Final USITC Report on Chinese Quartz Imports June 2019 | Page 127
PART V: PRICING DATA
FACTORS AFFECTING PRICES
Raw material costs
Quartz surface products usually consist of 93 to 94 percent ground quartz. 1 Quartz is
one of the most common minerals in the earth’s crust, and it is also one of the hardest naturally
occurring minerals. The remaining components of quartz slabs are a combination of resins,
polymers, particulates, and pigments. Raw material costs, as a share of U.S. slab producers’
total cost of goods sold (COGS), decreased from *** percent in 2015 to *** percent in 2017.
Raw material costs, as a share of COGS, were *** percent in January‐September 2017 and ***
percent in January‐September 2018.
For U.S. fabricators, raw materials are primarily quartz slabs, which may be produced
domestically or imported from China and other countries. Raw material costs, as a share of U.S.
fabricators’ total cost of goods sold (COGS), fluctuated from *** percent in 2015 to *** percent
in 2016, to *** percent in 2017. Raw material costs, as a share of COGS, were *** percent in
January‐September 2017 and *** percent in January‐September 2018.
U.S. slab producers *** indicated that the cost of resin binder has increased since
January 1, 2015; *** stated that its prices for quartz surface products have not changed despite
this increased raw material cost. U.S. producer *** indicated that prices for silica, pigments,
and other material inputs have increased while U.S.
1
See Part 1, The Product, for a more detailed description of the product and materials.
V‐1