Brazilian companies had revenues of US$ 429.7 million with sales of ceramic tiles on the foreign market last year. The volume reached 114.3 million square metres, up 0.48%. A total of 129 countries purchased Brazilian ceramic tiles in 2006.

Brazilian industries that make ceramic tiles had revenues of US$ 429.7 million in exports last year. The value was 14.3% greater than the result for the previous year, when sales totalled US$ 376 million.

Shipments totalled 114.3 million square metres and Brazilian products reached 129 different countries. The volume exported, in reality, presented small growth, of 0.48%, when compared with the 113.8 million square metres sold on the foreign market in 2005.

"Companies started exporting greater added value products and managed to increase the profitability of their operations on the foreign market, with practically stable sales in terms of square metres," explained the superintendent director of the Brazilian Association of Ceramic Tile Manufacturers (Anfacer), Antonio Carlos Kieling.

Ceramic tiles ended last year at their highest price in six years. North America was the region in the world that purchased the largest volume of tiles from Brazil last year. The North Americans answered to 45.8%, equivalent to US$ 196.9 million of the total sold abroad.

Countries in South America purchased US$ 88.4 million in Brazilian ceramic tiles, a volume equivalent to 20.5% of total export revenues in 2006. Central America imported US$ 72.2 million in Brazilian ceramic tiles, 16.8% of total sales abroad.

(Published by ANBA, February 15, 2007)