StatWatch: November 2010

TRAVERTINE VOLUME
Total: 32,291 metric tons (-3.0%)
Sector leader: Turkey @ 22,520 metric tons (-14.1%)

Backfill: Turkey maintains its two-thirds share of travertine tonnage into the United States in November 2010, but increased shipments from other countries offset the Turkish decline from 2009. China takes an immense step up – as in 611.5 percent – with its 2,967 metric tons in November 2010; Peru, operating farther down the scale, still boosts its U.S. shipments by 17.3 percent to 836 metric tons.

Mexico, meanwhile, posted its worst month since February, but November 2010’s total of 4,608 metric tons still edged November 2009 by 1.9 percent.  

OTHER CALCAREOUS VALUE
Total: $7.3 million (-25.3%)
Sector leader: Italy @ $1.6 million (-15.4%)

Backfill: Francophiles can gloat in November 2010; of all the countries shipping more than $300,000 of other calcareous to the United States, only France ($659,285) beat its numbers (by 11.4 percent) from the previous November. Italy sways back from its serious swoon in October 2010 by adding almost $1 million in value during November, but that fell behind 2009 by 15.4 percent.

Portugal takes the biggest beating in November 2010; its $716,176 in value is a 51.8 percent decline. China doesn’t fare much better, dropping 32.4 percent with its $808,828. Spain slows the slide somewhat at 7.9 percent with $753,177 in value.

OTHER CALCAREOUS VOLUME
Total: 10,661 metric tons (-74.2%)
Sector leader: France @ 2,093 metric tons (513.8%)

Backfill: Let’s face it – this category will be the Black Hole of Stone Statistics with the absence of Lebanon, which controlled more than two-thirds of other calcareous arriving on U.S. docks until June 2010, when it abruptly stopped shipping the stone. Period.

As it is, the market isn’t all that great; saw out Lebanon’s shipments, and November 2010 tonnage would still be 41.5-percent behind the previous year. Egypt goes better than France with its improvement from November 2009 – 862.4 percent with 1,742 metric tons – but other stalwarts such as Portugal and China decline by 60.6 percent and 16.4 percent, respectively.