US quartz safeguard: the quota sets your duty rate

The US International Trade Commission has imposed a global safeguard on quartz surface products. The measure applies to imports entered from 12:00 noon Eastern Time on 15 August 2026, which is 11pm the same day in Vietnam. Shipments inside the quota pay 25%; anything above it pays 50%. The programme runs four years. Vietnam sits squarely in its path: in the first nine months of 2025 the US imported nearly 29.8 million square feet of quartz surfaces from Vietnam worth USD 258 million, or 17.9% of volume and 21.2% of value across all US quartz imports.

This is a tariff-rate quota rather than a flat duty. The in-quota rate opens at 25% and steps down each year to 23%, 21% and 19%. The out-of-quota rate opens at 50% and barely moves: 49%, 48%, 47%. The gap between the two columns is 25 percentage points in year one and widens to 28 points by year four. Which is to say the quota, not the tariff schedule, is what sets your landed cost.

Run the published US figures and Vietnamese shipments averaged about USD 8.7 per square foot over that nine-month period. At that unit value, every square foot that falls outside the quota carries roughly USD 2.2 more duty than the same square foot inside it. This illustrates the difference using an average unit value, not the duty payable on an individual shipment. For budgeting, use the shipment's actual value and cost both the in-quota and out-of-quota scenarios.

The sources cited here do not give annual quota volumes or the allocation procedure for individual shipments. They therefore do not establish that earlier arrival guarantees the in-quota rate. According to Tax & Customs Magazine, Vietnam's Trade Remedies Authority advises exporters to monitor quota usage each quarter. For shipment planning, confirm how the rules apply with the importer rather than relying on the sailing schedule alone.

According to Tax & Customs Magazine, Vietnam's Trade Remedies Authority advises exporters to monitor quota usage each quarter.

Vietnam's Trade Remedies Authority confirms that Vietnam is not on the list of developing countries exempt from this safeguard duty. Tax & Customs Magazine reports that Vietnam's 17.9% volume share exceeds the 3% threshold used to consider an exemption for an individual developing country. When budgeting Vietnamese shipments, exporters should therefore not assume that developing-country status alone provides an exemption.

The case began with a petition from the US quartz surface manufacturers' alliance, which the USITC took up on 17 November 2025. Petitioners argued imports climbed from 135 million square feet in 2020 to 234 million square feet in 2024, a rise of 73.4%. Nine months of procedure later, the four-year schedule is live. For further reading on monitoring trade-remedy cases, see our articles on US reviews covering solar cells, honey and woven bags and the UK safeguard investigation into PET resin.

The published sources list three tariff codes: 6810.99.0020, 6810.99.0040 and 7020.00.6000. Engineered quartz slab producers selling into the US should check both the classification and the product description defining the scope. From a cost-planning perspective, the questions are whether a shipment qualifies for the in-quota rate and which party bears any difference under the contract.

For fabricators supplying US distributors, a practical risk to consider is that higher import costs may lead buyers to seek price adjustments. That is a point for negotiation, not a prediction that every order will face a price cut. Before accepting a new order, discuss how any additional duty cost would be handled.

The Trade Remedies Authority advises exporters to track quota usage quarter by quarter, review their raw material sourcing and keep documentation that establishes origin. Some developing countries are exempt, but Vietnam is not on that list. Tax & Customs Magazine reports that products meeting the scope description may remain covered even after cutting, polishing, packing or finishing in a third country.

Four checks to make when preparing a shipment:

• Check the proposed US tariff classification against 6810.99.0020, 6810.99.0040 and 7020.00.6000, alongside the product description. Do not rely on the code on an export declaration alone to decide whether a shipment falls within scope.
• Ask your US buyer who is named as importer of record and review the contract's duty-allocation clauses. Do not assume every delivered term makes the seller responsible for out-of-quota duty; confirm the specific responsibilities between the parties.
• Track quota utilisation each quarter, follow Trade Remedies Authority notices and confirm the rate applicable to each shipment with the importer.
• Rebuild your raw material origin file and keep the paperwork shipment by shipment, in case you are asked to substantiate it later.

Homexim supports stone and building-material shippers with documentation and transport planning to the US East and West Coasts. Our documentation team works with you from the preparation stage on HS-code checks and delivery scheduling. Confirm quota status and responsibility for duties with the importer before finalising the shipment plan.