Marble - Colorado Geological Survey

Montana were contacted for pertinent information
with respect to marble production in their
respective states. The information obtained
was helpful in the understanding of marble
occurrences but of no substantial help in the
determination of production or volume of sales.
MARKET EVALUATION
Potential Users
The potential users of the marble include builders,
architects, fabricators, sculptors and intermediates
such as other quarry operations
which might want to expand their product line
with outside material.
Representatives from these groups were contacted
with mixed results. All of the architects
contacted showed interest in the black marble
product but needed samples of polished tiles for
approval by their customers. They also needed
test results before any commitment would be
made with respect to useage. Fabricators include
Idaho Travertine Corporation, Boise, and
the New Mexico Travertine Company, Albuquerque,
New Mexico. Both of these showed
minor interest in the dark gray marble but
were cautious because previous toll fabricating
arrangements were unsuccessful. These past
unsuccessful efforts were due to wide variations
in the quality of the stone including equipment
damaging chert inclusions and weak material
that would fail when machining. An opportunity
exists for toll sawing or purchasing of mill
blocks by the fabricator but this would eliminate
much of the profit margin expected by the
quarry operator in a start up mode. Idaho
Travertine does toll saw and polish marble
from outside quarries.
Foreign Competition
Black and gray marbles are quarried in many
countries. At this time France, Belgium, Spain,
and Italy all have well established, good quality
dark marbles available. Cost are relatively
cheap due to the well developed infrastructure
enjoyed by European quarriers. In addition to
the European producers, China, Australia, and
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Guatemala have available varieties of black or
gray marbles.
The longevity of these operations is one of
the largest selling points. The products can be
observed in many buildings where questions of
resistance to weathering can be answered at a
glance. These foreign operations have also
demonstrated a continuity of supply which is of
major importance to a potential buyer who
wants thousands of tons at the present and the
assurance that more of the identical material
will be available in the future when anticipated
maintenance is necessary.
It is a well known fact that labor costs in
many foreign countries emerging in the marble
business such as China and India are considerably
lower than labor costs for new entries in
the United States. The savings in labor costs
and the proven infrastructure enjoyed by established
foreign producers offset shipping and
importation costs to some degree.
Other countries are vying for a portion of the
favorable U.S. market. China and India are
shipping marble to these favorable markets at
prices which are below costs in order to capture
market share. The effect of this strategy on all
the known producers will be to lower prices to
remain competitive. A new quarry without a
proven product must enter this market with
the same competitive posture to get his product
into the marketplace. This will necessarily
come at a time when establishing cash flow will
be of utmost importance.
Current Import Situation
U.S. Department of Commerce records
display total imports of various marble products
yearly by country of origin. Imported
marble is in the form of finished or unfinished
slabs, rough blocks, or chips. Total import of
rough block is understandably small. The majority
of recorded import for the past four years
has been as finished or unfinished slabs (See
Table 1). Department of Commerce tables for
marble also include onyx and breccia but still
are useful in establishing trends.
The data reflect the expected trend of Italy
being the leading exporter of marble slabs to