Executive Summary
A four-year safeguard tariff-rate quota applies to covered quartz surface products entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after August 15, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. eastern time.
The proclamation provides for annual increases in within-quota quantities and lower within-quota and over-quota duty rates in years two, three and four.
The measure excludes specified trading partners and qualifying developing countries, but the developing-country exclusion depends on import-share thresholds and may change if imports surge.
Covered merchandise admitted to a U.S. foreign-trade zone on or after the start time must enter in privileged foreign status and remains subject to applicable restrictions or tariffs at consumption entry.
The quartz surface product tariff-rate quota begins August 15, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. eastern time. Proclamation 11051, signed July 31 and published August 5, establishes a four-year safeguard for covered products, subject to stated country exclusions and earlier reduction, modification or termination.
Which Quartz Surface Products Face the Quota?
The proclamation covers quartz surface products described in the U.S. International Trade Commission’s Notice of Institution and classifiable in HTSUS subheadings 6810.99.0020, 6810.99.0040 and 7020.00.6000. Classification in one of these provisions is relevant, but the proclamation describes the covered goods by reference to the ITC notice as well. Importers should therefore check both the merchandise description and the tariff classification rather than relying on a product label alone.
The safeguard is a tariff-rate quota, not a single duty rate imposed identically on every entry. The Annex provides for within-quota quantities and duty rates for goods within and above those quantities. It also provides for annual increases in quota quantities and reductions in both rates in the second, third and fourth years. The proclamation establishes the structure and duration, while the Annex governs the operative quantity and rate details.
The measure applies to goods entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after the stated start time. The trigger is the date and time of that consumption entry or withdrawal, not simply the date of sale or shipment. Entries before the effective time are not covered by the proclamation’s effective-date clause.
Which Countries Are Excluded From the Quartz Safeguard?
The proclamation excludes products of Australia, Canada, Mexico, Israel, the Republic of Korea, Colombia, Panama, Peru and Singapore, as well as the CAFTA-DR countries and CBERA beneficiary countries and territories. Products of these partners are excluded from the safeguard and are not counted toward the tariff-rate quota. Jordan is also excluded because the proclamation treats it as a developing country.
The developing-country exclusion is conditional. A listed developing country is excluded while its share of total imports, based on imports during a recent representative period, does not exceed 3 percent, and while products of all listed developing countries individually below 3 percent collectively account for no more than 9 percent of total imports. If a WTO-member developing country’s imports exceed either threshold, the proclamation provides for the action to be modified to apply to that country’s product.
The Trade Representative may revise the developing-country list by Federal Register notice if the applicable share exceeds a threshold or a country is no longer treated as developing for this action. The proclamation also provides for action if imports surge from an otherwise excluded country. An exclusion should not be treated as permanent without checking for a later notice or action.
How Does the Quartz Quota Apply to Foreign-Trade Zones?
Merchandise subject to the safeguard and admitted to a U.S. foreign-trade zone on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern time on August 15, 2026, must be admitted in privileged foreign status. The proclamation specifies that the goods will be subject, when entered for consumption, to the quantitative restrictions or tariffs related to their classification under the applicable HTSUS subheading.
Zone admission does not avoid the measure. Importers should identify covered merchandise in zone inventory and preserve the information needed to apply the tariff classification and the quota treatment when the goods are entered for consumption. The effective time applies to the admission requirement as well as to the consumption-entry provisions.
When Does the Quartz Surface Tariff-Rate Quota Start?
- Proclamation signed: July 31, 2026. Proclamation 11051 was signed on this date.
- Proclamation published: August 5, 2026. The Federal Register publication date.
- Safeguard effective: August 15, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. eastern time. The proclamation applies to covered goods entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after this time. The same time governs privileged foreign status for covered merchandise admitted to a foreign-trade zone.
- Measure duration: four years. The proclamation provides for annual quantity increases and rate reductions in years two, three and four, unless the action is earlier reduced, modified or terminated.
What Should Quartz Product Importers Do Before August 15?
Confirm product coverage. Compare product specifications and tariff classifications with the proclamation’s covered-product description, the referenced ITC notice and the listed HTSUS subheadings.
Check country of origin and exclusions. Confirm the product’s country of origin and whether an exclusion applies. For a developing-country claim, verify the country’s listing and current eligibility, including the individual and collective import-share conditions.
Review entry timing. Identify entries and warehouse withdrawals scheduled on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern time on August 15. Coordinate with the customs broker on quota classification and the applicable within-quota or over-quota treatment.
Flag foreign-trade-zone inventory. Identify covered goods expected to enter a zone on or after the effective time and arrange privileged foreign status. Track later Federal Register notices that could revise an exclusion or otherwise change the safeguard.
What Quartz Quota Details Still Need Confirmation?
The proclamation’s operative provisions do not state the numerical within-quota quantities or the specific within-quota and over-quota duty rates; those details are assigned to its Annex. Importers should confirm the applicable Annex provisions and annual schedule before calculating duty exposure or allocating shipments. The proclamation also ties product coverage to the ITC’s Notice of Institution, so the listed tariff provisions alone do not resolve every product-description question.
The developing-country exclusion depends on the country listing in Note 41 and import-share data for a recent representative period. The proclamation permits changes to that treatment and provides for action on import surges, but it does not establish that any future change has already occurred. Confirm the country’s status and any later published modification when preparing an entry.
Sources
- To Facilitate Positive Adjustment to Competition From Imports of Quartz Surface Products, Federal Register
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