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00:00 Brought to You by TAB Quartz
00:19 Intro
00:29 April U.S. Hard-Surface Imports
03:35 A Word from TAB Quartz
04:44 2025 China Stone Exports
07:36 Marmomac Turns 60
09:36 NSI Accreditation at 20th
11:35 IPS Labs Handle New ANSI Tile Standard
14:03 NSI Offers 5 New Webinars
15:26 Outro
15:54 Brought to You by TAB Quartz

00:19

Hi, I’m K. Schipper with the latest in hard surfaces industry news from Radio Stone Update.

00:29

U.S. imports of natural stone and quartz surfaces improved in April, but both the values and amounts of shipments still lag behind last year, according to data from the U.S. International Trade Commission.

The customs value of those hard surfaces shipped in April to the United States totaled $272.6 million, which is up 12% from March – but 12.5% less than April 2025. 

Quartz surfaces, the largest sector, inched up 3.3% in value from March to reach $104 million, but trails April 2025 by 14%.

With natural stone, marble showed a 7.3% month-to-month gain to $50.6 million, yet is 20% behind the same time last year.  Granite rose 22.4% from March to $29.6 million, but that’s still 32% off from April 2025.

Quartzite provided the rare solid gain in April, with the $47.3 million in customs value stepping up 38% from the previous month and marking a 13.8% year-over-year gain.

Hard-surface shipment volume, for the most part, posted few handsome gains in April. In fact, the 17.1 million ft² of quartz surfaces moving through U.S. ports was slightly less – 1.7% — than March, and 5.6% behind April 2025. India regained the lead among exporting countries with 4.6 million ft², but that’s also down nearly 38% in a year-to-year comparison.

Marble declined year-over-year by 34% in April with almost 42 thousand metric tons in volume. Much of that drop involved leading exporter Turkey, with shipments just shy of 50% less than April 2025.

Quartzite, meanwhile, provided a bright spot in natural-stone volume, with the more than 35 thousand metric tons sent to the United States posting a nearly 4% gain from March and a 22% year-over-year increase.

And then there’s granite, with a spectacular – and problematic – gain. The 63-thousand-plus metric tons at U.S. ports-of-entry in April is a 42% gain from March and – for a stone sector with ever-declining imports – a respectable move up to be only 10.6% behind April of last year.

Some of that comes from Brazil, which more than doubled March’s shipments to 21.5 thousand metric tons, as the country recovered from lifting of the IEEPA tariffs earlier this year. However, Portugal went from a few hundred metric tons in March to more than 10,000 metric tons in April, so granite’s improved status may be temporary.

Get all the details at www.hardsurfacereport.com with the April 2026 import data.

04:44

In a related story, hard-surface exports from China mirrored other producing countries last year, with small growth in volume and larger declines in value.

Exports of natural and man-made dimensional materials totaled just under 8 million metric tons in 2025 for a 2.2% year-over-year growth, according to an analysis from the China Stone Material Association. Total value, however, dropped 15.7% to $4.2 billion.

The report noted that China’s export volume may be stabilizing, given its performance in the past decade. Exports reached a high of 12.5 million metric tons in 2017, only to have shipments fall to a low of slightly under 7.5 million metric tons in 2022. This year’s 7.98 million metric tons continued small-but-steady growth over the past few years.

That 10-year analysis, however, also showed a significant decline in export value, with a peak of $7.7 billion in 2022, followed by three consecutive years of double-digit decline. The report cited “intensified competition” among major stone-exporting countries such as India, Turkey, and Brazil driving down prices.

“This indicates that the international trade environment has a significant impact on China’s stone imports, with lower average prices reflecting the intense price war in the stone-product export trade,” the analysis noted.

While the United States is a large destination for China’s stone with 548 thousand metric tons, it’s only the third-largest customer; South Korea is a surprising first in 2025 with 1.5 million metric tons, followed by Malaysia at 749 thousand metric tons. Even with that large share of China’s exports, South Korea’s total is 21.1% less than 2024. Malaysia declined by 8.6% year-over-year, and 18.9% less came to the United States.

The $817 million in stone value for South Korea last year also placed it first among all nations, but also represented a stunning 41.6% fall from 2024. The United States ranked second at $512 million, with a year-to-year decline of 26.9%.

The report also offers strategies for China’s stone industry, including focusing on developing markets with strong infrastructure demand; developing high-end stone manufacturing; and, moving away from a low-price OEM model for exports to brand-building in the international market.

07:36

This September, Marmomac is preparing to host its 60th edition in Verona, Italy. The show will take place at Veronafiere Sept. 22-25.

This year’s show is expected to reaffirm its position as an international benchmark for the natural stone supply chain. During those 60 years the show has echoed the industry’s evolution, transforming from a local trade fair into a global platform connecting businesses, technologies, design, and research.

Founded in 1940 as the “Marble and Machinery Exhibition,” Marmomac has its roots in the Verona stone district, one of the oldest in Europe. From its earliest editions, the event has captured the growth of a rapidly expanding sector supporting its opening towards international markets.

The relocation to Veronafiere in the early 1990s marked a further step in the event’s history. The 2025 edition of Marmomac drew 1,400 exhibitors from more than 54 countries and more than 50,000 stone professionals from around the world.

Today, the show has the reputation of offering visitors the most-comprehensive overview of the entire supply chain: materials, technologies, and finishing products.

The anniversary show looks at this journey as a living heritage that continues to question and present the future of natural stone. For this reason, Marmomac is focusing on the new identity of its cultural space in Hall 10 under the name THE BEDROCK – Leading the Future of Natural Stone.

Now entering its 28th year, the Marmomac Academy is a platform dedicated to training and professional development in the world of natural stone. This year, the academy will alternate training sessions with a series of meetings dedicated to the relationship between marble and the current age.

For more information on Marmomac’s 60th anniversary exhibition, go to www.marmomac.com.

09:36

As issues continue to be raised about the safety, quality and professionalism of stone fabricators and installers, the Natural Stone Institute (NSI) reminds industry members that it’s nearing 20 years of its Accreditation Program.

The NSI Accreditation Program evaluates fabrication and installation companies across key areas. That includes compliance with regulations mandated by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), quality control procedures, sound business practices, expertise and capabilities, and a track record of customer service.

As part of the program, companies undergo a thorough review of their operations, processes and abilities to ensure they exceed established industry standards.

Today, the program includes 98 accredited fabricators and 23 accredited commercial installers, providing strong national coverage. For commercial contractors, this means critical mass is available across the United States, with multiple accredited companies in each region.
 
The value of accreditation is also recognized at the specification level. Currently, 1,457 commercial project specifications include requirements for NSI Accreditation, reinforcing its role as a trusted standard across the design and construction industry.

With the increasing focus on silica safety and regulatory compliance, NSI is welcoming new companies into the Accreditation Program. The program provides comprehensive guidance and review processes that support proper silica control measures, helping protect employees, and ensuring compliance with evolving regulations.

To pursue accreditation, strengthen your business, support safe work environments and promote professionalism across the natural stone industry, go to www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/accreditation.

11:35

The Clemson, S.C.-based International Product Assurance (IPA) Laboratories announce a new testing package designed to evaluate tile to its compliance with U.S. standards. Specifically, the lab will be testing tile to the new ANSI A137.1 standard.

According to the Tile Council of North America, many products entering the U.S. market are tested only to ISO 13006, the international tile specification. Some aren’t tested at all. However, most commercial specifications in the U.S. require products to meet ANSI A137.1, which requires additional testing requirements beyond ISO specifications.

The result is everyone in the supply chain – from manufacturers to contractors – is liable for failures when products don’t meet required U.S. standards. The new IPA Laboratories testing packages are designed to evaluate the criteria that are missing when products are only tested to ISO standards.

Katelyn Simpson, director of laboratory services at IPA Laboratories, says many manufacturers assume that testing to ISO standards automatically means their products comply with U.S. specifications, but that isn’t the case.

“Our ANSI testing packages are designed to identify those gaps and provide the additional testing needed to demonstrate compliance,” Simpson says.

Additionally, IPA Laboratories is providing resources on its website explaining the differences between the two standards and providing guidance for anyone selling or working in the U.S. market.

The laboratory is also making improvements to the Porcelain Tile Certification Agency (PTCA) website, which will feature a new searchable database of certified porcelain tile products.

In 2025, porcelain represented more than 70% of U.S. ceramic tile sales in dollars, making accurate product classification increasingly important for architects, designers and distributors.

The PTCA program provides independent verification that tile products meet the ANSI  A 137.1 definition of porcelain, which requires a water absorption of 0.5% or less.

More information about IPA Laboratories testing services and resources is available at www.IPALaboratories.com.

14:03

The Natural Stone Institute (NSI) will offer five new webinars to round out 2026.

The programs provide architects, designers, contractors, fabricators, and stone professionals with expert-led education focused on issues such as sustainability, material selection, restoration, quality assurance and industry best practices.

Topics include circularity, slate selection and installation, restoration and renovation, quality assurance and virtual quarry tours.

Remaining webinars for this year include:

  • Virtual Quarry Tour, on Nov. 19.
  • Circularity and Natural Stone on July 23;
  • Virtual Quarry Tour: Las Vegas Rock on Aug. 13;
  • Basics of Slate Selection, Fabrication, Installation and Maintenance on Sept. 10;
  • Case Studies: Restoration and Renovation of Natural Stone on Oct.14, and;
  • Virtual Quarry Tour, on Nov. 19.

Many of the programs are approved for continuing education credit through organizations such as the American Institute of Architects, the Interior Design Continuing Education Council, the Landscape Architect Continuing Education System, and the National Kitchen and Bath Association.

For more information on a particular program or to register, go to www.naturalstoneinstititute.org.

15:26

Remember, our online newsletter, Slab & Sheet, is available on alternate Wednesdays at www.stoneupdate.com. For a transcript of today’s podcast, go to www.radiostoneupdate.com. I’m K. Schipper for Radio Stone Update, and we’ll see you here again soon.