Stone Update

OTHER CALCAREOUS VALUE
Total: $11.9 million (+38.1%)
Sector leader: China @ $2.4 million (+80.5%)

Backfill: Canada remains the surprise in this oft-volatile category; while its $1.5 million in August is good enough for second place and a major step forward from 2011 (+482.8%), it’s also the second monthly decline from its $2.0 million crest in June. The remaining members of the million-dollar-value club here – Italy, Portugal, Spain and France – all show year-to-year growth of 16% or better, with Spain’s $1.1 million setting the country’s best mark since June 2009.

OTHER CALCAREOUS VOLUME
Total: 16,430 metric tons (+94.8%)
Sector leader: China @ 6,450 metric tons (+342.7%)

Backfill: China takes back the number-one spot with a boom, and big growth is the norm; Canada’s second place of 1,843 metric tons is up 82.7 from August 2011. Spain goes big at 1,230 metric tons (+69.0%) and Portugal rises to 1,155 metric tons (+44.0%). France takes a tumble from July’s 5,000+ metric-ton level to 820 metric tons this August, but even that marks an increase from last year by 52.1%.

SLATE VALUE
Total: $5.4 million (+1.3%)
Sector leader: China @ $2.7 million (+8.8%)

Backfill: India, with with $1.6 million (-13.9%), again plays the spoiler to China’s gain, and Brazil wobbles at $554,450 (-1.0%). The overall slight gain in the sector comes mainly from renewed strength by the United Kingdom; its $118,586 is a 347.7% gain from August 2011 and the first move up to six-figure values.

OTHER STONE VALUE
Total: $23.4 million (+39.1%)
Sector leader: Brazil @ $8.7 million (+161.4%)

Backfill: India offers a strong second at $6.5 million (+28.3%) and Italy improves to $2.3 million (+26.3%). China again plays the stumbler at $2.2 million (-26.2%), while Canada retains its million-dollar-club membership with $1.5 million (+5.9%) in value.

OTHER STONE VOLUME
Total: 26,138 metric tons (+37.0%)
Sector leader: Brazil @ 9,331 metric tons (+147.2%)

Backfill: Brazil posts another herculean month to keep the lead, while India also boosts imports in this omnibus category to 7,918 metric tons (29.9%). China fades again to 2,739 metric tons (-25.6%), and Canada barely noses past 2011 totals with its 1,957 metric tons (+0.6%). The thousand-metric-ton mark is also passed by Italy at 1,155 (+28.0%) and Turkey with 1,065 (+2,266.7%).

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