WASHINGTON, 7th August, 2026 (WAM) -- The United States has announced new tariffs and price floors on polysilicon and related products, which are key materials used in solar panels and semiconductor manufacturing.
In a proclamation signed on Thursday, US President Donald Trump imposed a 15% tariff, which will take effect on 4 December, and established a series of price floors to protect domestic manufacturers and curb imports.
According to the proclamation, a minimum import price (MIP) programme would help create a “protected domestic market” that allows US producers to “compete free from global distortions”.
The action follows a Commerce Department national security investigation into imports of polysilicon and its derivative products.
Polysilicon, a hyper-pure form of silicon derived from quartz, serves as the essential foundational material for both semiconductor and solar panel sectors.
By contrast, the US share of global polysilicon production capacity has fallen from 50% in 2005 to less than 2% over the same period.
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