49th edition scheduled at VeronaFiere 24-27 September WORLD STONE INDUSTRY: TRADE IN 2013 IN XCESS OF 22 BILLION DOLLARS QUARRIED AND PROCESSED MATERIAL VOLUMES CAME TO 265 MILLION TONNES - AN INCREASE OF 5% China, India, Turkey and Italy are the top four exporters with a 61% share of total. Italy stands at the top of the technologies sector, with one-third of the world market. These are just some details published in the XXV World Stone Report by Carlo Montani, in collaboration with publisher Aldus and the patronage of the Tuscany Region, previewed today during the inauguration of Marmomacc 2014. Verona, 25 September 2014 – Natural stone conquering the world: between 1990 and 2013, international natural stone production grew by 180%, from 46 to 130 million tonnes, equal to 1.4 billion equivalent square metres (based on the conventional slab thickness of 2 centimetres), while consumption levels boomed by 185%. A trend of steady increase over the years that becomes even more apparent when taking into account that the last half-century has seen more marble and granite used than in all previous eras. This is just some of the content of the XXV World Stone Report by Carlo Montani, in collaboration with publisher Aldus and the patronage of the Tuscany Region, previewed yesterday at Veronafiere during the inauguration of Marmomacc 2014. For 25 years by now, this report has been an analytical and informative tool for all sector operators, with more than 200 thousand figures organised in tables and statistics. 2013 was another year of consolidation for the world stone industry: the volume of quarried and processed material (265 million tonnes) increased by about 5% compared to 2012. Marble is increasingly used as a constructive and decorative material, with per capita usage up in 2013 to 226 square metres every thousand units, against 215 the previous year and 135 of 2003. This general expansion, however, is matched by progressive concentration of production in a handful of countries: "Since the 1960s, the balance of power has changed radically," explained Montani, "with the top four producers - China, India, Turkey and Brazil - expanding from 30% to 61% global production.." As regards trade, 2013 posted values of 22 billion dollars, 58.5% of which in the hands of the top four exporting countries: China, Italy, Turkey and India. Made in Italy confirms its leading role in the field of technology and quarrying, cutting and processing machinery, with about one-third of the world market and very strong positions in several leading nations such as Turkey and Brazil. Yet what does the future of marble hold in store? The author of the XVV Report said: "Stone boasts an extremely long history and will have a equally long future by combining technology, aesthetics and professional values: in a word, quality. Translated into numbers, prospects through to 2020 indicate total output of at least 170 million tons, equal to 1.8 billion equivalent square metres."
