StatWatch: U.S. Stone Imports, February 2013

U.S. granite imports keep moving up by close to 30 percent from 2012. Other sectors show the same kind of increase in volume … and that’s the catch.

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 February 2013 (change from February 2012 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

VOLUME
Total: 89,765 metric tons (+29.8%)
Sector leader: Brazil @ 35,860 metric tons (+15.7%)

Backfill: While Brazil shows a respectable gain from February 2012, the big winner is second-place China with 32,484 metric tons (+74.7%). India remains static at 11,627 metric tons (+0.8%) and Italy shows a nice gain at 5,040 metric tons (+66.3%) – but Italy’s total granite shipments in February are only one-seventh of Brazil’s delivery.

WORKED MARBLE

VOLUME
Total: 15,064 metric tons (+26.7%)
Sector leader: China @ 5,063 metric tons (+41.4%)

Backfill: The marble tide remains high; Italy drops more than a thousand metric tons from January’s totals, but the 3,986 metric tons in February this year is 49.8% ahead of 2012. Turkey comes close to doubling year-to-year shipments with 2,595 metric tons, up 91.1% from the previous February. Only Spain wavered, dropping 33.9% from 2012 to 1,192 metric tons.

TRAVERTINE

VOLUME
Total: 44,412 metric tons (+15.8%)
Sector leader: Turkey @ 33,645 metric tons (+9.3%)

Backfill: Turkey lifts up the freight totals and travertine’s overall performance in February, but the big improvement from 2012 comes with China’s 5,101 metric tons (+138.6%) and Italy’s 1,138 metric tons (+99.0%). Mexico flutters at 3,639 metric tons (-6.4%). And what of Poland’s rocket ride to third place in January 2013? The metric tons totals went from 2,560 in January to February’s … er, one.

OTHER CALCAREOUS

VOLUME
Total: 8,048 metric tons (+23.1%)
Sector leader: China @ 2,039 metric tons (+85.0%)

Backfill: After years of wild swings in shipment totals, the sector seems to form up this year with China as a clear leader. The active second-tier market in February includes Canada (927 metric tons, +323.3%), Turkey (789 metric tons, -23.7%), Italy (737 metric tons, -27.5%), Portugal (735 metric tons, -2.9%) and Spain (604 metric tons, +179.6%).

OTHER STONE

VOLUME
Total: 18,759 metric tons (+30.0%)
Sector leader: India @ 6,517 metric tons (+24.4%)

Backfill: It’s positive again for the potpourri category of U.S. stone imports, with increases from February 2012 for the top five shipping countries. Brazil keeps up the pace with 5,721 metric tons (+44.0%); China weighs in with 2,448 metric tons (+13.0%) and Canada keeps growing at 1,227 metric tons (+6.5%). Turkey slides into fourth with 1,394 metric tons, a massive step up from February 2012’s 21 metric tons.

THE CATCH

StatWatch is truncated this month as the rush is on to prepare for Coverings 2013, so tracking is limited to import volume this month. Shipments of non-roofing slate aren’t measured by weight at U.S. ports-of-entry, so the category’s out for the February 2013 report. As far as import values, slate shows a February total of $3.47 million – down 5.0% from 2012.

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