The case, Investigation No. TA-201-79, stems from a petition filed with the International Trade Commission by Cambria Company, Dal-Tile, Guidoni and Hyundai L&C seeking tariffs and quotas on quartz surface product imports from all countries. The ITC has recommended tariffs of 25% to 40% on imported quartz.

Not an unfair trade case

Wessel, who has been involved in quartz trade litigation since the original Cambria case against China in 2018, drew a sharp distinction between the current Section 201 case and the anti-dumping and countervailing duty cases that preceded it.

The earlier cases against India and Turkey resulted in small tariffs, and annual reviews by the Department of Commerce have since found the Indian rate to be zero, meaning Indian quartz entering the U.S. is being fairly traded, he explained. In the Turkish case, one of the reviewed companies was found not to be dumping at all.

"Cambria essentially has changed its tact," said Wessel. "This new case, this Section 201, is not an unfair trade case. In my business, we call these 'we're just not good enough' cases. Essentially, what Cambria is saying, legally, is that we just can't compete with these foreigners, and we need the exceptional remedy of a Section 201 case in order to adjust to import competition."

Unlike the earlier cases, where the Department of Commerce imposed tariffs calibrated to offset a proven subsidy or dumping margin, a Section 201 case gives the president wide discretion, Wessel said. That includes the possibility of a quota that would limit the sheer quantity of imported product entering the market.

Wessel pointed to what he considered a telling moment at the hearing, when Cambria was pressed on the fact that U.S. production cannot meet total U.S. demand. "Marie Antoinette said, 'Let them eat cake.' Marty Davis said, 'Let them install a solid surface,'" said Wessel. "If there's not enough quartz in the market, Cambria's fine with that."

Affordability takes center stage

Katzmann, who has attended all three hearings in the case, said the most recent session before the Trade Policy Staff Committee had a noticeably different focus than the earlier International Trade Commission proceedings. The panel included rotating representatives from agencies including the Department of State, the Department of Commerce and the Small Business Administration, and much of the day was spent on consumer affordability.

The two sides presented starkly different numbers. Cambria's team estimated the proposed tariffs would add $188 to the cost of an average single-family home. Analysis presented by the coalition, supported by multiple fabricators at the hearing, put the figure at more than $1,000.

"The very interesting fact that nobody disputed was that if you raise the price of a house $1,000, 150,000 fewer homes will be built," said Katzmann. "Those are people that are still living with their parents, can't move, shops aren't getting that business. That's where a lot of the pain comes in."

Katzmann noted the timing of the case, with the average U.S. home price around $450,000 and the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a bipartisan housing affordability package, passing both chambers of Congress by overwhelming margins in late June. "It feels like, to me, that putting tariffs on your countertops, which is going to be greater than $1,000, doesn't feel like the right thing," he said. "The political winds, I don't believe, should be heading in that direction right now."

Silicosis and the no-silica question

Both guests raised the intersection of the trade case with the industry's ongoing silicosis crisis. Wessel said Cambria was "conspicuously quiet" when the topic came up at the hearing, and the coalition is pushing for no-silica products to be excluded from any tariff or quota because those products are largely not manufactured in the U.S.

Katzmann said the commission asked domestic material providers whether they currently produce amorphous or zero-silica products. "They all kind of said no, but we could really quickly if we needed to," he said. "I believe there's a pretty strong industry debate that says it's not that quick to flip a switch."

With California in the process of restricting quartz, Katzmann said viable supply chain alternatives are essential. "If it's not available, or if the tariff rates make it uneconomical, all that's going to do is hurt the shops," he said.

What comes next

The U.S. Trade Representative's Office has sent a letter to the International Trade Commission requesting additional data, which extends the timeline slightly. Once that information is delivered, the record will be complete and the decision belongs entirely to the president, who has broad flexibility to adopt, modify or reject the ITC's recommendations, Wessel said. He expects clarity by August or the end of the summer.

In the meantime, both guests urged fabricators to stay engaged. Wessel encouraged shops to visit the Save Quartz Jobs Coalition website at savequartzjobs.com and contact their representatives, noting that Cambria has a former deputy U.S. trade representative on its payroll working the case. "The only way to really counter that is at the grassroots level," said Wessel. "Every voice matters in this."

Katzmann said the growth in fabricator participation has been dramatic. The first hearing in February drew essentially two fabricators. The most recent round generated 113 submissions, with only one in favor of the tariffs.

"We went from kind of an island here, and we've got the community involved," said Katzmann. "It's spend 15 minutes, get something, email it to your rep. Let's get our voice out there so that a couple of large entities can't bully us around."

Brazil case on the horizon

Katzmann also flagged a separate case targeting Brazil, where the USTR has proposed a 25% tariff on most Brazilian goods under a Section 301 investigation. The proposal exempts quartzite but covers granite, marble and slate, all significant Brazilian exports to the U.S. market.

"Brazil is a massive natural stone granite exporter into the U.S.," said Katzmann. "If you're going to write a letter to your congressman about the quartz tariffs, you might as well include Brazil too."

Visit savequartzjobs.com to learn more. Fabricators interested in sharing what trade restrictions would mean for their businesses, workers, and customers should reach out to quartzjobs@policyres.com.

Save Quartz Jobs in the News
 Fortune: A quartz countertop tariff could double your kitchen renovation cost — and kill 13 jobs for every one it creates
 Wall Street Journal: Tariffs That Are as Dumb as Rocks
NPR: How a CEO and Trump donor is weaponizing tariffs against his rivals
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Pending trade case could raise the cost of a new kitchen
Reason: American Quartz Manufacturers Want To Make Kitchen Countertops Even More Expensive