Articles Details

Growing US Demand of Processed Stone

Author: STC
Article Date: 01.06.2016

2015 was another golden year for the international trade of natural stone. The international market of stone products generated in 2015 a trade flow of 25.7 billion euro, showing an increase of 12.4% on 2014. 
 
This increase is not due to an increase in quantities traded internationally, but rather to the higher average unit value of products on the international market by the main players in the sector, first of all, China and Italy. 
 
China is once again the leading country in terms of market share in global natural stone exports and Chinese companies accounted for 42.4% of the world's exported value. Italy is at second position with a market share of 12.4%, down one percentage point on 2014. The decline in the Italian market share is not due to reduction in Italian exports, since the value of Italian exports of ornamental stone in 2015 reached a record of over 2 billion euro, rising by 6.3%. It occurred because the Italian export growth was lower than the increase in world exports (+ 17%). Turkey's share was 11.2% while India's share was 9.8%.  Brazil's share was 6.8%.  These five countries accounted for 82.6% of Global Exports.  Share of Spain, Greece, Egypt, Portugal and Iran  was  9.3%.
 
The export of processed marble is almost half of the total Italian export value. In 2015, Italy exported to the rest of the world 915,000 tonnes of processed marble, worth over one billion euro, with an increase of  2.6% in quantity and 9.8% in value, with respect to 2014.
 
In 2015, the United States became the best market for the worldwide natural stone industry, exceeding China for the first time. In 2015, the US imported stone materials, primarily finished products, for a value of 2.4 billion euro, recording a 24.1% increase on 2014. The positive trend of the US demand was sustained by the appreciation of the dollar, and the fact that natural stone, in particular marble, is becoming an increasingly fashionable material used not only for floors and walls but also objects of design in marble and furnishings. 
These data are reported in "Stone Sector 2016", the statistical annual report prepared by the Internazionale Marmi e Macchine, Carrara Research Office to evaluate trends and outlook for the international stone trade.
 
"The use of marble as a precious stone to be carefully used, favours the transition of the stone industry into a circular economy, whereby even waste, if properly treated, can be reused and enhanced to create an object of particular value" said Manuela Gussoni - Head of IMM Research Office "For eco-design and the luxury market, stone is a pliable and particularly attractive material leading to synergies between the marble industry and fashion, where a flake can become a jewel and waste from the cut of a slab can be turned into a pair of glasses."
 
The main supplier country for the stars and stripes market is Italy. The US purchased finished marble products from Italy for a value of 333 million euro. This means a 29.8% growth in exports for this product category for Italy.
 
Although Chinese imports have reduced, nevertheless it continued to import raw materials, for a value of over 2 billion euro. 
 
Altogether, the EU countries imported natural stone for a value of 2.4 billion Euro (value close to USA imports), thereby recording an increase of 5.1% on 2014 (the growth of European demand in 2014 was 0.3% compared to 2013). Finally, the Japanese demand for stone materials fell by 3.8 % in 2015 but it is expected to increase for the next few years due to investment in residential buildings, commercial facilities and projects associated with the Olympic Games of Tokyo 2020. It will, however, be difficult to undermine the Chinese leadership in this country which currently meets 94% of demand for ornamental stone.

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