U.S. Stone Imports, October 2011

StatWatch is a snapshot of U.S. dimensional-stone imports, offering a summary and exclusive Stone Update analysis of data from the U.S. International Trade Commission. Comparisons are made mainly on an annual level to gauge market trends. Analysis is made on import figures of the latest month available.

All figures give are for October 2011 (change from October 2010 amounts in parentheses). “Worked” stone is material that’s shorn from boulders and blocks, and then cut in standard dimensional measures (such as slabs and tiles) and polished (at least once, one side). “Value” represents the declared customs value of stone.
 
WORKED GRANITE VALUE
Total: $89.2 million (9.3%)
Sector leader: Brazil @ $42.9 million (13.3%)

Backfill: Export values start the end-year wind-down; Brazil’s ahead of last October, but takes a large dip from September 2011’s $51.4 million. India and Italy record good gains from last year (9.2% and 10.8%, respectively) but second-place China’s $15.9 million is a nominal wash (-0.8%).

WORKED GRANITE VOLUME
Total: 103,126 metric tons (-31.3%)
Sector leader: Brazil @ 51,058 metric tons (-35.5%)

Backfill: The hurt comes more from a better-than-usual October 2010 from Brazil and Italy than a terrible performance this year. India’s 18,354 metric tons shows a 16.8% increase from last October; China’s 20,225 metric tons makes a small (-2.4%) drop, while Italy’s 6,142 metric tons is consistent with this year’s shipments, but a 77.9% fall from last October. Meanwhile, Canada, Taiwan and Spain show year-to-year gains, although total tonnage is comparatively small.

WORKED MARBLE VALUE
Total: $16.4 million (33.0%)
Sector leader: Italy @ $78.8 million (42.8%)

Backfill: The top four – Italy, China, Spain and Turkey – continue to outperform last year, with third-place Spain showing a booming 53% gain at $1.7 million. China’s $3.4 million is a 15.3% gain from last October, while Turkey rises 22.4% at $1.5 million.

WORKED MARBLE VOLUME
Total: 13,254 metric tons (15.6%)
Sector leader: China @ 4,021 metric tons (17.2%)

Backfill: There’s all-round growth from October 2010 in tonnage, with China moving back into the top spot; Italy goes off this year’s pace at 3,631 metric tons, but it’s 1.5% better than last year. Spain makes the big move, with a 61% climb from last October to 1,896 metric tons.

TRAVERTINE VALUE
Total: $21.0 million (12.6%)
Sector leader: Turkey @ $14.2 million (24.4%)

Backfill: Why is the total growth rate from October 2010 barely half that of Turkey’s contribution, given that country’s market dominance? China’s up-and-down shipments this year are in the down cycle ($1.0 million, down 30.2%) and Italy makes its worst showing of the past 22 months ($526K, down 34.4%).

TRAVERTINE VOLUME
Total: 43,792 metric tons (9.9%)
Sector leader: Turkey @ 30,650 metric tons (5.3%)

Backfill: Travertine’s switcheroo comes with volume, as this October’s totals get pumped up not by Turkey, but by Peru; its extraordinary 4,923 metric tons shows a 456.9% increase from October 2010. Mexico and China, meanwhile, fall back 13.4% (5,874 metric tons) and 16.7% (1,374 metric tons), respectively.

OTHER CALCAREOUS VALUE
Total: $5.4 million (-20.4%)
Sector leader: China @ $975K (6.3%)

Backfill: The bizarre behavior of this category continues; only one (Portugal) of the top five exporters to the United States shows a loss from last October. However, it’s a big one at 35.5% … and other leading countries below the top five take a big dip, such as Italy (-34.7%), Turkey (-26.3%) and Spain (-44.6%).

OTHER CALCAREOUS VOLUME
Total: 6,392 metric tons (-33.9%)
Sector leader: China @ 1,279 metric tons (5.8%)

Backfill: Again, the difference aren’t the gains at the top – second-place Canada climbs 104.7% from October 2010 with 952 metric tons – but the losses beyond fifth place. Perennial leaders Turkey and Spain both see tonnage drop by 38.4% from the same time last year;  France, the top exporter to the United States in October 2010 with 1,279 metric tons, falls 70.4% to 378 metric tons.

SLATE VALUE
Total: $4.3 million (-6.7%)
Sector leader: China @ $1.7 million (-2.3%)

Backfill: The top two countries stagger from October 2010 levels, with second-place India dropping 23.6% to $1.2 million. Canada breezes in to offset losses from other countries by shipping $634K across the border this October – a year-to-year gain of 697.9%, and 23.5% more than it sent southward in January-September this year.

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