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Summary of our market study
The French slate market is estimated at around 200,000 tonnes a year, and the value of imported slate is around €200 million.
France is the world's largest consumer of slate, despite a structural decline in the market. Almost all the slate consumed in France is imported, largely from Spain, the world's leading producer with approximately 90% of production.
Spanish producer Cupa Pizarras is a market leader, with sales in excess of 430 million euros.
France consumes between 190,000 and 210,000 tonnes of slate annually, down significantly from the previous peak of 320,000 tonnes.
Slate has a lifespan of up to 100 years. Its waterproofing, insulation and fire-resistance properties are very high.
The cost of slate is very high, and its installation complicated and costly. Their heavy weight and the roof slope required for installation limit their use. Most of the demand for slate comes from the construction sector, and renovation in particular regions of France.
The market is organized between a few global producers, major materials merchants and small ornamental stone retailers.
The number of employees in the ornamental and building stone quarrying sector is around 1,400.
Regulations play a key role in the slate industry, setting the quality standards for slate sold in Europe. Quality criteria based on water absorption rates, resistance to thermal shock, oxidation and exposure to acid rain guarantee the durability and robustness of slate used in construction projects.
Key players dominating the slate market
Producers
- Cupa Pizarras: Spain-based world leader in slate supply
- Pizarras y Derivados: also Spanish.
- Rathscheck: supplies a wide range of slate products
Distributors
- saint Gobain and La-rivière play a key role in the French market
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and scope of the study
Slate is a rock derived from a clay that belongs to the schist family. It has properties that allow it to split due to its cleavage in the direction of sedimentation. Traditionally used as a roofing material for exterior buildings (roofing and tiles in particular), slate can also be used indoors, in bathrooms and kitchens (worktops). As a result, slate building solutions are considered highly durable and are widely used around the world as a construction material, both inside and outside the building.
The world's leading market for slate, France imports over 95% of its needs from Spain, with a few exceptions, as all of its deposits are almost exhausted (the last major slate operation in France closed in March 2014). According to Les Echos, France alone consumes almost half the tons of slate produced worldwide, and the particular natural slate segment (representing the bulk of the market) in France is growing, despite a decline in the overall slate market in France.
The slate market is dominated by a number of major players, such as the Cupa group, leaving little room for new entrants. To survive in an unfavorable economic climate, players in the slate market are seeking to reach specifiers (architects and the general public), and not just roofers. After France, the biggest consumers of slate are Australia, the Netherlands, Ireland and Poland. New markets are emerging in Finland, Kosovo, Japan, Kuwait and Qatar.
The slate sector is gradually overcoming technological challenges to offer ever more innovative systems: from pre-assembled facade cladding panels for contemporary architecture to invisible solar thermal panel systems made of 100% slate, which use its ability to heat easily with solar radiation, even in the absence of sunlight. Slate is a product with unrivalled technical properties that can be adapted to any project, adding considerable value. Natural slate gives any roof or facade an inimitable, timeless appearance that will remain unaltered over time.
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 ...
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 ...
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, ****-****, ...
2 Demand analysis
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
3 Market structure
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 ...
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 ...
4 Offer analysis
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
5 Regulations
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 ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Market segmentation
- Cupa Pizarras
- Rathscheck
- Aie Ardoise
- Comarden
- Cupa Group
- Pizarras la Luz
- Sol Majeur
List of charts presented in this market study
- Exports of processed slate for roofing and facades
- Exports of worked natural stone tiles, cubes and cubes, including slate
- Imports of worked slate for roofs and facades
- Imports of worked natural stone tiles, cubes and cubes, including slate
- Exports of processed natural slate and agglomerated natural slate products
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