USA: the state of the market

Coverings will also be an opportunity to assess the state of the US market in the wake of the property market crisis. The downturn comes on the heels of record growth in the industry with a 32% increase in consumption over the last ten years.
Total tile consumption fell by 19.5% to 248 million sq.m, the lowest consumption figure since 2002. It is also the first time since 1994 that total consumption has decreased from one year to the next.
The main decrease in consumption came from imports (202.3 million sq.m, equivalent to USD 1,684.4 million, down respectively 20.3% and 14.6%). Imports have been hit by the weakening dollar, particularly against the euro, by rising oil prices and consequently transport costs, and by the distance to market, which can make a big difference at a time when smaller batches are being sold. This explains the growth of Mexico amongst the leading exporter countries. Price is the sole factor behind the increase in imports from China (the only country to achieve such an increase with imports up by 1.4% in volumes and 4.6% in value in 2007).
The fall in local production was smaller (down 14.4%) and fell in terms of quantities to 50 million sq.m. Exports continued to increase and were up by 5.3% in volumes to 4.4 million sq.m/year.

A detailed analysis of the US market was published in the April issues of Ceramic World Review and Tile International distributed at Coverings 2008.

Source/fonte: U.S. Commerce Dept.