According to official sector statistics processed by the CONFINDUSTRIA MARMOMACCHINE Studies Center, in the first ten months of 2023 the total value of Italy’s exports of marbles, travertines, granites and natural stones in general amounted to 1,696.4 million euros, somewhat less (-3.2%) than the record level in the same period the previous year.
The biggest downturn was in foreign sales of finished and semi-finished products – which account for some 80% of total Italian stone exports – down 3.7% for a total of 1,375.6 million, while raw stone materials remained basically on the good level of the year before (-1%) at 320.8 million.
Where destination markets were concerned, in the period from January to October 2023 China was again the top buyer of blocks extracted in Italy, with imports worth 150.7 million (-1.1%), followed by India with purchases amounting to 45.1 million (+7.3%).
As for finished and semi-finished stone, the United States still led in buyer ranking, with purchases worth 393.3 million euros, down 7.1% after years of heavy growth. Germany also imported less (second buyer with 120.3 million, -5.9%) while sales to France increased (third, with 91 million, +5.1%), remaining stable in Switzerland (fourth, with 87.4 million, +1%) and the United Kingdom (fifth, with 49.9 million, -0.1%). Among non-EU markets, sales to the United Arab Emirates were excellent (sixth, with 49.4 million, +25.2%) and Morocco (ninth, with 30.8 million, +20.8%) while they slowed to Saudi Arabia (seventh, with 47.2 million, -13.1%).
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