Exports of natural stone from Brazil grew by 23.27% during the first 10 months of 2013 compared to the previous year. Photo courtesy of Marbrasa

The state of Espírito Santo, which represents Brazil’s primary stone for stone production and export, saw growth of 28.65% for the first 10 months of 2013, reaching a total of $860.2 million. The state was also responsible for exporting 1.63 million of the 2.3 tons of stone exported by Brazil as a while.

According to Centrorochas, Brazil has a total of 1,250 gangsaws in operation, of which 142 feature the latest multi-wire technology. This demonstrates the country’s willingness to invest in state-of-the-art equipment. The main export targets for Brazilian suppliers are the U.S., which consumes 78% of polished slabs exported, and China, which consumes 56% of blocks exported.