Final USITC Report on Chinese Quartz Imports June 2019 | Page 254

quartz surface products other than to be converted into finished quartz surface products within
the scope. 2 According to respondents, the type of quartz surface product is separate and
distinct, and at the time of production the quartz slab is not dedicated to the production of a
specific downstream article despite quartz articles having some degree of commonality. 3
Markets
Petitioners state there is no separate market for quartz slabs other than to be converted
into finished quartz surface products prior to sale or sold for downstream fabrication into
finished quartz surface products within the scope. 4 Respondents state that quartz slab is sold to
intermediate customers including distributors, installers, and fabricators that distribute the
product to other intermediaries or the ultimate end user. 5 According to questionnaire data
collected from domestic producers of not fabricated slabs of quartz surface products, ***
percent of U.S. shipments of quartz surface products were to fabricators and retailers, ***
percent were to contractors and builders, and *** percent were to distributors in 2017. 6 7
Characteristics and functions
According to the petitioner, all of the essential characteristics of quartz surface products
are established in the slab production process. This includes the raw materials used, the color
2
Petitioner’s postconference brief, p. 5.
Bruskin, Mstone, StoneVic USA, Universal, Polarstone, Branite Tech Inc., and J.G. Edelen Co.’s
postconference brief, exh. 1 p. 4.
4
Ibid.
5
Bruskin, Mstone, StoneVic USA, Universal, Polarstone, Branite Tech Inc., and J.G. Edelen Co.’s
postconference brief, p. 4.
6
Domestic firms that produce quartz slabs are Caesarstone, Cambria, and LG Hausys America, Inc.
(“LG”). ***. *** U.S. producer questionnaire, section II-12.
7
In 2017, based on questionnaire data for U.S. slab producers, fabricators, subject importers, and
nonsubject importers *** of their U.S. shipments of quartz surface products went to ***.
3
D-10