Following President Trump's imposition of tariffs on imported steel and aluminium, quartz manufacturer Cambria, partnered in the UK by Granite Granite, has now (17 April) filed an action calling for duties to be imposed on Chinese quartz.

Because the President cannot simply impose tariffs on imports but can take action without having to go through the American parliament in cases of national security, lower price imports of steel and aluminium are, apparently, threatening the USA's national security. The President's prerogative to act in such circumstances was introduced in case urgent action became necessary during a live war, but President Trump has used it to circumvent the federal government.

It would be harder to argue that imported engineered quartz is a matter of national security and that is not what Cambria is seeking. It is arguing that cheap imports could be considered to be 'dumped'.

The American Stone Update reports that Cambria, based in LeSueur, Minnesota, has filed a petition with the US Commerce Department and US International Trade Commission that, in the words of Marty Davis, the company's CEO, is intended to “stop the unfair trading from China that is damaging our industry and to restore a level playing field”.

If the federal government finds in favour of Cambria’s petition, temporary duties could be imposed as early as September, with final levels set in June next year.

The Cambria petition is 3,526 pages long (including supporting documents) and claims that certain quartz surface products imported from China are being, or are likely to be, sold at less than normal value. If they are, that violates US fair trade laws.