Section 201 safeguard tariff on quartz surface products starts
From Aug 15, 2026, quartz surface products such as engineered quartz slabs and countertops pay a four-year safeguard tariff on top of the regular duty: 25% within a quarterly quota and 50% beyond it, with rates falling each year. Many countries are excluded.
Proclamation 11051, signed Jul 31, 2026, put a four-year safeguard on imports of quartz surface products under Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974, in the form of a tariff-rate quota. U.S. note 41(a) defines them as "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", and names countertops, backsplashes, vanity tops, flooring and tiles among the surfaces covered. The proclamation names statistical lines 6810.99.0020, 6810.99.0040 and 7020.00.6000.
Rates, on top of the regular duty, within the quota (heading 9903.45.30) and beyond it (heading 9903.45.31):
- Aug 15, 2026 to Aug 14, 2027: 25% and 50%
- Aug 15, 2027 to Aug 14, 2028: 23% and 49%
- Aug 15, 2028 to Aug 14, 2029: 21% and 48%
- Aug 15, 2029 to Aug 14, 2030: 19% and 47%
The first year's quota is 3,251,606 square meters a quarter, and CBP adds any unused amount to the next quarter. Products of Canada, Mexico, Australia, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Singapore and South Korea, of the developing countries listed in U.S. note 41(c), and of 17 Caribbean Basin beneficiary countries and territories are excluded and don't count against the quota. Details are on the program page.