Feb 12
2025

Many of Brazil’s natural stones are spectacular and unique in the world.

Despite a weakening global construction industry, Brazil achieved an increase in exports of +12.7% in 2024 compared to the previous year. The total amount was US$ 1.263 billion. The figures were published by the national association Centrorochas (Centro Brasileiro dos Exportadores de Rochas Ornamentais).

The press release mentions that there had been equally significant declines in previous years: 2022 (-3.4%) and 2023 (-13.3%). As a result, the all-time record of 2021 with a total of US$ 1.34 billion could not be reached again. However, the situation was also special at the time: after the end of the Covid pandemic, natural stone warehouses everywhere in the consumer countries were empty and were being replenished. That did not help, this time.

We remember: During the pandemic, consumers had invested the money they would normally have spent on leisure, travel or fashion in upgrading their homes and gardens. What was remarkable about this was that during this period of uncertainty, money was not saved, but rather wealthy citizens opted to invest in natural stone as a safe investment.

Brazil’s stone sector has made great efforts in marketing in recent years. For example, it has developed the “It’s Natural“ brand for its stones, which highlights the large and colorful variety of exotic granites and quartzites.

Efforts are also continuing to move away from monoculture in exports: In recent decades, the country has been limited to a few major buyers, namely the USA for worktops and China and Italy for raw blocks. Centrorochas managing director Fabio Cruz can currently be seen at trade fairs around the world, where he gives lectures on the beauty and sustainability of Brazilian stones.

Australia, India and Poland have been identified as new target countries. The latest initiative is a partnership with Vietnam.

There was a special event as part of Marmomac 2024: A group of young people from the sector visited Verona and also the Pope in Rome. The Brazilians are already regulars at the Fuori Salone, which runs parallel to the furniture fair in Milan, with artistic presentations of their stones.

Financially, this is only possible because the export organization Apex puts a lot of money on the table – it is the same in other countries, especially Italy and Turkey. Iran has special activities in the social media.

Export promotion as a problem

We note: Such support programs make sense in order to enable an industry to export. In the long term, however, it is counterproductive, as can be seen from the example of the three countries mentioned: the same companies can be found at their joint stands every year.

Ultimately, this type of support only leads to the beneficiaries lying in a hammock and remaining at the level of traders in raw materials. That is the level of developing countries.

Centrorochas President Tales Machado explains in the press release how Brazil wants to achieve growth: “We will continue to focus on innovation and sustainability in order to maintain this growth momentum.”

Innovation primarily refers to new – spectacular – types of stone. Brazil now has detailed geological inventories of what is still slumbering beneath the earth’s surface. In 2024, there was another technical innovation, namely the “Stonelift” transport system with open transport boxes.

Centrochas (Portuguese)

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