October 2021 - Regatta Universal Exports

Indian Natural Stone and its export to the UK

Though the use of natural stone is quite prevalent in all parts of the world, the recent reports on the natural stone imports in the UK reflect the prominence of natural stone in its architecture. In the year 2020, the total value of stone imports in the UK stood at 440,000,000 which was slightly lower than that of the 2019 figure. The main reason behind this decline can be attributed to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic which affected the marble suppliers and global economy badly.

Overall, the value of UK stone imports has been facing an upward trend since the year 2012. There was some unwillingness about adopting projects LIVE towards late 2015 and the first half of 2016 as the survey in the UK on the exit of the European Union loomed. Since the outcome was proclaimed that the UK was to exit the EU after the vote on 23 June 2016, assurance seems to have come back to the market, even though the result was quite surprised by a majority of people. Stone firms were quite engaged in the summer and autumn of 2016 and 2017. 2020 was the Brexit transition year which also witnessed the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Source:- Statista

The graph given above, shows the worth of imports and arrivals at the existing prices and the volume, which are from figures produced by HMRC, mainly from VAT returns. Just trade (imports and, from Europe, arrivals) are kept in books. A large portion of stone (and a still increasing proportion), by volume and value, is sourced from India and China. Other major areas that source stone in the UK include Turkey and, progressively, the Middle East and North Africa, particularly Egypt.

As the coronavirus pandemic has been showing the signs of weakening the world over, the UK’s economy is slowly gaining back its usual momentum. This also pushed the demand for natural stones in the UK as both commercial construction and residential construction activities resumed throughout the country. And when it comes to choosing the most reliable source of authentic natural stones, marble suppliers from the Indian subcontinent emerge as the foremost choice of architects, construction contractors, builders, and homeowners in UK.

Below is the volume of worked and unworked marble imported in the UK.

How to import marble and other natural stones in the UK

When it comes to importing superior quality natural stones from India, the stone buyers need to follow a well laid-our procedure, which is defined below:

Submit an application to get an EORI number – It doesn’t take more than 3 working days to get the same
Choose the most appropriate commodity code for the products being imported, which may require you to make an application for a BTI ruling. Since this is a time-consuming process, so plan accordingly.
Verify if you are thought to receive an import license for your goods, and submit an application if required
Prepare for transport logistics – usually done via using sea, air, or road haulage expert
Specify your goods to the customs department– or hire a freight forwarder or customs broker to do this task
Pay the respective duty or VAT before the items get released by customs authorities
Considering the import of the said product/s, one may be permitted to afterward retrieve a part or complete

Graph 3 — Source:- Fortune Business Insights

India is known to have the second biggest reserve of natural stones in the world with 15% of the total natural stone deposits, which stands at nearly 46.23 billion cubic metres, according to a report by FIGSI. In regard to the global natural stone trade, Indian stands at the fourth position.

Now, let’s take a look at the overall natural stone market size of the Asia-Pacific region.

The global natural stone and marble market size was standing at USD 57.48 Bn in the year 2019 and is expected to hit USD 62.58 Bn by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 7.57% during the forecast period.

A large quantity of natural stone is being utilized in the construction sector across the UK– for wall cladding, interior decor, hard landscaping, and roofing. The numbers given here are inclusive of memorials. There was a surge in the worth and volume of stone that came in the UK from other regions in 2008, shadowed by a reduction after the economic downfall and then a comeback to growth, although the prices being submitted for the same have tumbled significantly.

The worth of stone being imported in the UK is measured in sterling prices at existing values (ie the exchange rate at the time the value was noted). The decline in the worth of sterling of 20% and more against leading foreign currencies just after the Brexit survey vote in 2016 will evidently have increased these prices, however, anecdotally, marble suppliers slowly conceded those surges on rather than increasing prices by the complete amount directly. Overseas natural stone suppliers also took some of the impacts, so the prices of stone came to the UK were not directly much higher.

India emerges as the most sought-after source of high quality natural stones in the UK. Most sandstone exporters, limestone suppliers, marble exporters feature all trending natural stones in a variety of colours and finishes. Some of the widely exported natural stones from India to the UK are:

Yellow Mint Sandstone

Autumn Brown Sandstone

Kota Brown Limestone

Lime Black Limestone

Yellow Rustic Slate

Jak Multicolor Slate

Many marble exporters in India have been offering better quality stones than their Chinese products and that too at highly competitive rates. This gives Indian natural stone exporters an upper hand in the industry. For architects, construction contractors, builders, resellers and even homeowners, there is no other better choice than consulting Indian sandstone and marble suppliers and exporters for their relevant needs.

INDIAN SANDSTONE – ENTICING THE WORLD WITH ITS PERFORMANCE

For ages, sandstone has been adorning the world with its beauty and performance. Be it residential construction or commercial construction, sandstone exhibits superb characteristics that make it a stone of choice among architects, construction contractors, builders, and homeowners. And when it comes to getting the best quality sandstone, Indian Sandstone emerges as the top-most supplier of sandstone in the world.

Dholpur Beige Sandstone

As its name suggests, sandstone refers to a rock that is formed from sand or quartz grains that join together under heavy pressure and temperature. The presence of other materials like silica, lime, iron, and others plays a substantial role in the formation of sandstone. Other things like its grain size, cementing material, and compression ascertains its density, permeability, and usage. As far as its color is concerned, the presence of other materials determines the same. For example, ferruginous sandstone is of red or brown color, argillaceous are of earthly color, and sometimes white. Due to oxidation, the ferruginous sandstone is usually meant to vary in its color from reddish to brown buff, beige and greenish.

Among all the dimension stones available to choose from, sandstone tops the chart for being easily available and durable with a great variety of colors that are hard to be matched by its counterparts.

Indian sandstone is being largely used for a range of construction applications worldwide due to its diversity in terms of colors, patterns, texture along with easy availability, and affordability. The best thing about Indian sandstone is that it comes in wide varieties which means it is easy to get sandstone of a desired color and texture from India, and that too at competitive rates. This is why most B2B natural stone buyers consider India as the first and foremost avenue to get high-quality sandstone in various colors and textures.

Indian Sandstone Applications

The applications of Indian sandstone can be mostly found in architectural marvels of Europe, the Middle East, and India. Do you know that there are more than 1500 marvelous structures made out of natural stones? Most of these structures exhibit the creation of global importance. Delicate stone carvings representing the magnificent past are jewels decorating most of the Indian architecture.

Some of the prominent architectural wonders made of sandstone are Amber Fort, India Gate, Qutub Minar, Jaisalmer Fort, Rashtrapati Bhavan, and others. Below are some of the applications of sandstone in various projects.

Indian Sandstone Resources

In India, Rajasthan is found to be a hub of sandstone which produces almost 90% of India’s total sandstone production. In recent times, the North-Western state of India has witnessed a sharp growth in sandstone quarrying, processing, and exports. This usually exhibits a promising future for the region.

Sandstone reserves in the country are projected at nearly 1,000 million tonnes and extended over in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Karnataka, Punjab, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

Out of the total sandstone production in India, 900 million tonnes belong to the state of Rajasthan and are spread over the regions of Bharatpur, Dholpur, Jodhpur, Kota, Chittorgarh, Sawai Madhopur, Bundi, Bikaner, Pali, Jhalawar, and Jaisalmer.

From a geology perspective, the sandstone rocks of the Vindhyan Supergroup range from Chittorgarh in the west to Sasaram in the east, Harda to Hoshangabad are considered highly significant. The other rock units connected with Vidhyans are the Kurnool System in Kundair Valley and Paland Tract, Indravati, and Raipur series in the state of Chhatisgarh, Bhima range in Gulbarga and Bijapur regions in the South.

Popular Indian Sandstone Variants

Some of the most popular varieties of Indian sandstone are:

Kandla Grey

Also called Bhilwara Grey Sandstone, Kandla Grey Sandstone is a pretty grey-hued sandstone, which exhibits a superior level of consistency in its texture. The best thing about this Indian sandstone is that it can also be bought in dark and light grey colors. Its superior standards of hardness, durability, and weathering resistance make it apt for indoor and outdoor projects. Appropriate material for paving, flooring, and wall cladding jobs, this Kandla grey sandstone is a preferred option for pool surrounds. This sandstone is also called Bhilwara Grey Sandstone

Primarily known for its stunning looks and excellent slip-resistant qualities, Modak Sandstone is another popular sandstone from India. This sandstone is extracted in the form of rough blocks and then further treated to attain slabs of varying thicknesses considering the exact nature of the application. Its ability to show consistent performance against various elements over longer periods makes it a versatile natural stone for a range of applications.

Commonly known as Dholpur Red Sandstone, this sandstone is red. The reason behind this color is the presence of iron oxides near the bedding sites. Due to the proximity of its quarries to the city of Agra, it got its name – Agra Red. This sandstone hasn’t exhibited any weathering effects for longer years as recommended by the present condition of popular historic monuments and temples. For example,

Agra Fort and Delhi’s Red Fort, show the abundant use of Agra Red Sandstone used in construction. Soft and smooth in texture, this sandstone can be feasibly cut and carved for a wide range of construction projects. This sandstone is also known by other names like Allekta Sandstone, Koaroli Sandstone, Morning Glory Sandstone, Red Agra Sandstone, Barauli Sandstone, Barauli Red Sandstone, and Karauli Sandstone.

For architects, construction contractors, builders, homeowners, and others, Indian sandstone emerges as the most preferred choice in terms of look, durability, and affordability. Due to the presence of numerous sandstone quarries and sandstone exporters in India, getting high-quality stones is a smooth affair.

Quartzite – An Emerging Star in the Stone Market

Often confused with quartz, Quartzite is a metamorphic rock that is shaped when sandstone is suppressed below the earth’s surface. The intense amounts of heat and pressure over millions of years make sandstone particles fuse to create a dense, durable rock. Quartzite lists as an 8 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness (1 is softest and 10 the hardest), which means it is the hardest of any other countertop element, even stiffer as compared to quartz. For some reference, a fingernail records at a 2.5 while a diamond rests at a level of 10.

In terms of looks, quartzite is known to primarily have two tones – dark and light. The color of quartzite mainly depends on the quarrying location and the presence of minerals during the formation. The veining often takes on red, pink, blue, or even green colors that are dragged in from the close materials during metamorphous. The emergence of color is due to the presence of iron oxides (Fe₂O₃). Other impurities present in the quartzite also play their role in determining the color.

One of the eldest and extremely crystalized quartzite is Cristallo, also called Iceberg, discovered in Brazil. Cristallo can differ from a milky white color with subtle veins, to nearly absolute white, to pink or even green black or mix of all. Irrespective of the color, all Cristallo slabs feature translucent parts, and can be even backlit.

What makes Quartzite special?

Since it is a natural stone, quartzite emerges as a fabulous surface and countertop material. It is the second most popular countertop material after granite according to the leading granite suppliers in India. Despite this, there is a lot of confusion prevailing around this stone. For example, some people think it is a mix of marble and granite but it is not like that. Quartzite is known to have its unique properties that are quite different from the ones of marble and granite.

Very few people know that real quartzite can be harder than granite.
Quartzite is not quartz
It is commonly found in neutral colors
Not all stones termed “quartzite” are real
It may resemble marble, but requires lesser maintenance
Quartzite will not etch from acids like lemon juice or vinegar.
Quartzite has different porosity levels.

How to determine if it is real quartzite?

Though there could be numerous ways to check the quality of the quartzite slab, the most preferred way is get a lab test done. However, there are primarily two tests to check the authenticity of quartzite.

Scratch Test

Since it is not possible to scratch the quartzite with a knife or glass, conversely, it should easily scratch the glass. This glass scratch test is widely used test done to determine the genuineness of the quartzite stone. Also, this test is so simple that anyone can do it.

How to do it
Get a piece of glass
Choose a pointed edge of quartzite stone that needs to be checked
Put the glass tile on a table
Do a light press of the pointed edge against the glass tile surface and try to draw a straight line.
Look for any scratch mark on the glass surface
Check whether there is a scratch mark on the glass surface or just erasable mark created by the stone
If the stone has diverse shades, try carrying out the test on various areas of the glass surface

Acid Sensitivity Test

Etching can defined as a blunted area appearing on the shiny surface of the stone, it can be either light or dark. Marble stone will depict clear etching, whereas dolomitic marble will exhibit light etching, however, granite won’t show any kind of etching mark on the surface

The above given two tests are enough to tell if the quartzite slab is genuine or not.

Popular Quartzite Stones from India

D Green Quartzite

This quartzite stone is primarily known for its dark green background. There could be different patterns of yellow, beige, and grey-color appear on the surface that further define the natural look of the stone. Ideal for residential and commercial construction projects, this Indian quartzite stone is mainly used for roofing, flooring, and wall cladding.

Ocean Green Quartzite

Sourced from North India, Ocean Green Quartzite highlights some traces of grey and buff colors. It is mainly used for pool surroundings, stair treads, cladding, flooring, and roofing. In general, it remains the most preferred choice for places with heavy footfalls. This quartzite stone comes in a wide range of finishes like polished, brushed, and others.

H White Quartzite

Boasting a greyish-white color tone, this natural stone is mainly used for flooring and roofing. The distinctive surface texture and finish make this stone the most sought-after choice among architects, builders, and construction contractors. This stone product is in huge demand from different corners of the world due to its characteristic features.

Conclusion

Due to its upscale color tone and surface characteristics, this stone is primarily chosen as a premium surfacing material. It also emerges as a wonderful alternative to granite, marble, and other surfacing materials. Moreover, its high level of hardness is another reason why it is an excellent choice in the construction industry.