Polysilicon products face 15% US tariff

US President Donald Trump signed an order on August 6 setting a 15 percent tariff on products made using polysilicon, a key material for solar panels and semiconductors.

The tariff is due to start on December 4. The order also sets minimum import prices for polysilicon and goods including wafers and solar cells from the same date.

The White House said the measures are intended to create a level playing field for American producers and encourage onshoring of the industries. It said polysilicon is also important for the semiconductor industry and has defense-related uses.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick described polysilicon as a foundational product for chips and said the administration wanted more of the supply chain in the United States. “We're setting prices so that the Chinese can't dump anymore, and we're setting tariffs to say build it here,” he told reporters at the White House.

The White House said the US share of global polysilicon production capacity fell from 50 percent in 2005 to less than two percent in 2024.

The move follows a Commerce Department investigation into polysilicon imports launched in July 2025 under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Trump has previously used the same authority for sector-specific tariffs on steel, aluminum, autos and other products.

The investigation did not initially name countries. China is a major player in the global solar supply chain.

The announcement is part of Trump's wider use of tariffs since returning to the White House last year. A wide range of duties were struck down by the Supreme Court in February, but sector-specific tariffs justified by Section 232 investigations remain intact.