India has requested formal consultations with the US at the World Trade Organization over the new US regime for imports of technical quartz stone products, which provides for a tariff rate quota and duties of up to 50%. The measure came into effect on August 15 and will be in effect for 4 years.
New Delhi notified the WTO on August 14 that it has a “substantial interest“ in the matter and proposes that consultations with Washington be held virtually at a time convenient for both parties. India is citing WTO rules on safeguard measures.
The dispute concerns the so-called quartz surface products – quartz slabs and processed quartz surfaces, used mainly for kitchen countertops, bathrooms and interior construction. According to data cited by the Times of India, Indian exports of such products to the US were worth about $380 million in the financial year 2025/26.
Washington imposes safeguard measure for 4 years
On July 31, US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation imposing a tariff rate quota on imports of quartz surfaces. The decision followed an investigation by the US International Trade Commission, which concluded in April that the sharp increase in imports was a substantial cause of serious injury to US manufacturers.
The commission subsequently recommended a tariff rate quota for a period of four years. The US administration has adopted this approach, providing for a gradual increase in the quantities that can be imported within the quota, as well as a reduction in customs duties in the coming years.
The measure began to be applied from August 15, 2026. Some countries are excluded from it under trade agreements or because of their small share in US imports.
India disputes the conditions
According to WTO rules, developing countries can be exempted from such a safeguard measure if their share in the relevant imports is below 3%, provided that the total share of all developing countries below this threshold does not exceed 9%. However, India is among the main suppliers of quartz surfaces to the US market, along with Vietnam, Spain and Thailand.
This is another trade dispute between New Delhi and Washington. India has already sought WTO consultations over US measures on steel and aluminium, cars and auto parts, and copper.
The new dispute comes at a time when the US and India are negotiating a trade deal in parallel, and relations between the two countries are under pressure from a series of new US trade measures.
The WTO consultation procedure is the first step in a formal trade dispute. If the parties fail to reach a negotiated solution, the matter can move to the next stage of the dispute settlement mechanism.