U.S. Granite Imports Up in 2012

The flow of granite passing through U.S. ports-of-entry last year increased ever-so-slightly in 2012.

Received shipments of “worked” (slab/tile-cut) granite totaled 1,412,956 metric tons last year, up 2.0% from 2011, according to data released this morning by the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Last year’s volume represents another turn in granite’s up-and-down recovery in the post-recession economy. Annual shipments remain below 2010’s 1.6 million metric tons, but well above the low point of 1.1 million metric tons in 2009.

Brazil retained its status as the number-one granite exporter to the United States with 602,209 metric tons in 2012, up 8.2% from 2011. China increased its shipments by 3.0% to 371,471 metric tons to retain second place.

The rest of granite’s Big Four exporters – India and Italy – didn’t’ fare as well. India’s 268,254 metric tons last year represented a 2.7% annual decline, while Italy dropped 8.7% to 75,327 metric tons, the country’s lowest U.S. granite-bound total since 1996.

Granite imports reached an all-time high of 2.6 million metric tons in 2006, when Brazil also set the record for annual shipments by a country with 985,764 metric tons.

U.S. worked-granite import values totaled $1.08 billion last year, up 7.0% from 2011. Brazil topped the list at $479.1 million, up 5.4% from the previous year; China scored second at $245.9 million, an increase from 2011 of 15.9%. India and Italy repeated as third and fourth with $163.4 million and $116.7 million, respectively.

Imported granite’s biggest year by value came in 2006 with $1.53 billion. Brazil set the single-country mark that same year with $559.1 million in shipments.

A report on all 2012 imported dimensional stone will be offered next week at stoneupdate.com.

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