Granite Imports Continue Steady Climb

U.S. imports of granite slabs and tiles continued the march to pre-recession levels in the first half of 2014 with a gain of more than 20% from the previous year.

Imports of “worked” granite totaled 872,304 metric tons in January-June this year, according to an exclusive Stone Update analysis of data from the U.S International Trade Commission. That’s 21.9% ahead of granite imports for the same time in 2013.

Brazil provided the major drive in granite imports this year, with 462,288 metric tons for first-half 2014; that’s a 42.3% increase from last year. Brazil easily rated as the biggest granite shipper to the United States, providing nearly 53% of all granite received in U.S. ports-of-entry so far this year.

Two other members of granite’s “Big Four” importing countries increased their flow of the stone in this year’s first six months. China’s 227,373 metric tons showed an 11.7% hike, while India offered a 3% gain at 103,620 metric tons.

Meanwhile, the fourth member of the big-granite club – Italy – shipped only 35,800 metric tons, an 11.2% drop from the first half of 2013.

Granite imports this January-June showed the best first-half totals since the 914,388 metric tons received in the first six months of 2008. The most-active first half of any year was 2006, when 1.2 million metric tons of worked granite crossed into the United States.

While Italy saw its granite volume fall, its worked (slab and tile) marble shipments to the United States bolstered this year’s first-half performance of the category. U.S. Customs recorded 135,322 metric tons of worked marble entering the country in January-June – a 15.9% increase from the same time in 2013. Italy provided 45,481 (+18.1%) metric tons, followed by China’s 30,635 metric tons (-1.8%), Turkey’s 22,296 metric tons (+23.3%) and Spain’s 12,796 metric tons (+3.5%).

Turkey lifted U.S. travertine imports into double-digit growth in the first half of 2014. U.S. ports-of-entry took in 295,917 metric tons in January-June, a 20.1% increase from the same time in 2013. Turkey grew its first-half imports by 31% to 243,117 metric tons … or 82% of all travertine imported during this year’s first six months.

The volatile category of other calcareous stone moved up in first six months of the year, with the 86,367 metric tons shipped to the United States posting a 15.4% increase overall from first-half 2014. Italy led the way with 16,161 metric tons, followed by Spain at 15,739 metric tons and China at 13,141 metric tons. Turkey ranked a distant fourth at 6,935 metric tons.

Slate imports aren’t measured in weight; in value, an overall $27.2 million came into the United States in the first six months of the year, up 4% from the same time in 2013. China outpaced all others with $14 million so far in 2014, up 11.1% in year-to-year growth.

The only sour note among U.S. stone imports in this year’s first half is the omnibus “other stone” category at 144,689 metric tons, falling 2.6% from January-June 2013. Brazil eked out a 4% gain from 2013 with 50,264 metric tons, but India took a 14.8% dip from first-half 2013 with 41,888 metric tons through this June.

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