The U.S. role as a consumer of natural stone continues to increase at a rapid pace, as it imported $1.95 billion worth of stone in 2004. This represents an all-time high, and an increase of nearly 30% over 2003, when stone imports reached a total of $1.51 billion. It is also nearly 125% more than the total of $870 million that was reached five years ago.
Breaking it down by material, the U.S. imported 1.8 million tons of granite, with a value of $967 million; 1.3 tons of marble, with a value of $836.6 million; $103.2 million worth of slate; and $39.9 million worth of other materials, such as dolomite or sandstone. It should be noted that the government classification for “marble†includes all calcareous materials, so limestone and travertine imports are technically recorded as marble by the U.S. Department of Commerce.