Stones of Spain Episode 4: Spanish Stone Industry

A look at the Spanish natural stone industry:

(Spanish Stonehenge)

There are more than 1000 companies devoted to working with marble, granite and slate in Spain, along with almost 700 quarries for materials. Today the Spanish natural stone industry, which is basically founded on the extraction of natural stone and its transformation and elaboration has become a point of reference within the world stone industry. The quantity of stone produced and the quality of Spain’s product make this country one of the world leaders in the field. According to the presentations at the Piedra 2008, the international trade fair in Madrid, Spain, its production value comes to 3.5 billion euros that are the US $5.5 billion. The majority of the companies operating in the industry are small and medium-sized enterprises, which constitutes a good part of the industrial fabric in Spain. The companies in the industry provide 35,000 direct jobs and 100,000 indirect jobs. It is mainly because of the considerable geological wealth of the Iberian Peninsula, particularly helping the exports to swell. It is one of the leading exporters of natural stone to countries like the US, Mexico, Germany, France, the UK and Ireland. Their competitors are countries like China, India, Egypt and Turkey on the international markets. As per one of the reports presented, with regard to the destination of Spain’s exports In terms of monetary value, 68% of the export value is shipped within the European Union mainly France 27%, the UK 13% and Germany 10%. The Us 14%, China 9% and the United Arab Emirates 4% are Spain’s main non – EU clients in terms of export value.

In terms of exports according to volume, China is the main destination with 26%. Followed by France 20%, the UK 10% and then come Italy, Ireland, Germany and Portugal.

With the imports, China is Spain’s most important trade partner, accounting for 25% of the import value figure. Imports from the European Union account for another 28%, mostly from Italy and Portugal. Other important countries with import values are Turkey 14%, India 12% and Brazil 11%

 Reference

·  Articles from Stone Industry Education, on Stone World

·  Evolution in the use of natural building stone in Madrid, Spain