Quartz tariff could raise countertop costs
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This quartz countertop could get a lot more expensive if requested tariffs are enacted. Photo: John Carl D'Annibale/Albany Times Union via Getty Images
Buying a house might get even more expensive if proposed tariffs on countertops are finalized, regional fabricators tell Axios.
Why it matters: Home prices remain stubbornly high, keeping them out of reach for many Americans.
- Adding costs to stone countertops — a staple of new homes — would push prices higher and further slow construction, said Chip MacDonald, owner of Premier Granite & Stone in Carnegie and Excel Glass and Granite in Jeanette.
Context: The Quartz Manufacturing Alliance of America — an industry group representing the largest countertop producers — filed a "safe guard" action last year with the U.S. International Trade Commission requesting a 50% tariff on imported quartz countertops.
Driving the news: U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent visited one of the largest producers — Cambria in Minnesota — earlier this month and praised the company's role in the domestic manufacturing industry.
- "These manufacturers stretch from Pittsburgh all the way west, this industrial belt. They just want to do what's best for their business, their communities, and their employees," Bessent said on Fox News during his Jan. 8 visit.
What they're saying: A 50% tariff would hit thousands of small suppliers hard, as imported quartz makes up a growing share of their business, said MacDonald.
- His companies have worked on major projects like Pittsburgh International Airport and Live Casino. He estimates 65% of his commercial work uses imported quartz.
- MacDonald said tariffs would force him to raise countertop installation costs by at least 25%.
Imported quartz is becoming more popular because of its price point, customization options and easier installation, said Johnnie Rominger of Bad Lizard Granite & Quartz in Clarksburg, West Virginia, about two hours south of Pittsburgh.
- "I am looking at a 30%–50% price hike" for quartz counters if a tariff is enacted, he said.
State of play: Bessent told Fox News earlier this month that Cambria, which employs several hundred workers in Minnesota, could add three to four U.S. plants if President Trump's trade agenda continues.
Yes, but: Rich Katzmann, executive director of the stone and granite fabricators association the Rockheads, said in a press release last month that most of the countertop industry is small businesses and the tariffs "would be enormously harmful to domestic manufacturers and American jobs."
The other side: The Quartz Manufacturing Alliance of America argues China shifted quartz production to India and Southeast Asia to avoid a 500% tariff imposed in 2019. The group says the surge in imports unfairly undercuts U.S. producers.
Between the lines: India is the largest quartz countertop exporter to the U.S., with Vietnam, Spain and Thailand trailing, according to 2025 Census Bureau data.
What's next: The U.S. International Trade Commission is investigating the claims and will issue a decision on whether 50% tariffs on imported quartz countertops are warranted by April 1.