U.S. Stone Imports 2011: A Little Bit Better

 

The apex of U.S. imports of other calcareous came in 2008, when Lebanon contributed 44% of the 1.09 million metric tons shipped. Unless a future federal law mandates the use of limestone for every new patio built in this country, one million tons of imported other calcareous is a peak that likely will not be reached again in our lifetimes.

SLATE

The best thing to note on slate imports for 2011 is that our neighbors to the north came to the rescue to ward off a larger loss.

Slate Value                             
2011 2010 Change
China $23,625,435 $23,884,171 -1.1%
India $19,715,665 $22,475,639 -12.3%
Brazil $4,849,596 $4,628,617 4.8%
Canada $2,442,326 $869,317 180.9%
United Kingdom $1,919,603 $1,865,771 2.9%
Spain $1,057,998 $663,545 59.4%
All Others $2,068,698 $2,371,212 -12.8%
Total $55,679,321 $56,758,272 -1.9%

With 80% of import values coming from two countries – China and India –  it’s easy for the sector to fall if one has a down year. In 2011, India knocked some of the wind out of the slate market with a 12.3% decline. The offset came mainly from Canada, which neatly doubled its previous record of $1.14 million in 2006.

However, Canada could keep doubling its slate exports annually for quite a while before U.S. slate imports would rise back up to the 2006 peak of $130.8 million.

OTHER STONE

This omnibus category of stone, including everything that isn’t granite, calcareous or slate, seemed to hold its own as everything else took steep declines in 2008. It’s now in sharp decline, both in value and in volume.

Other Stone Value                 
2011 2010 Change
India $54,663,752 $65,218,916 -16.2%
Brazil $41,376,816 $72,900,771 -43.2%
China $23,203,075 $22,061,454 5.2%
Canada $18,142,240 $19,720,906 -8.0%
Italy $14,961,471 $14,517,783 3.1%
Mexico $6,127,396 $5,856,236 4.6%
All Others $16,930,043 $22,761,868 -25.6%
Total $175,404,793 $223,037,934 -21.4%
Other Stone Volume (metric tons)             
2011 2010 Change
India 63,764 76,159 -16.3%
Brazil 50,179 100,173 -49.9%
China 32,491 33,333 -2.5%
Canada 17,461 21,239 -17.8%
Italy 17,447 7,613 129.2%
Mexico 6,924 8,068 -14.2%
All Others 23,883 35,266 -32.3%
Total 212,149 281,851 -24.7%

Data for this article, and for accompanying charts, is derived from information reported by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Treasury and the U.S. International Trade Commission. All analysis is made using comparable data. “Cut /slab” data excludes crude/roughly trimmed stone comprised of marble/travertine, granite or other categories where volume measurement is in cubic meters instead of metric tons.

 

Get all the latest in the industry with The EDGE, the e-newsletter from Stone Update. Free subscriptions are available here.