StatWatch September 2018: Quartz’s Ebb Tide
By Emerson Schwartzkopf
The quartz-import tsunami from China receded at U.S. ports-of-entry in September, but the damage isn’t over yet.
The 9.1 million ft² of Chinese quartz surfaces sent to the United States in September ranks as the fourth-largest month of shipments in history – but it’s almost 30% lower than the high mark of 12.9 million ft² in August, according to Stone Update analysis of surface-import data from the U.S. International Trade Commission.
The decline came as the market adjusted for a series of tariffs brought by the Trump administration and an unfair-trade petition by U.S. manufacturer Cambria. Shipments will likely continue to drop through the rest of the year, but problems with a possible retroactive tariff assessment may make for some extremely expensive trouble for importers.
QUARTZ SLABS
The decline from August to September in Chinese quartz-surface exports didn’t cause the sector to implode. The 14.6 million ft² sent worldwide to the United States in September is 31.9% higher than shipments at the same time last year; China’s 9.1 million ft²is 56.2% better than September 2017 totals.
Of the other four major (>500,000 ft²) quartz-surface exporters in September, only Spain saw a decline (1.6 million ft², -27.5%) from the same time last year. Israel showed the best performance, gaining 49% from September 2017 with its 820,704 ft² this year.
The end of huge shipments of quartz surfaces from China isn’t the end of the story, however. A decision by the U.S. Department of Commerce could mean that tariffs as high as 314% announced in November could be imposed retroactively on an unknown number of shipments received from mid-August to mid-November.
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U.S. Imports: Quartz Slabs
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WORKED GRANITE
Leave to granite to supply some good news in September hard-surface imports, as overall shipments to the United States hit 129,391 metric tons – a 9.7% increase from the same time last year.
Brazil may be slowly moving into U.S. export growth, with September’s 66,266 metric tons marking a monthly high for 2018. It’s been a fits-and-starts year for Brazil, with a sub-par first quarter, growth in April-May, a major slide back of 20,000 metric tons in June-July, and recovery in August-September.
The Trump administration (or Section 301) blanket tariffs of 10% on Chinese goods had only a small effect – if any – with granite, with shipments declining only 3.5% from September 2017. India continued with a strong 2018; not so with Spain, Canada and Italy, with major exports drop-offs from this August and in year-to-year comparisons.
U.S. Imports – Worked Granite
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WORKED MARBLE
Turkey remained the master of worked-marble volume in September, increasing its shipments by 57.6% from September 2017. Turkey also provided almost all of the gain in U.S. export tonnage for the sector, with the 43,239 metric tons showing a 18.2% rise from the previous year.
Whatever you call the 10% general tariff on Chinese goods, it failed to deter marble shipments; China’s 7,391 metric tons made for a healthy 21.7% year-to-year increase for September.
U.S. Imports: Worked Marble
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TRAVERTINE
U.S. Imports: Travertine
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OTHER CALCAREOUS
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OTHER STONE
U.S. Imports: Other Stone
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