Although, in many ways, 2020 was a "black year" for the ceramic industry, the United States still managed to contain the damage, at least as far as the domestic industry was concerned.
According to data released by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce and TCNA, total tile sales in the U.S. declined 3.5 percent to 263.6 million sq. m. However, U.S. ceramic industry sales in the domestic market continued to grow, registering +0.9 percent year-on-year.
Revenues from U.S. tile sales are around $1.30 billion (-2.8% on 2019), or 39.3% of the total value of the U.S. ceramic market (37.6% in 2019), and the average price has dropped from $16.66/sqm in 2019 to $16.03/sqm in 2020.
Export
When it comes to exports, the data are less rosy. Due to the health emergency and closures imposed in many countries around the world, U.S. tile exports fell to 2.9 million sq. m. (-2.4 percent over 2019), of which 73.4 percent went to Canada and 10.2 percent to Mexico.
As a result, revenues also declined, which can be quantified as -12.6 percent.
The import
Imports to the U.S. took a hard hit in the year of the pandemic. This is because while the U.S. did not experience major shutdowns and production stoppages, keeping production active, major exporting countries to the U.S. experienced weeks of strict lockdowns.
In particular, the blockade in Spain, Mexico, and Italy generated a 22.9 percent decline in May 2020; the situation improved in the second half of the year, ending 2020 with a -5.3 percent.
Also significant was the exit of Chinese exports from the U.S. market, which plummeted 98.2 percent, due to policies introduced by the United States about tariffs.
