Port-of-Entry

The General View: October 2021 hard-surface import values tick up nominally (1.2%) from September, due mainly to an up month ($146.9 million) for quartz-slab shipments. It’s a very small move against the usual trend of annual declining numbers from October through December. The Expected: Year-to-year growth rates from 2020 continue to decrease, as the world moves more into a post-slowdown economy. The shipping situation still remains in flux, although the hugely inflated rates aren’t taking a noticeable toll on material movement (yet). The Unexpected: The omnibus sector of Other Stone fell off by 4.9% in import values from September, which is an odd twist from a category that includes the currently-in-demand quartzite. The two major players in Other Stone – Brazil and India – showed shipment volume increasing by 15.2% and 7.4%, respectively. Growth in shipment values, however, fell short of those numbers. The Strange: Quartz-slab imports from September to October defied any rational explanation, with up-and-down performance regardless of geography or past supply. Among the five countries shipping more than a million square feet a month, three (India, Vietnam, Turkey) posted double-digit month-to-month growth, while Spain sunk by 20% and Malaysia declined by nearly 10%. Three other countries in the top 10 – Italy, Israel and South Korea – also declined from September shipments, with Israel down an eye-opening 41.6%. Next Month: We’ll maintain the watch for a major slowdown, but it’s also wise to keep things in perspective. Take a look at The Number on page 7 comparing October hard-surface import values since 2017, and you’ll see that – with the exception of quartz slabs – import values fell in the years before COVID-19 struck. The results in 2020 may represent the boomerang effect of pent-up demand, but this year’s even-higher numbers may show that our industry is showing real stability.