There are currently no specific tariffs or import restrictions on quartz products, but recent recommendations by the International Trade Commission could pave the way for them.
On December 1, 2025, International Trade Commission initiated a Section 201 investigation into whether these items are being imported in sufficient quantities to be a substantial cause or threat of serious injury to a domestic industry.
In April 2026, the ITC issued an affirmative Section 201 determination that QSP is being imported in such increased quantities as to be a substantial cause of serious injury to the domestic industry producing like or directly competitive products. However, the ITC found that (1) imports of QSP from neither Canada nor Mexico account for a substantial share of total imports or contribute importantly to this injury and (2) imports of QSP from each other free trade agreement partner country, individually, are not a substantial cause or threat of serious injury.
In May 2026, the ITC recommended the establishment of a tariff-rate quota on QSP imports, including slabs and fabricated quartz surface products, for a four-year period. In year 1 of the remedy, the recommended in-quota tariff rate is 25 percent and the recommended above-quota tariff rate is 40 percent, both of which would decrease by one percentage point in each subsequent year of the four-year relief period. The TRQ recommended volume is 140 million square feet in year 1, 159 million square feet in year 2, 164 million square feet in year 3, and 169 million square feet in year 4, and the annual in-quota volume level is recommended to be allocated on a quarterly basis, with ITC Chair Amy Karpel recommending that these quarterly allocations allow for 25 percent of the in-quota volume.
The ITC further recommends that this measure not apply to imports of subject merchandise from Australia, Canada, CAFTA-DR, Colombia, Israel, Jordan, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Singapore, South Korea, and Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act beneficiary countries.
Moreover, Commissioner Kearns is making the following additional recommendations:
- “de-stack” these and any other additional tariffs (with the exception of any AD/CVD tariffs) to prevent multiple additional tariffs on QSP;
- authorize the establishment of an exclusion process to allow for importation of covered imports without application of the TRQ in the case of a demonstrated lack of U.S. production for a particularized QSP product, or in the case of a critical short supply of a particularized QSP product, from domestic sources;
- adopt a “robust mechanism” to reduce the potential for circumvention of this remedy, “building off the strengthened enforcement” of the AD/CVD orders on subject imports from certain countries (Chair Karpel also favors anti-circumvention measures);
- submit to Congress a legislative proposal to distribute TRQ revenue to downstream users of QSP to the extent necessary to reduce injury to downstream users; and
- continue broad-based negotiation with U.S. trading partners to reduce overcapacity and global imbalances that drive U.S. imports of QSP and other products to levels that injure domestic producers.
The ITC will forward its report to President Trump by May 18, but it will be up to the president to make the final decision concerning whether and what kind of relief to provide.
ST&R offers a three-pronged approach for avoiding, mitigating, and/or recovering these and other tariffs. For more information on which of these strategies might be most effective for your business, please contact ST&R.
Products Covered
QSP consists of slabs and other surfaces created from a mixture of materials that includes predominately silica (e.g., quartz, quartz powder, cristobalite, glass powder) as well as a resin binder (e.g., an unsaturated polyester). The investigation only includes products where the silica content is greater than any other single material by actual weight.
QSP is typically sold as rectangular slabs with a total surface area of approximately 45 to 60 square feet and a nominal thickness of one, two, or three centimeters. However, the investigation covers (1) QSP of all other sizes, thicknesses, and shapes and (2) surfaces other than slabs such as countertops, backsplashes, vanity tops, bar tops, work tops, tabletops, flooring, wall facing, shower surrounds, fireplace surrounds, mantels, and tiles.
The investigation covers QSP regardless of whether or not it is (1) polished, cut, fabricated, cured, edged, finished, thermoformed, or packaged and (2) imported attached to, or in conjunction with, non-subject merchandise such as sinks, sink bowls, vanities, cabinets, and furniture.
Subject QSP includes material that has been finished, packaged, or otherwise fabricated in a third country, including by cutting, polishing, curing, edging, thermoforming, attaching to or packaging with another product, or any other finishing, packaging, or fabrication that would not otherwise remove it from the scope if performed in the country of manufacture of the QSP.
QSP covered by the investigation is provided for HTSUS subheadings 6810.99.0020, 6810.99.0040, and 7020.00.6000.
The investigation does not cover quarried stone surface products such as granite, marble, soapstone, or quartzite.
Official Documents