StatWatch August 2018: Quartz Apex in August?

By Emerson Schwartzkopf

In an exporting splurge unlikely to be matched for a long time, China’s quartz-slab flow to the United States nearly hit 13 million ft² this August.

The 12.96 million ft² received in U.S. ports-of-entry set yet another record for one country shipping the material, as well as helping to set a new overall import mark. August will likely be the last big month, as a series of tariffs begin to hit Chinese quartz surfaces in September.

Good news managed to spread across most U.S. natural-stone imports in August, including a gain in the beleaguered granite sector, according to a Stone Update analysis of data from the U.S. International Trade Commission. It’s not certain if the cheer will continue into the fall.

 

QUARTZ SLABS

China’s shipments this August easily beat the tariff deadlines of mid-September, when the first of the port taxes take effect from the Cambria Company LLC unfair-trade case as well as general Trump administration actions on Chinese goods.

While 12.96 million ft² is impressive, it’s only 7% more than the country’s July shipments. There’s a limit somewhere between China’s production capacity or the berth space available for U.S.-bound containers.

With all the tariff fireworks to come, don’t ignore other major U.S. supplier of quartz slabs. India nearly doubled its shipments this August from a year ago, and Israel went up a hefty 30.3%.

Vietnam, meanwhile, continues an erratic path; from 600K ft² in July 2017, it’s fluctuated wildly, going as low as 93K ft² last October to 580K ft² in June to August’s 181.9 ft².

 

U.S. Imports: Quartz Slabs
(square feet)
	Aug-18	Aug-17	Change
TOTAL	18,317,811	10,889,343	68.2%
China	12,962,061	5,948,648	117.9%
Spain	1,722,461	1,687,833	2.1%
India	1,086,400	546,010	99.0%
Israel	975,306	748,274	30.3%
Canada	503,955	512,093	-1.6%
Turkey	239,109	213,437	12.0%
Italy	191,630	146,045	31.2%
Vietnam	181,953	546,096	-66.7%
Portugal	139,694	154,451	-9.6%
Brazil	83,808	29,579	183.3%
Germany	77,209	139,586	-44.7%
Korea	74,077	72,936	1.6%
Hong Kong	42,431	44,692	-5.1%
Belgium	18,751	24,090	-22.2%
Czech Republic	14,768	53,959	-72.6%
Taiwan	4,176	0	N/A
Hungary	22	0	N/A
Switzerland	0	10,710	N/A
Mexico	0	6,641	N/A
Australia	0	3,886	N/A
France	0	248	N/A
Uruguay	0	129	N/A
Source: U.S. International Trade Commission, Stone Update analysis

 

WORKED GRANITE

Far less spectacular – but of equal importance – is worked (sawn, one-side-polished) granite’s recovery in August, with 6.2% growth in U.S. imports from the same time last year.

The top two of granite’s Big Three didn’t help much, as sector leader Brazil eked out a nominal 0.9% increase from 2017, and China declined by 7.9%. India, however, strengthened its shipments, and Canada managed an astounding 5,000 metric-ton gain from August 2017.

Is that Canadian year-to-year surge for real? The country’s 2018 track record offers a resounding yes, as shipments zoomed past a sputtering January of 907 metric tons to an average of more than 7,000 metric tons from June through August.

China’s year-to-year decline in shipping granite isn’t a one-off in natural stone. The country shipped less to the United States in August in all quarried-stone sectors, in contrast to the booming trade in quartz surfaces.

 

U.S. Imports: Worked Granite
(metric tons)
	Aug-18	Aug-17	Change
Total	137,069	129,031	6.2%
Top 10
Brazil	62,390	61,819	0.9%
China	29,606	32,144	-7.9%
India	25,243	19,756	27.8%
Spain	8,258	8,423	-2.0%
Canada	6,834	1,840	271.4%
Italy	3,219	3,615	-11.0%
South Africa	424	346	22.5%
Portugal	304	149	104.0%
Hong Kong	158	105	50.5%
Saudi Arabia	94	245	-61.6%
Source: U.S. International Trade Commission, Stone Update analysis

 

WORKED MARBLE

The big player in worked-marble imports – at least in volume – remains Turkey, with its 65.2% growth from August 2017 providing the difference (and then some) in overall shipment increases.

India also offered strong numbers in U.S.-bound marble. Brazil also continues a steady increase in its flow of marble to the United States.

Italy recorded a 27.4% decline in tonnage of marble sent to U.S. customers. However, it continues its dominance in value, with its $22.1 million in August towering over Turkey ($7.1 million), China ($6.8 million), India ($4 million) and Brazil ($3.5 million).

 

U.S. Imports: Worked Marble
(metric tons)
	Aug-18	Aug-17	Change
TOTAL	46,241	41,861	10.5%
Top 10
Turkey	16,479	9,973	65.2%
India	8,288	6,581	25.9%
Italy	7,789	10,729	-27.4%
China	6,752	7,840	-13.9%
Brazil	3,801	3,219	18.1%
Spain	1,132	1,043	8.5%
Greece	673	776	-13.3%
Mexico	222	162	37.0%
Egypt	219	477	-54.1%
Portugal	219	271	-19.2%
Source: U.S. International Trade Commission, Stone Update analysis

 

TRAVERTINE

 

U.S. Imports: Travertine
(metric tons)
	Aug-18	Aug-17	Change
TOTAL	23,863	26,193	-8.9%
Top 10
Turkey	17,548	19,625	-10.6%
Mexico	3,741	4,022	-7.0%
Italy	987	1,287	-23.3%
China	613	633	-3.2%
Peru	403	305	32.1%
Spain	271	214	26.6%
Romania	151	0	N/A
Egypt	61	0	N/A
Vietnam	41	40	2.5%
Portugal	33	2	1550.0%
Source: U.S. International Trade Commission, Stone Update analysis

 

OTHER CALCAREOUS

 

U.S. Imports: Other Calcareous
(metric tons)
	Aug-18	Aug-17	Change
TOTAL	12,903	16,366	-21.2%
Top 10
Canada	2,442	3,773	-35.3%
China	2,414	3,951	-38.9%
Turkey	1,720	1,831	-6.1%
Portugal	1,530	1,405	8.9%
Italy	794	811	-2.1%
Dominican Rep	615	426	44.4%
Mexico	524	382	37.2%
Morocco	487	97	402.1%
France	474	802	-40.9%
Spain	451	626	-28.0%
Source: U.S. International Trade Commission, Stone Update analysis

 

OTHER STONE

 

U.S. Imports: Other Stone
(metric tons)
	Aug-18	Aug-17	Change
TOTAL	49,250	44,745	10.1%
Top 10
Brazil	22,781	20,457	11.4%
India	14,212	11,348	25.2%
China	5,136	5,403	-4.9%
Italy	2,346	2,250	4.3%
Canada	1,841	1,592	15.6%
South Africa	898	1,273	-29.5%
Mexico	567	784	-27.7%
Bulgaria	232	186	24.7%
Indonesia	227	199	14.1%
Spain	203	250	-18.8%
Source: U.S. International Trade Commission, Stone Update analysis