Quartz Fabricators to Stand Up for American Jobs and Consumers at International Trade Commission Hearing
Fabricators testifying Tuesday before the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington will warn that proposed tariffs or quotas on imported quartz surface products, commonly used for kitchen countertops and bathroom vanities, would harm small businesses and American jobs, drive up costs for consumers and limit product choice at a time when housing affordability remains under significant pressure.
The hearing is being held in response to a trade petition filed by a small group of multinational companies claiming that imports of quartz surface products are injuring the domestic quartz industry.
In a prehearing brief, fabricators provided reasons the ITC should reject trade restrictions on quartz surface products.
"The commission is confronted here with a David versus Goliath story," the brief states. "David is the hundreds of red, white and blue American fabricator manufacturers of QSP overwhelmingly opposed to the petition. Goliath is the powerful, concentrated band of multinational corporations that manufacture QSP slabs in the United States. These firms have been successful over the period of investigation but are now confronted with substantial headwinds unrelated to imported QSP."
Fabricators went on to underscore why imported quartz surface products are needed to meet consumer demand and support U.S. jobs.
"Domestic slab production is just a fraction of total finished QSP demand in the U.S. market," the brief states. "This means that a massive supply of imported slabs is necessary for the entire domestic industry to be successful. Domestic slab producers collectively produced approximately 32.7 million square feet of slabs in 2024 and supported approximately 1,446 direct production jobs as of the end of the period of investigation. By contrast, U.S. fabricators produce more than 180 million square feet of finished countertops annually and employ tens of thousands of workers in at least 2,000 establishments."
In their own prehearing brief, the petitioners denigrate the essential contribution that fabricators make to the U.S. quartz surface products value chain and dismiss these small businesses, while simultaneously acknowledging that imported quartz surface products are essential to fabricators' businesses.
The hearing will be open to the public and available for virtual attendance. Additional information is available on the ITC website.
Hearing Details
Date: Feb. 24, 2026
Time: 9 a.m. Eastern
Location: U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E St. SW, Washington, DC 20436
Members of the media interested in connecting with fabricators before or after the hearing should contact quartzjobs@policyres.com.
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