World production and consumption of ceramic tiles (2015)

• In 2015 world ceramic tile production fell to 12,355 million sq.m (-0.1% on 2014) and tile consumption rose to 12,175 million sq.m (+0.8%).
• World exports confirm the slowdown, rising to just 2,735 million sq.m (+1.5%): Chinese exports decreased for the second year in a row, while UE exports showed a new increase.

The fourth edition of the publication “World production and consumption of ceramic tiles” produced by the Acimac Research Department will be released in November. Consisting of 260 pages of graphs, tables and commentary, it provides detailed analysis of the ten-year trends up to 2015 in industry, markets, per capita consumption and export flows in large geographic regions and in the 76 largest tile producer, consumer, exporter and importer countries.

The study clearly shows the substantial stability that has characterised the year 2015 as for both ceramic tile world production and consumption volumes with respect to 2014: production decreased to 12,355 million sq.m. (-0.1%), while world demand rose to 12,175 million sq.m in 2015 (+0.8%). Import-export flows rose by just 1.5% to 2,735 million sq.m, continuing the slowdown observed in 2014 (+1%) against the previous year.

Output remained stable or saw slight growth in all areas of the world with the exception of Asia, where production dropped for the first time from 8,703 to 8,627 million sq.m (down 0.9% on 2014).

As far as exports are concerned, the biggest increase was in the European Union, which exported 856 million sq.m (+4.5% on the 819 million sq.m of 2014), an upturn that was entirely attributable to the sharp growth in Spanish exports.

Click here to receive information about the new edition of the Acimac study

• Read the complete article published on Ceramic World Review no. 118/2016