Brazil’s Importance in the International Natural Stone Market
By Mr. Carlos Antônio Cavalcanti – Vice-President of ABIROCHAS
& Geologist Cid Chiodi Filho – Consultant of ABIROCHAS
ABIROCHAS – Brazilian Association of the Natural Stone Industry
Since the 1990s, Brazil underwent remarkable growth in production and exports of natural stones, with increase in activities throughout the production chain. In addition, main recent advances in quarrying and processing were due to the increase in exports.
Presently, Brazil is already included in the group of major producers and worldwide exporters, acting as an effective global player.
Click image to enlarge
Brazilian production of natural stones totaled 10.5 million tons in 2013. The production covered a large variety of stones, including granites, marbles, block and flagstone quartzite, slate, soapstone, meta-conglomerates, serpentine, travertine, limestone and others types sold in the domestic and export markets. Quarry production serving the domestic market was estimated at 6.9 million tons, and 3.6 million tons was the estimate for exports.
Despite the world’s US dollar devaluation and the European economic crisis, Brazilian exports of natural stones increased 23% and reached $1.3 billion in 2013, with sales to more than 100 countries on all the continents. Brazil is the third-largest worldwide exporter of slate (after Spain and China) and second in granite blocks (after India), as well as the largest general supplier of stones and of granite slabs to the United States.
The five main countries of destination for Brazilian stone exports in order of revenues are the United States, China, Italy, Canada and Mexico. The three main markets in South America are Venezuela, Colombia and Argentina.
Click map to enlargeThe main exporting states in Brazil, also in order of revenues, are Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Ceará and Bahia. Espírito Santo alone accounts for 40% of the Brazilian stone production and concentrates 70% of the installed benefiting capacity of blocks. The state of Minas Gerais is responsible for almost all of the production and export of slate, flagstone quartzite (São Tomé type) and soapstone.
The greater part of the so-called exotic granites comes from the states of Minas Gerais, Bahia and Ceará, concentrating in Bahia the production of the new varieties of massive quartzite exported by Brazil.
The main Brazilian ports used for exporting natural stones are Vitória, Rio de Janeiro, Sepetiba and Santos, with a minor role for the ports of Bahia, Ceará, Pernambuco, Paraná and others.
The Vitória port complex concentrates the greater part of granite blocks and slabs exports. Almost all slate and flagstone quartzite exports are made through the ports in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
Exports of slab processed on gang-saws, especially with polished finishing, totaled approximately 21 million equivalent m2 (2 cm thickness) in 2013. Considering that there was estimated demand of 59.6 million equivalent m2 of these Brazilian slabs for the domestic market, it is inferred that total processing of slabs on gang-saws reached 80.6 million m2 in 2013.
Through trends observed in the domestic and export markets, cutting demand is forecast at up to 89 million m2 in 2014, which would represent an increment of 10% over 2013. The Brazilian processing installed capacity is estimated today at 85 million m2/yr of cutting and polishing (granite, marble and other stones extracted in blocks) and at 50 million m2/yr of simple processed stones (slate, quartzite and gneissic flagstone, etc.). Processed semi-finished and finished stone exports, covering simple to special products, account for 77% of the revenue and 47% of Brazil’s total exported volume.
