Official sector data processed by the CONFINDUSTRIA MARMOMACCHINE Studies Center for the first 5 months of the year – the latest available as we go to press – showed a nice upturn in the Italian stone industry’s foreign sales, which account for more than 70% of the value of its production. In fact, overall exports of stone materials and stone-working technologies rose by 5.1% from the same period in 2025, reaching worth of $US 1,360.1 million. In the same time span imports decreased by 6.5% (for 189.9 million), with a trade surplus for the sector that increased by 7.2% (+1,170.2 million).
In detail, data for the January-May period showed growth of 8.9% in foreign sales of marbles, travertines, granites and other natural stones, for worth of $US 989.5 million. There was an increase in exports of finished and semi-finished materials (+8.2%), which reached 768.9 million and in exports of raw (+8%), worth 220.6 million (+11.5%). China was again the number one buyer of raw blocks (124 million in imports in the first 5 months of the year, +27.2%) and the United States for finished stone products (with more than 260 million, +10.8%).
Instead, a “reflexive” moment for Italian exports of technologies for extracting and processing natural stone continued, from January to May of 2026 showing a downturn of 4% on an annual basis and amounting to worth of $US 370.6 million. The top importer of stone-working machinery, equipment and tools Made in Italy remained the United States, with purchases worth 52.1 million (+12.2%).
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