regulation on deposits of estimated duties and producer/exporter rate assignment.
• CBP Trade: CBP landing page for ACE, the ACE CATAIR including Appendix B, and AD/CVD guidance.
• Federal Register: search for Commerce AD/CVD orders, reviews and determinations.