Latest News-Could new tariffs affect your next countertop project?

Could new tariffs affect your next countertop project?
You may have recently heard some talk of tariffs on imported goods into the United States.
Though these tariffs will help to offset some of the unfair subsidies other countries pay to their manufacturers (especially China) they may also have an effect on your next countertop project.

Below is a quick synopsis that we pulled together, to show what’s happening price-wise, so that you know what to expect if you’re planning a quartz project in the near future.

The Cambria petition filed in April alleges that the Chinese government has been propping up their quartz industry, giving them an unfair advantage over private U.S. based quartz companies. It also claims that Chinese companies are selling their products well below market price with the intention of ‘injuring’ U.S. based companies, or what is commonly referred to as “dumping.”
Recently, the U.S. Government has issued two decisions, one related to this petition, that will significantly impact the quartz surfacing industry.
On September 17th, the Department of Commerce instructed U.S. Customs to begin collecting 34.38% cash deposits against all shipments of quartz products originating from China. They will continue until the investigation is completed and the results are handed over to the USITC for final determination and issuance of orders on March 21, 2019.
All indications point to this 34.38% CVD (countervailing duties) being permanent, unless Chinese manufacturers are successfully able to prove their actions did not significantly harm the U.S. quartz industry.
On September 24th, the Trump Administration leveraged another round of tariffs against Chinese goods in its ongoing trade war with China. Due to this, all quartz, stone and porcelain tile products will be subject to a 10% duty, and on January 1, 2019 the duty will increase to 25%.
On or before November 14th, the U.S. Department of Commerce is expected to issue a preliminary determination in the antidumping portion of the Cambria petition. Most insiders believe the value of this duty will be at least 100%.
As it stands today, the costs of Chinese manufactured quartz products have risen by 44.38%. By the beginning of next year, it is conceivable that costs could rise by more than 160% from where they are today.
As you may know, there are many quartz manufacturers offering products in the market now. Some of these are manufactured in China and will (if not already) be receiving price increases accordingly.

At Capital Granite, we offer 15 different brands of engineered quartz surfacing, with only one of those brands being manufactured in China. We have the ability to obtain products that are quarried and manufactured throughout the world and have two quartz brands that are made specifically in the United States. So despite the tariffs being placed, there are still plenty of Quartz options available, that are produced by well-known, qualified manufacturers.

The LG Viatara brand of quartz and Ceasarstone both offer product lines manufactured in the Southern part of the U.S.
We stock many of their colors at our Bridgeport location, but have access to several beyond that as well.

If you have an upcoming quartz project that you’re looking to complete, but don’t want to be burdened with the intense price increases that are happening with some brands, we welcome you to stop by for more information.