United States · Business news · Policy & Regulation · 11 Aug 2026
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A presidential proclamation of August 6 under Section 232 puts new trade measures on polysilicon and products made from it, including silicon wafers, solar cells and solar modules, replacing solar safeguard tariffs that lapsed on February 7. From December 4, covered imports generally face an additional 15% tariff, with 10% for UK goods. The central feature is a minimum import price: $21 a kilogram for polysilicon, $100 a kilogram for ingots and wafers, 22 cents a watt for cells and 38 cents a watt for modules.
The price floor sets a minimum cost for imported solar hardware. That protects US makers of polysilicon, wafers, cells and modules from cheaper imports, and it raises equipment costs for the companies that buy panels: utility-scale solar developers, residential installers and the power companies contracting for new solar capacity. Polysilicon is also the starting material for chip wafers, so semiconductor supply chains are touched as well, though the measure is aimed mainly at solar.
Reported by Hunton Andrews Kurth — “US Imposes New Tariffs and Minimum Import Prices on Polysilicon and Solar Products” ↗ on 11 Aug 2026.
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