- Building stone refers both to cut and ground natural rock, and to artificial stone such as Terrazo made from crushed natural rock mixed with materials such as cement and resin. Below, however, here we focus only on natural stone. Natural stone can be broadly divided into two types: marble and granite.
- Marble consists of re-crystallized calcite formed by the metamorphosis of carbonate rock such as limestone. It is often coarse grained, and generally whitish or gray in color. Sometimes, however, it is mottled or variegated. A disadvantage of marble is its vulnerability to acid. One area famous for its marble is Carrara in Tuscany, Italy. The word for marble in Japanese, dairiseki, comes from the marble producing region of Dali (Dairi in Japanese) in Yunnan, China.
- The term mikageishi in Japanese refers to kako-gan (granite) and kako senryoku-gan (granitic diorite). Granite is a finely grained stone, and is sub-divided into blue granite, black granite, white granite, pink granite and red granite. The word mikageishi comes from the Mikage region at the foot of Mount Rokko in Hyogo Prefecture. Granite from this region is referred to as honmikage, or "authentic" granite, to distinguish it from granite quarried in other regions. Blue, black and white granite is used in construction, civil engineering and for tombstones. Red granite is highly valued, and so is used exclusively for decorative purposes.
- As only small quantities of raw stone can be quarried in Japan, Japan is almost 100% dependent on imports. Imports of rock products, including cut and ground rock immediately usable as building stone and processed stone products, such as vases, tombstones, garden stones, stone lanterns and ashtrays, account for some 40% of total imports in volume terms. The remaining 60% consists of raw stone that is processed in Japan.
- Therefore, we can say that there are no exports of building stone from Japan.]
- Imports in 1999 came to 1.53 million tons (up 8.1% on the previous year), and \84.35 billion in value terms. Imports of marble are used principally for interiors, while granite is used externally.
- Imports over the past few years have been as follows.
|
1995 |
1997 |
1999 |
| Marble (raw and processed stone) |
8,361 |
7,934 |
6,273 |
| Granite (raw and processed stone) |
81,586 |
99,869 |
75,721 |
| Total |
89,947 |
107,803 |
81,994 |
Unit: million yen
Source: Japan Trade Monthly
- The main sources of imports are as follows.
- Marble
|
1995 |
1997 |
1999 |
(% share) |
| Italy |
3,956 |
4,089 |
2,973 |
(47.4%) |
| Spain |
1,055 |
1,276 |
984 |
(15.7%) |
| Taiwan |
671 |
738 |
537 |
( 8.6%) |
| Greece |
819 |
422 |
393 |
( 6.3%) |
| China |
232 |
255 |
268 |
( 4.3%) |
| Other |
1,627 |
1,154 |
1,118 |
(17.7%) |
| Total |
8,360 |
7,934 |
6,273 |
(100 %) |
- Granite
|
1995 |
1997 |
1999 |
(% share) |
| China |
42,333 |
67,412 |
61,409 |
( 81.1%) |
| South Korea |
16,558 |
10,959 |
3,765 |
( 5.0%) |
| India |
6,073 |
6,604 |
3,316 |
( 4.4%) |
| South Africa |
3,067 |
3,163 |
2,106 |
( 2.8%) |
| Italy |
4,905 |
3,638 |
1,452 |
( 1.9%) |
| Other |
8,650 |
8,094 |
3,673 |
( 4.8%) |
| Total |
81,586 |
99,870 |
75,721 |
(100%) |
Unit: million yen
Source: Japan Trade Monthly
- Although imports from Italy account for almost 50% of marble imports, Italy's share of Japanese imports of raw stone is declining, while imports from Greece are increasing. With regard to granite, China continues to account for over 80% of imports. Due to the poor state of the roads and undeveloped means of transportation, many regions are not accessible to heavy trucks, and so stone is largely imported from regions near ports, such as the provinces of Shandong and Fujian. The decline in the value of imports in 1999 appears to have been due to a decline in new housing construction in Japan.
- Around 80% of the building stone used in civil engineering is granite imported from China, and 20% consists of materials that are exported and processed in Japan. 70% of building stone is granite, and 30% is marble. Finished granite products from China make up 30%, and the remaining 70% is imported raw stone that is processed in Japan. Marble is imported from countries such as Italy, France, Spain and Greece. Although China also produces large quantities of marble, it is generally unsuitable for use in Japan due to the strict quality requirements (for example, size, color, pattern and flaws). The Philippines too produces building stone, but in quantities too small for large building projects.
- Although granite is graded according to quality (e.g. grade 1, superior quality and top class), there are no fixed standards on quality or official testing bodies for grading granite. Each company therefore has its own standards, and granite is graded by eye. Granite is classified according to whether, for example, it is pitted or speckled black, or whether the pattern is slanted. The most expensive granite is (1) deep black and red granite, followed by (2) blue, (3) black, and (4) white granite. Distinguishing granite is difficult for the untrained eye, and requires many years of experience. The end consumer who is the buyer, such as the person responsible for buying granite at a general contractor, may visit the quarry to inspect the stone for himself, and in the case of imports may accompany the importer overseas in order to inspect the stone on the spot. Stone is soaked in water to strengthen it, and then subjected to strength tests and sometimes also wind pressure tests.
- The main channels of distribution are as follows:
a) Building stone makers wholesalers users (e.g. general contractors)
b) Overseas makers trading companies wholesalers users (e.g. general contractors)
However, an increasing number of companies, such as DIY stores and home centers, are importing directly from makers in China.
- There are no particular restrictions regarding the import and sale of building stone, and no particular legal labeling requirements.
- Few Japanese makers have set up independent operations overseas, instead more commonly establishing joint ventures and providing technical guidance to overseas suppliers from whom they then buy. Because of the decline in quarries in Japan and rising processing costs, dependence on Chinese imports is expected to continue to grow.
(Produced with the assistance of the Kansai branch of the Building Stone Association of Japan.)
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