Stone-Ideas.com 
The 26th Xiamen International Stone Fair (March 16 – 19, 2026) concluded with better than expected turnout and broad international participation, underscoring the event’s continued role as one of the major meeting points for the global stone industry, certainly the biggest one in Asia, the most dynamic continent in this industry worldwide regarding the use of natural stones. This year’s edition of XSF took place under unexpected and relatively unprecedented circumstances, namely the closure of airspace throughout the Middle East due to the military conflict in the region, which began just a few weeks before the event.
Yet, commercial activity was visible across several areas of the fair. The Brazil Pavilion reported on-site transactions 2.5 times higher than in the previous edition, with an estimated US-$ 35.2 million in additional transactions expected over the next 12 months, according to the final accounts presented by Centrorochas, Brazil’s main natural stone association.
Also surprised by the strong sales volume during the trade show was Becky Li, executive director of Xiamen B&I Stone Co: “I had expected a certain decline, given the suspension of certain projects in the Middle East and an apparent drop in the number of visitors.” However, according to this medium-sized company executive specializing in stone supply based in Xiamen, the business results at the end of the fair were quite positive: “I can only attribute this to the increase in activity within the Asian economic area.”
On the other hand, Angelo Cappè, an executive at White Marble S.R.L. with over 30 years of business experience in China, noted that the growth of China’s construction industry no longer has the same momentum as in previous years. “Perhaps there is some underlying factor that has yet to be understood, but the fact is that in major cities you used to count up to 300 cranes in different neighborhoods, and today, in the same locations, you see only 30. It is possible that there is a shift toward the interior,” speculates this professional, whose company is based in Carrara, Italy.
The interest shown by designers attending the various lecture forums and special exhibitions at XSF 2026 pointed to another trend: a greater focus on new materials combined with stone, new textures, finishes, and applications of stone in furniture and interior design. This has been accompanied by a growing presence of young people in the audience, apparently students of architecture, design, and related fields.
Rômulo Pegoretti, a Brazilian designer responsible for coordinating the country’s booths at the fair, believes there is an interesting trend not only in the contemporary evolution of the forms and colors found in Eastern booths and installations, but also in the perception of Western observers. “On the one hand, the East is clearly finding new paths, but we in the West are also moving beyond that initial, paralyzing impression of exoticism. In terms of the most obvious commercial aspects, of course you’ll see plenty of Buddhas, plenty of dragons, and this year, plenty of fire horses, but that’s far from encapsulating their output. It is enough to look at contemporary Asian automotive design to realize that something quite interesting is happening there”, says Pegoretti.
Among the forums there were also sessions focused on the production and ecological application of construction materials, with speakers from the USA, Iran, Spain, Brazil and Germany. Stone Ideas.com contributed to the topic with the presentation “Solid Contruction with Natural Stone – What it is and its potential for the stone industry.”
As usual, the fair occupied in an impressive area of 191,000 square meters across 24 halls and 8 exhibition areas, with more than 2,000 exhibitors representing 40 countries and regions. Among the 300+ international exhibitors, 8 pavilions were featured.
The exhibitors’ composition reflected a mix of established and new participants.
Natural stone made up 41.56% of the trade show, and 20% were first-time exhibitors. A further 14.48% introduced new products at the fair.
The event recorded 155,000+ total visits from 122 countries and regions, including 200+ global buyer groups and 1,464 key buyers. Overseas visits rose by 10.28%, suggesting continued interest from international markets.
Xiamen International Stone Fair, 2027, March 16 – 19
