StatWatch: Wait ‘Til Next Month?

With all the dynamic growth in May 2015 U.S. stone imports, most of the attention will go to an unfortunate victim of timing: granite.

The key component in dimensional-stone shipments takes a big dive – more than 20% —  in year-to-year comparisons in May, according to the exclusive Stone Update analysis of data from the U.S International Trade Commission. Imports of other surfaces, including engineered stone, continued to grow full-throttle.

Nobody, however, needs to start panicking about a downturn in the market. Not until, well, next month.

The problem isn’t this May’s import numbers on granite. It’s that May 2014’s shipments were way out of line … in positive territory.

Imports of “worked” (at least partially finished) granite shipments to the United States this May totaled 172,304 metric tons (MT). It’s the best month for the stone this year, and 21.6% more than this April.

Compared to May 2014, however, granite imports this May came up short by 22.8%. The main culprit turned out to be a massive surge in exports by Brazil in May ’14, with 158,010 MT doubling its shipments in either April or June of last year. This May’s 93,672 MT is the best month Brazil’s had this year, but trailed May 2014 by 40.7%.

The other major partners in U.S. granite supply – China and India – bested last May by shipping 34,321 MT (+14.4%) and 22,775 MT (+10.1%), respectively. Canada moved into fourth in U.S. granite shipments with 7,613 MT (+246.7%), outmuscling Italy’s 7,382 MT (+5.4%).

Worked marble, meanwhile, continued on a booming growth curve with 44,187 MT, beating May 2014 totals by 73.5%. Turkey topped the list at 11,673 MT (+230.8%), followed closely by Italy (11,400 MT, +22.8%) and China (10,507 MT, +60.3%). Other rising boats in marble included hard-pressed Greece, where its 1,506 MT sent to the United States this May represented a 230.3% year-to-year increase.

The almost ho-hum regularity of quartz-surface imports continued in May, with 5,835,067 ft² of slabs at U.S. ports-of-entry besting the previous May by 50.7%. China maintained its strong lead in 2015, with this May’s 1,583,251 ft² outpacing 2014 by 88.8%. Israel squeezed into second with 1,137,583 MT (+16.8%), just ahead of Spain’s 1,117,024 ft². Canada (452,837 ft², +3.7%) and India (361,172 ft², +279.8%).

May 2015 could be the high-water mark for U.S. quartz imports, given the official opening that month of Israel-based Caesarstone’s U.S. manufacturing plant near Savannah, Ga. China’s recent economic cool-down may also slow the flow of its quartz slabs to the U.S. market.

Turkey made the difference again with U.S. travertine imports, as the market leader supplied more than 80% of the 64,853 MT shipped worldwide to the United States this May and marking a 21.6% increase from 2014. Turkey supplied 55,494 MT of May’s total, beating last May’s shipments by 29.1%.

Here’s a summary of May 2015 stone-sector totals and leaders in U.S. imports (% gain/loss from May 2014 in parentheses):

Worked Granite
Total: 172,304 MT (-22.8%)

1. Brazil, 93,762 MT (-40.7%)
2. China, 34,321 MT (+14.4%)
3. India, 22,775 MT (+10.1%)
4. Canada, 7,613 MT (+246.7%)
5. Italy, 7,382 MT (+5.4%)

Worked Marble
Total: 44,187 MT (+73.5%)

1. Turkey, 11,673 MT (+230.8%)
2. Italy, 11,400 MT (+22.8%)
3. China, 10,507 MT (+60.3%)
4. Spain, 2,369 MT (+7.4%)
5. India, 2,325 MT (+92.6%)
6. Brazil, 2,259 MT (+149.6%)
7. Greece, 1,506 (+230.3%)

Quartz Slabs
Total: 5,835,067 ft² (+50.7%)

1. China, 1,583,251 ft² (+88.8%)
2. Israel, 1,137,583 ft² (+16.8%)
3. Spain, 1,117,024 ft² (+7.4%)
4. Canada, 452,837 ft² (+3.7%)
5. India, 361,172 ft² (+279.8%)
6. Vietnam, 340,322 ft² (+51.8%)
7. Portugal, 326,372 ft² (+221.9%)
8. Italy, 215,127 ft² (+112.2%)

Travertine
Total: 64,853 MT (+21.6%)

1. Turkey, 55,494 MT (+29.1%)
2. Mexico, 5,906 MT (+5.0%)
3. Italy, 1,285 MT (-39.6%)
4. China, 1,260 MT (-17.4%)
5. Peru, 620 MT (+2.3%)

Other Calcareous
Total: 12,989 MT (-19.2.9%)

1. China, 3,255 MT (+40.2%)
2. Canada, 2,363 MT (+273.3%)
3. Portugal, 1,240 MT (-25.3%)
4. Turkey, 1,078 MT (-4.9%)
5. Italy, 894 MT (-86.5%)

Other Stone
Total: 29,577 MT (+4.8%)

1. Brazil, 11,374 MT (+25.5%)
2. India, 7,100 MT (-6.7%)
3. China, 5,759 MT (+20.9%)
4. Italy, 1,385 MT (+14.3%)
5. Canada, 1,042 MT (-38.5%)

Get the news of the industry with Slab & Sheet, the weekly e-newsletter every Thursday from Stone Update. Sign up for free delivery here.

For the latest industry info, check Stone Update on Twitter and Facebook.