U.S. Stone Imports, Third Quarter 2013

StatWatch is a snapshot of U.S. dimensional-stone imports, offering a summary and exclusive Stone Update analysis of data from the U.S. International Trade Commission. Comparisons are made mainly on an annual level to gauge market trends. Analysis is made on import figures of the latest month available.

All figures give are for third quarter 2013 (change from third quarter 2012 amounts in parentheses). “Worked” stone is material that’s shorn from boulders and blocks, and then cut in standard dimensional measures (such as slabs and tiles) and polished (at least once, one side). “Value” represents the declared customs value of stone.

WORKED GRANITE

VALUE
Total: $383,699,120 (+25.1%)
Sector leader: Brazil @ $192,541,341 (+39.8%)

VOLUME
Total: 490,278 metric tons (+25.6%)
Sector leader: Brazil @ 233,875 metric tons (+43.3%)

Backfill: Granite slabs and tile show an outstanding performance throughout 2013, gaining 100,000 metric tons every quarter. The only thing to consider before calling for the hats and horns is that the major growth is a one-country boomlet with Brazil; increases with the rest of the Big Four are good but far-less-spectacular, with China (124,167 metric tons, +6.7%), India (67,657 metric tons, +5.7%) and Italy (24,3566 metric tons, +17.7%).

All worked granite coming through U.S. ports-of-entry in January-September 2013 totals 1,189,642 metric tons, or 12.9% ahead of the same time in 2012.

 

WORKED MARBLE

VALUE
Total: $99,153,429 (+27.1%)
Sector leader: Italy @ $52,629,414 (+27.6%)

VOLUME
Total: 74,911 metric tons (+18.9%)
Sector leader: Italy @ 25,089 metric tons (+13.9%)

Backfill: Marble slabs and tile imports offer a steady growth curve in 3Q 2013, with nary a loser among the 2,000+ metric-ton exporters. China (17,866 metric tons, +10.9%) and Spain (7,163 metric tons, +15.0%) keep the pace, with a big growth spurt from Turkey (13,091 metric tons, +74.4%).

The 191,440 metric tons of worked marble imported from January-September last year shows a 20.7% increase from the first three quarters of 2012.

 

TRAVERTINE

VALUE
Total: $75,753,831 (+3.7%)
Sector leader: Turkey @ $48,290,434 (-3.2%)

VOLUME
Total: 141,568 metric tons (-14.8%)
Sector leader: Turkey @ 100,678 metric tons (-28.8%)

Backfill: Turkey perks up with its best 2013 in July-September, but its performance still lags far behind 2012. It also overshadows major advances by other travertine producers, including Mexico (17,167 metric tons, +29.0%), Italy (12,530 metric tons, +311.5%), China (6,017 metric tons, +115.5%) and Peru (3,465 metric tons, +115.5%).

Overall, travertine imports through last September total 381,589 metric tons – down 7.5% from the same period in 2012.

 

OTHER CALCAREOUS

VALUE
Total: $31,045,693 metric tons (-3.6%)
Sector leader: China @ $6,462,043 (+5.2%)

VOLUME
Total: 38,971 metric tons (-9.2%)
Sector leader: China @ 9,289 metric tons (-9.9%)

Backfill: Erratic import behavior is a hallmark of this sector; the up-trends of earlier in 2013 reverse in 3Q 2013. Spain manages 3,991 metric tons (+61.9%) to claim second, while France slides to third with 3,772 metric tons (-42.8%); Portugal rounds out the 3,000+ metric-ton club at 3,012 metric tons (+10.7%).

The overall 113,929 metric tons imported through September last year is up from 2011, but down 15.8% from 2012.

 

OTHER STONE

VALUE
Total: $86,964,470 (+31.2%)
Sector leader: Brazil @ $36,225,434 (+56.7%)

VOLUME
Total: 93,388 metric tons (+25.6%)
Sector leader: Brazil @ 36,317 metric tons (+46.8%)

Backfill: The trend stays positive for the omnibus stone-import category, with India keeping pace at 25,129 metric tons (+5.2%) and China at 12,395 metric tons (+44.7%). Canada goes slightly off-song with its 5,272 metric tons (-3.6%), but Italy secures fifth with its 4,321 metric tons (+60.3%).

The 241,549 metric tons imported overall in the first nine months of 2013 is a big move up from the 156,313 metric tons recorded in January-September 2011.

 

SLATE

VALUE
Total: $19,186,953 (+22.9%)
Sector leader: China @ $11,180,227 (+32.5%)

Everyone’s a winner in 3Q 2013, with step-up growth in every quarter this year. India offers some boost for its $4.7 million (+4.6%), but Brazil makes the largest headway with a 3Q value of $1.9 million (+25.0%). Other exporters show good gains, but still lag behind the top three; Italy ranks fourth at $348,960 (+202.0%) and the United Kingdom fifth at $324,915 (+52.5%).

The overall value of non-roofing dimensional slate coming into the United States in the first three quarters of 2013 is $45,387,934, up 9.7% from January-September 2012.

 

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