The Italian sanitaryware, tableware, refractory materials and brick and roof tile industries

The Italian whiteware, brick and refractory industries also saw a recovery in 2021.

Along with the results for the ceramic tile sector, during its annual meeting Confindustria Ceramica also presented the 2021 results for Italian producers of sanitaryware, tableware and porcelain, refractory materials and bricks and roof tiles.

The Italian ceramic sanitaryware sector (30 companies, including 27 located in the Civita Castellana cluster in the province of Viterbo) made up the ground it had lost in 2020 and returned to 2019 production levels of 4 million pieces (+29%), generating revenues of €368.8 million (+20.4% on 2020), 45% of which came from exports (€166.4 million). The number of people employed in the sector increased by 9 to 2,663.

Refractory material production also recovered, climbing to a volume of 353,000 tonnes (+28% on 2020) and revenues of €381.6 million (+19.4%). This included €176 million from Italian domestic sales and more than €205 million from exports. The Italian refractory materials industry consists of 31 companies with a workforce of 1,679 employees. Italian brick and roof tile production also picked up in 2021 following a steady downward trend since 2008. The 62 companies in the sector (with a workforce of 3,000 people) produced 4.5 million tonnes of products (+12.5%) and generated revenues of €500 million (up 31% from €380 million in 2020), mostly in the Italian market.

Finally, the 9 companies making up the Italian ceramic tableware industry recovered their 2020 losses with 26-27% growth in both production (10,600 tonnes) and sales (9,900 tonnes). Domestic sales accounted for 78% of the total. The 2021 turnover totalled €47.2 million, about 66% of which was generated in Italy.