The slate market - France

1.2 Spain's virtual monopoly on global production

Spain is the world's largest producer of natural slate. In fact, the country has some of the largest and best reserves of tectonic slate in the world, particularly in the north of the country, in Galicia and Castilla de León. Spanish slate is also known for its excellent quality, and is considered one of the best cladding materials.

Spain currently produces almost **% of all slate sold worldwide, and it is estimated that on average, a quality slate-maker produces *,*** slates a day, or around *.* million a year[***].

The world leader, Cupa Pizzaras achieved sales of *** million euros in ****.

1.3 French market in decline

The French slate market is rather unusual in that almost all slate is imported, due to a lack of domestic slate deposits. France is the world's leading consumer of this material, with around ***,*** tonnes of slate installed annually, mainly due to the use of slate in the renovation of numerous major historical monuments. This high level of consumption is also linked to specific regional architectural features: for example, slate is a highly prized material in Brittany and the Pays de la Loire for traditional roof coverings[***].

Nevertheless, the French slate market is in structural decline: in ****, France consumed ***,*** tonnes of slate, reaching a consumption peak of ***,*** tonnes in ****. [***]

1.4 France's foreign trade

Natural raw slate:

As national production is largely insufficient to meet demand, **% of the average volume consumed is imported, particularly from Spain.

Slate imports and exports, all product categories and uses combined:

In millions of euros

Slate for roofs and facades:

Exports of processed slate for roofing and facades France, ****-****, thousands of euros and tons Source: ****

Imports of processed slate for roofing and facades France, ****-****, millions of euros and thousands of tons Source: Les Douanes Slate in tile, dice or cube form:

Exports of worked natural stone tiles, cubes and cubes, including slate France, ****-****, millions of euros and thousands of tons Source: ****

Imports of tiles, cubes and cubes of worked natural stone, including slate France, ****-****, millions of euros and thousands of tons Source: ****

Worked natural slate:

Exports of worked natural slate and agglomerated natural slate products France, ****-****, thousands of euros and tons Source: ****

Imports of worked natural slate and articles of natural or agglomerated slate France, ****-****, millions of euros and thousands of tons Source: ****

Rectangular slate slabs:

Exports of slate in square or rectangular blocks or slabs France, ****-****, millions of euros and thousands of tons Source: ****

Imports of slate in square or rectangular blocks ...

2.1 Slate market dependent on construction, mainly for new homes

More generally, demand for building materials, and slate in particular, is largely dependent on activity in the construction sector (***).

Annual production in the construction sector Europe **, ****-****, base *** in **** Source: ****

This sector was hit hard by the **** crisis: at European level, we can see that the sector is facing a sharp drop in production, with a loss of * points between **** and ****, before experiencing a recovery in production in ****, with a gain of ** points.

In France, the production sector is following the same trend as the European market. Hard hit by the crisis, France's construction sector saw a sharp drop in production between **** and ****, with a loss of ** points. The recovery, however, came later and was not as strong: it picked up slightly in ****, with an increase of * points.

Different types of building

Building work accounted for *** billion euros in ****. According to the FFB, new construction accounted for **% of this total, or ** billion euros. Maintenance-renovation accounts for ** billion euros, or **% of work.

Breakdown by type of new construction France, end May ****, thousands of m* Source: ****

At the end of May ****, in terms of m*, the majority of construction is residential (***). This corresponds to ***,*** units.

Residential housing construction France, ****-****, number of authorized ...

2.2 Types of work on single-family homes

Types of work undertaken France, ****, %, % Source: ****

The information presented in the graph above reveals that the main type of work carried out on single-family homes in France in **** is work to improve the home as it goes along. In fact, almost one owner in two undertook such work (***) that year. Step-by-step improvement work has the following characteristics[***]:

Logic of action: step-by-step improvement as opportunities arise, particularly financial ones, generally involving low-energy work; Motivation: adding value to the property is the main motivation here; Barrier: the financial aspect is generally very important, as this type of work is often carried out by households with no significant financial resources, and who therefore carry out a large part of the work themselves.

2.3 Routine maintenance work on single-family homes

Types of work carried out by owners of single-family homes France, ****, %, % Source: ****

The graph above shows the routine maintenance work carried out by French owners of single-family homes (***). To date, these individuals represent *.* million single-family home-owning households. It can be seen that roofing work is not the most common type of work carried out, since this is the case for openings. However, roofing work was undertaken by **% of these homeowners.

Overall, few single-family home owners undertook routine maintenance work, with only one or two "block(***)" of work for around **% of them. For this type of work, homeowners allocate a lower budget than for major works, since **% had a budget of less than *,*** euros, whereas renovation work benefited from a budget of more than *,*** euros in **% of cases[***].

This difference in budget is explained by the low rate of recourse to professional help, particularly for roofing work, since **% of these homeowners carried out their roof maintenance work without any professional assistance. Taking all types of roofing work together (***), this rate rises to **%.

2.4 Work on single-family homes

Triggers to start work on single-family homes:

Triggering events for single-family home start-ups France, ****, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, % Source: ****

Motivations for work on single-family homes France, ****, %, Source: Credoc Source: ****

Obstacles to the launch of major works, including roofing: Disruption to daily life during the work ; hesitation about the time needed to make the work profitable ; fear of not finding the right craftsman (***).

3.1 Competitive market structure

Number of companies with fewer than ** employees in the stone trades market France, ****, total Source: ****

The stone trades market is essentially made up of small businesses, i.e. companies with fewer than ** employees. In ****, *** companies extracted ornamental stone (***) in France. This represents just *.*% of companies in the stone trades market, a niche segment of the aggregate market.

Despite the depletion of France's major slate quarries, certain structures have managed to survive, as in the Corèze region, where two quarries (***) are still in operation, supplying historic monuments throughout France.

3.2 Job market trends

Number of employees in ornamental and building stone quarries, including slate France, ****-****, total Source: ****

Over the period ****-****, the number of employees in the ornamental and building stone quarrying market fell from *,*** in France in **** to *,*** in ****. This is due in particular to the slate segment, with the gradual closure of extraction sites for this stone due to the depletion of quarries.

Structure of employment in the stone trades market France, ****, % Source: ****

4.1 The different products made from slate

Natural slate:

Natural slate is a metamorphic rock, i.e. a rock found in the earth's crust that has undergone a transformation due to the temperature and pressure of the environment in which it is found. It comes from quarries, whose specifications vary from one region/country to another (***).

Fiber cement synthetic slate:

This type of slate is produced entirely from organic fibers, cement minerals and water. This slate is also commonly referred to as "fibrocement" slate. While it has the same qualities of strength and insulation as natural slate, its lifespan is considerably shorter (***).

The different shapes: square ; rectangular ; diamond-shaped ; flake or round ; ogive ; rombo.

The main formats: *ère Carrée Forte (***) ; *nd Square (***) ; *rd Square (***) ; Cartelette (***) ; Grande Moyenne (***) ; Moyenne (***) ; Flamande (***) ; Reconstruction (***).

4.2 The price of slate (roofing)

General calculation logic for a slate roof:

Three factors are taken into account when calculating the price per m* of a slate roof: the type and quality of slate chosen, the number of slates needed to cover one m* and the type of installation. To determine the number of slates required for one m*, the calculation is based on the minimum overlap according to:

roof pitch ; geographical location of the building in question ; the length of the roof slope; exposure of the building to prevailing winds; the installation technique used; roof complexity (***).

Natural slates:

Source: ****

Fiber cement slates:

Source: ****

Price list for slate roofing accessories:

Source: ****

Slate roofing installation prices:

Source: ****

4.3 Advantages and disadvantages of slate roofs

The main advantages of overlapping slate (***) roofs are as follows[***]:

it's a material renowned for its strength, since a slate roof can last up to *** years ; waterproofing, insulation and strength are all well-known features of slate; fireproofing and heat resistance; being a natural material, it is also environmentally friendly.

However, natural slate does have certain disadvantages and conditions of use:

slate roofing is relatively costly, not least because of the product's longevity; the weight of the final product requires a solid framework for slate roofing; the slope of the roof must be at least **% to benefit from slate cladding.

5.1 Current regulations

Slate quality regulations[***]:

The different qualities of slate are determined according to European standard EN *****-**, which is complemented by the Label Marque Norme Française NF *** Ardoises. The European standard is a descriptive reference for physical and chemical characteristics based on three criteria. The resulting product code must be displayed when the product is sold.

Criterion A: water absorption rate

This criterion defines the porosity of the stone used, as well as its resistance to frost

Criteria T: resistance to thermal shock and oxidation

Criterion S: exposure to acid rain (***)

This value is useful in areas where automobile, industrial or urban pollution is significant. As sulfur dioxide is likely to soften a slate, we recommend using a thicker model.

6.1 Market segmentation

• Cupa Pizarras
• Rathscheck
• Aie Ardoise
• Comarden
• Cupa Group
• Pizarras la Luz
• Sol Majeur