Port-of-Entry

The General View: U.S. hard-surface imports begin 2023 with a significant drop in year-over-year performance. The $357 million in customs value tallied in January is 17% less than the same time in 2022.

The Expected: Quartz-surface imports continue to lead the way in hard surfaces, although the material is now diving the deepest in performance. The 12.3 million ft² moving through U.S. ports-of-entry in January 2023 is a decrease of more than one-quarter (26.6%) from the amount received in January 2022.

The Unexpected: Brazil continues a year-over-year lag in shipments of natural stone. The country remains among the top five exporters of granite, marble and other stone to the United States, but January’s totals for those sectors are, respectively, 19.9%, 55.8% and 45.1% behind the same time in 2022.

The Strange: Porcelain provides the bright spot with January 2023 hard surfaces, with year-over-year gains in both value and volume. The oddity is that the usual leaders – Italy and Spain – both experienced double-digit downturns in shipments. The 7.5% gain in square-footage from January 2022 came from India (up 115.8%) and Vietnam (up 655.7%).

Next Month: Hard-surface imports appear to be leveling off as the post-pandemic renovation rush slows to a constant level of business. Yes, it’s a slowdown, but from a bubble, not a mature plateau. And this January’s value is still 14.7% ahead of the same time in 2020, when the total U.S. hard-surface market was slowing shrinking before COVID-19 was a worldwide buzzkill. February will likely be more of the same.