Trump draws the quartz line
By Peter Navarro | Washington Times | August 5, 2026
With his recent proclamation protecting America’s quartz industry from a devastating surge in imports, President Trump is once again standing squarely with American workers and manufacturers. The case also exposes another blatant foreign ripoff—led by India, aided by Vietnam, Spain, and Thailand, and built on the familiar predatory model of capturing the American market while hollowing out American production.
Quartz surface products are engineered slabs used for kitchen countertops, bathroom vanities, backsplashes, floors, and wall surfaces. They may look decorative. Economically, however, they are heavy manufacturing: Crushed silica, resins, pigments, presses, curing ovens, polishing lines, robotics, skilled labor, and large capital investments.
The U.S. International Trade Commission has found that surging quartz imports are a substantial cause of serious injury to the American industry. The numbers are damning. India supplied 36.2% of U.S. quartz imports by volume in 2024 and 39.1% during the first nine months of 2025. Vietnam supplied another 18.6% in 2024, Spain 14.6%, and Thailand 12%.
Imports captured fully 88.3% of U.S. apparent consumption by volume in 2024. India alone captured 32%.
This is not a marginal trade flow. It is a foreign domination of the American market.
President Trump’s remedy is both tough and disciplined. Beginning August 15, the United States will establish a four-year tariff-rate quota, with an initial quota of 140 million square feet. Imports within the quota face a 25% tariff; imports above the quota face a 50% tariff. The rates phase down over four years while the quota gradually expands. Existing antidumping, countervailing, and other duties remain in place. The proclamation also arms the U.S. Trade Representative to stop circumvention and import surges through excluded countries.