Standard International Trade Classification
U.S. exports of Prepared Pigments, Opacifiers & Colors for Ceramics, Enameling & Glass; Glass Frit (SITC 53351) totaled $23.0M in August 2026.
Importers of Prepared Pigments, Opacifiers & Colors for Ceramics, Enameling & Glass; Glass Frit paid $1.1M in duties in August 2026, an average duty rate of 6.90% — duty actually collected as a share of the imports that cleared customs, not the published tariff schedule.
Last updated: August 2026 dataVitrifiable pigments, opacifiers, and enamel preparations engineered to fuse into ceramic glazes, porcelain enamel coatings, or glass surfaces at high firing temperatures are the core of SITC 53351, alongside glass frit supplied as powder, granules, or flakes. These materials are precision-formulated inputs for tile, sanitaryware, tableware, architectural glass, and industrial enameling industries, where color consistency across firing batches is a critical quality parameter. Zirconium-based opacifiers and rare-earth-containing colorants within this heading may intersect with export-control or supply-concentration considerations given the mineral sourcing involved.
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587 import shipments a month
Glass frit is a pre-melted, quenched, and ground glass composition supplied in powder, granule, or flake form specifically for remelting into glazes, enamels, or glass coatings. It is distinguished from raw glass batch materials by its pre-fused state and from finished glass products by its intermediate, unfired form. The manufacturer's technical specification confirming the frit's intended use in ceramic or glass processing is the key classification support document.
Zirconium silicate, the dominant opacifier in ceramic glazes, is sourced from a limited number of zircon-producing countries, making supply concentration a genuine procurement risk. Importers should monitor zircon market conditions and consider whether their supplier base is diversified across origins, particularly given that zircon supply can be affected by mining-policy changes in key producing regions.
Basic heading 175 of 465 in section 5
Basic heading 53351 · $23.0M of $26.2B
Exports · August 2026
destination
customs district
Census does not publish district detail for this classification system.
origin
Census does not publish state detail for this classification system.
entry
Census does not publish port detail for this classification system.
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ImportsExports
Imports
$16.4MYoY · free account
Exports
$23.0MYoY · free account
12-mo low · imports
Low · free accountOver the twelve months to August 2026, the U.S. imported $199.1M of Prepared Pigments, Opacifiers & Colors for Ceramics, Enameling & Glass; Glass Frit and exported $243.9M.
Through August 2026. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.