News
USITC Approves China Quartz Tariffs
WASHINGTON -- On June 11, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) voted 5-0 in favor of a staff report that finds China’s quartz-surface producers sold products far below value in the United States, aided by subsidies from Chinese government agencies.
The vote approved tariffs that range from 274.59% to 487%, effective on imports from Nov. 20 of last year.
The USITC action didn’t include a “critical-circumstances” declaration, which would’ve made the high tariffs retroactive to Aug. 20.
However, the action also created a non-tariff window for material going through U.S. ports from May 18-July 5.
Spectrum Quartz to Open U.S. Slab Plant
LATTA, S.C. -- Spectrum Quartz will begin producing quartz surfaces in a new plant here by the end of the year.
Spectrum, part of Cranbury, N.J.-based Hirsch Glass Corp., will move into a 360,000 ft² facility formerly operated as a packaging plant.
The location will be the fourth U.S. quartz-surfaces plant to open in the past two years, and the first since drastic U.S. unfair-trade tariffs effectively stopped the flow of quartz slabs from China late last year.
Spectrum will bring approximately $22.5 million in capital investment and will create more than 150 new jobs. Employee hiring will begin soon.