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U.S. Countertop Materials Imports: May 2026

Tuesday, August 11, 2026 from Stone World

By Jason Kamery

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Photo Credit: Tryaging / iStock / Getty Images Plus / via Getty Images

U.S. countertop material imports held roughly flat in May at $348.6 million, down 0.7% from May 2025, but the mix behind that steady topline kept rotating toward natural stone.

Natural stone accounted for 70% of the month’s total at $244.2 million, up 2.6% year over year and its highest share of any month in 2026. Engineered quartz fell 7.5% to $104.5 million, with its share slipping to 30% from 32.2% a year earlier.

Quartzite was the standout. Imports reached $65.5 million, up 4.3% and roughly half again the size of granite. Brazil supplied $52.7 million of that, and Italian quartzite rose 51% to $8.1 million.

Granite went the other way, falling 20.8% to $47 million and posting the steepest decline of any major category. Brazil dropped 30% to $17.1 million but reclaimed the top spot from India, which had led granite imports every month from January through April. Italy fell 35% and Canada 33%. Portugal, Cambodia and China were the only sources to grow.

Marble rose 7.6% to $86 million on the strength of a single country. Italian marble climbed to $40.9 million, an increase of $11.6 million that more than covered the category’s $6 million gain. Turkey slipped 11% and China fell 26%.

Within engineered quartz, the shift away from India continued. Indian shipments fell 42% to $21.7 million while Vietnam held the top spot at $23.2 million and Thailand surged 70% to $21.6 million. Malaysia gained 49% and Turkey 83%.

Brazil remained the largest overall source at $80.2 million despite a 12.7% decline. Italy ranked second at $58.4 million, up 29.8%, followed by India at $47.1 million, down 25.9%.

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Natural Stone vs. Engineered Quartz

The Countertop Import Market

Natural stone climbs to 70 percent as engineered quartz keeps sliding

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Engineered quartz held 32.2 percent of the countertop import market in May 2025. That has fallen to 30.0 percent in May 2026 after a 7.5 percent decline, while natural stone grew 2.6 percent. The overall market was essentially flat, down just 0.7 percent, so the shift is a straight transfer of share from engineered quartz to natural stone. Natural stone’s 70.0 percent is its highest share of any month in 2026, though it ran higher in late 2025, peaking at 72.1 percent in November.

All Material Categories

Import value by stone type — May 2026

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Sandstone ($0.7M) omitted from the chart above for scale. Percentages are share of the $348.6M countertop total.

Year-Over-Year Comparison

Category Change: May 2025 → May 2026

Most categories gained — granite and engineered quartz did not

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Dolomite’s 269 percent jump comes off a small base and is almost entirely one country: Canada shipped $5.9M of the $7.2M total in crude dolomite, against a $1.1M to $2.2M monthly baseline all year. Treat it as shipment timing, not a trend. Granite is the real story, down 20.8 percent and the steepest decline of any major category this month.

Country Change: May 2025 → May 2026

Top source countries — teal is May 2025, brown is May 2026

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Italy added $13.4M year over year and Thailand added $8.8M, nearly offsetting the combined $28.1M lost from Brazil and India. Brazil remains the top source overall despite the decline.

Material Deep Dive

Engineered Quartz: Source Countries

$104.5M in May — down 7.5% from a year ago

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India’s engineered quartz fell from $37.1M to $21.7M, a 42 percent drop. Vietnam held the top spot at $23.2M on essentially flat volume, while Thailand surged 70 percent to $21.6M, Malaysia gained 49 percent and Turkey jumped 83 percent. Southeast Asia is absorbing the share India is giving up.

 

Natural Quartzite: Source Countries

$65.5M in May — up 4.3% from a year ago

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Quartzite nearly doubled its March total, though it still trails January’s $66.7M as the strongest month of 2026. Brazil supplied $52.7M of the $65.5M, down 3 percent year over year, while Italy rose 51 percent to $8.1M. The category is now half again the size of granite.

Marble: Source Countries

$86.0M in May — up 7.6% YoY
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Italy more than accounted for the entire category gain, adding $11.6M to reach $40.9M while marble overall added only $6.0M. Turkey slipped 11 percent and China fell 26 percent. Mexico climbed 62 percent to $3.4M.

Granite: Source Countries

$47.0M in May — down 20.8% YoY

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Brazil fell 30 percent to $17.1M but took the top spot back from India, which had led granite every month from January through April. Italy dropped 35 percent and Canada 33 percent. Three sources grew: Portugal up 42 percent, Cambodia up 20 percent and China up 3 percent.

Source Countries

What Each Country Actually Ships

Top 12 countries by material type — May 2026

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Bar length is total value; segments show the material mix within each country. Hover a segment for its category and value.

 

Market Concentration

Top 5 countries hold 69.7% of the market

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Country Rankings — Full Breakdown

May 2026 countertop material imports by category with YoY change

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Engineered Quartz Detail

Jumbo Slabs vs. Other Sizes

HTS 6810.99.00.20 (≥3m × 1.25m) vs. 6810.99.00.40 (other)

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77 percent of engineered quartz arrives as standard jumbo slabs ($80.9M), confirming these imports are destined for countertop fabrication.

Engineered Quartz: Jumbo Slab Sources

Top countries for full-size countertop slabs (≥3m × 1.25m)

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India still leads on jumbo slabs at $20.2M even after its overall engineered quartz decline, with Thailand close behind at $19.8M.