Mid-Year 2004 Stone Imports

China, meanwhile, is the second-most-expensive among granite’s Big Four at $480 per metric ton. Italy commands top value among the leaders at $805 per metric ton.

MARBLE

 Comparing U.S. import numbers for marble with export data from other countries can be confusing. International data – including that from Italy – doesn’t seem jive. There’s a very good reason: It’s all mixed up.

 International numbers (as well as the export officials of many countries) often combine marble with travertine. U.S. figures, however, clearly separate marble from travertine in every significant category, and that division gives a clearer picture of the use of both stones.

 Overall values of U.S. marble imports in 1H 2004 show continued growth – although not as manic as granite – with the $169.2 million representing a 20.8 percent increase from first-half 2003. Italy continues its lead in overall marble values, with imports of $74 million in 1H 2004 noting a 17.7 percent increase from 1H 2003. Spain is second overall, with $20.6 million representing a 15.8-percent rise from first-half 2003.

 China ($18.3 million) bumps Turkey ($16.3 million) in 1H overall marble imports. And, while Turkey increased its marble imports by 32.1 percent from first-half 2003, China stepped up in value by 72.7 percent.

 In cut-stone/slab marble imports, Italy also places first with $36.7 million in value for first-half 2004, and an increase of 30.2 percent from the first six months of last year. Italy managed to dominate processed marble value – its imports are 53.8 of all the value of cut-stone/slab marble brought into the United States.

 Spain, meanwhile, trails far behind in second with $8.5 million in 1H 2004 processed-marble value, although that represents a 65.3-percent increase from the same time in 2003. China is third at $5.4 million (with a 132.2-percent growth rate from mid-year 2003), and Turkey grew the value of  its cut-stone/slab marble imports by 48.8 percent to $3.4 million.

 Italy’s 29,268 metric tons of cut-stone/slab marble in 1H 2004 easily led the field; in fact, it’s more than the total metric tons of the next four leading importers (Spain, 10,999; China, 10,514; Turkey, 4,610;  and Egypt, 2,867).

 Italy also continues to receive top dollar for its cut-stone slab marble, with an average per-metric-ton value of $1,257.26 in the first six months of this year. Spain, meanwhile, averages $780.07; Turkey, $752.97; Egypt, $561; and China, $518.07.
 
TRAVERTINE

 Turkey continues to dominate the U.S. import market for travertine. Of the $158.5 million in import value of the stone brought into this country in 1H 2004, Turkey accounts for $86.5 million, or 54.5 percent.

 The $86.5 million in U.S. imports of Turkish travertine in this year’s first half also shows a 40.6-percent increase from the same time in 2003. Second-place Mexico’s $37 million represents an 18.7-percent increase, while Italy marks a 18.1-percent decrease from first-half 2003 with $21.6 million. Peru is a distant fourth in 1H 2004 travertine U.S. imports with $6.3 million, but that also represents a 35.8-percent increase from January-June 2003.