Impressions of the Xiamen Stone Fair 2026

00:00 Brought to You by TAB Quartz
00:19 Intro
00:44 Public Access for Air-Respirator Study
02:29 A Word from TAB Quartz 
03:22 Stonepeak Issues EPD, HPD for Products
04:45 Vadara Wins ADEX Award
06:05 Impressions of Xiamen Stone Fair and China
11:18 Outro
12:06 Brought to You by TAB Quartz

Radio Stone Update is presented on the second and fourth Wednesdays every month at 9 a.m. everywhere on Earth with the latest news and insights in hard surfaces. Check our archives at www.radiostoneupdate.com.

Transcript

00:19
 
Hi, I’m K. Schipper with the latest in hard surfaces industry news from Radio Stone Update reporting from Taoyaun International Airport in Taiwan.
 
 Emerson Schwartzkopf, editor and publisher of Stone Update Magazine and Hard Surface Report, and I spent this past week in China, and I’ll have some observations from our trip after these news items.

00:44
 
A peer-reviewed study on air-respirator exposure involving Natural Stone Institute members is now publicly available as an open-access publication.
 
 The study, published last year in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, is based on air respirator exposure data voluntarily collected from NSI member companies and represents the largest known dataset of countertop fabrication exposure to date.

Jim Hieb, NSI CEO says, “This study validates what responsible fabricators have been implementing for years. When proper engineering controls are in place and dry cutting is eliminated, exposure risks can be significantly reduced.

“Making this research publicly accessible supports transparency and informed decision-making across the industry.”

The report, initially available by subscription only, is now available for free online after Yale University funded open access.

The study reinforces industry best practices and training and highlights an ongoing need for expanded medical surveillance data. NSI continues to advance those efforts.

Yale is currently in the final stages of a comprehensive medical surveillance study, which includes a review of available industry data to further strengthen understanding of worker health.

The publication is available within NSI’s Silica Safety Resources section at: www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/silica

03:22
 
Stonepeak Ceramics, the Crossville, Tenn.-based U.S. operation of Italy-based Iris Ceramica Group, makes two major advancements in sustainability.
 
 The company published product-specific Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) across its entire U.S.-manufactured portfolio and released a comprehensive Health Product Declaration (HPD) for its full product range.
 
 The declarations give architects, designers and builders verified documentation to support healthier, more-sustainable environments.
 
 Each declaration is independently verified and validated by an accredited third-party body.
 
 Hector Navaez, executive vice president of Stonepeak Ceramics, says achieving product-specific EPDs across the company’s entire U.S. portfolio is a meaningful advancement in its sustainability journey.
 
 Complementing its EPD achievement, Stonepeak also released a comprehensive HPD for its full portfolio. The document discloses the ingredients in building products and identifies any associated health considerations.
 
 The HPD supports safer material selection for architects, designers, builders and owners striving to meet project requirements, sustainability certifications, and broader wellness goals.
 
 04:45
 
U.S. Surfaces announces that its Vadara color Braewind received the prestigious ADEX Award, which celebrates superior product design across architecture and interior design.

Braewind puts a Texas interpretation on the timeless beauty of Taj Mahal quartzite while delivering the performance of a manmade product.
 
 Nicknamed “The Silence Between Seasons,” Braewind draws inspiration from the rolling hills of the Palouse – landscapes shaped gradually by wind, light and repetition rather than force. That’s translated into a two-toned canvas with gentle veining that mimics sunlight settling across open terrain.
 
 Braewind features a soft beige foundation accented by nuanced taupe veining, responding to the industry’s shift toward warmer, more organic interiors.
 
 “Receiving an ADEX Award validates our commitment to creating quartz surfaces that honor nature’s rhythm while meeting the functional needs of contemporary interiors,” says Ed Rogers, executive vice president of Austin, Texas-based U.S. Surfaces.
 
 ADEX Awards (Awards for Design Excellence) are sponsored by Design Journal and have been given out since 1995 to honor excellence in the furnishings, building materials, interior design and architectural industries.

06:059
 
Trying to describe the 26th annual Xiamen Stone Fair is a lot like trying to describe the Super Bowl or the World Cup finals. Or, as a fellow American told me, “With other shows you say, ‘Wow.’ With Xiamen, you say, ‘Whoa.’”
 
 Pulling up at the convention center the first morning and seeing the lines of people getting off hotel buses and arriving by car and on foot and streaming through the doors, it’s impossible not to get excited. And, when you see what’s inside, it really does make you go, “Whoa.”
 
 Just the numbers are daunting: more than 2 million square feet, 24 halls, exhibitors from 122 countries and regions, and most importantly, 154,000+ people, all tied to one industry. Whether they’re suppliers, distributors, or fabricators, they’re all involved with hard surfaces.
 
 Whether it’s blocks, slabs, man-made stone, landscape stone, software and measuring equipment, machinery and tools or chemicals and care products you’re looking for it’s highly likely there’s someone who can meet your needs.
 
 Or as another American who stopped by the booth said, he wanted to put a face to people he’s buying from. And, since he was making such an investment in time and money, he also visited suppliers he works with in Vietnam and Korea.
 
 The first day of the show was a busy one for us, as Emerson Schwartzkopf gave a presentation on the U.S. stone market, and the day ended with a banquet for exhibitors featuring great Chinese food and an entertainment program featuring a mix of old and new Chinese culture. Two robots were the stars of the evening, dancing with a crew of professional dancers to a Michael Jackson number.
 
 Over the next two days, we spent an incredible amount of time walking and visiting with exhibitors. Not surprisingly, an Indian stone supplier isn’t happy with the current tariff situation — and a job he’s supplying that’s ground to a halt in Washington, D.C. And, a Chinese equipment manufacturer would like to open a U.S. site — but again there’s that political uncertainty.
 
 Perhaps you might be wondering how, in this troubled world, we were received. Interesting, our booth was right next to the Iranian stone association, and things were fine. Natural Stone Institute CEO Jim Hieb, who was working out of our booth, visited counterparts from a long list of nations. As I said, the focus of the Xiamen Stone Fair is stone — not politics.
 
 Following the show, Emerson and I joined a study tour by the Chinese Material Stone Association. Xiamen may be the capital of the Chinese stone trade, but the region is focused on stone.
 
 The first day, we went to Shito, a city where supposedly there are more than 2,000 companies involved in various aspects of the stone trade, mainly the selling of blocks and slabs. Some are a single storefront, while others have factories and showrooms that take up thousands of square feet.
 
 The three companies we visited each supply stone but follow different business models. And, yes, one features man-made materials from its own production factory, including a line that involves recycled items such as glass chips, and wood and metal scraps.
 
 We closed out the day at Huada Superabrasives, where we had the opportunity to see both the manufacturing of diamond wires for the big saws, and a woman examining industrial diamonds under a microscope for color and quality. If you’re like me and wonder how they come, they’re in plastic jars, six jars to a case.
 
 At Huada, we also had the chance to take a brief walk up the street to the company’s testing facility where they’re trying out diamond wires thin enough that you can’t get a fingernail in the cut. That testing is done outdoors, and the employees doing it come from China’s technical universities.
 
 The second day of the tour, we moved on to Hui’an, where we had the privilege of visiting the carving shop of Rongfa Global Stone Suppliers. Like Shito, this is a city known for its stonework, although in this case carving in the thing. Granite and marble were both well represented.
 
 Our final stops of the tour were at the ancient city of Chong Wu and the Luojiang Bridge. Chong Wu was first built a century before Columbus headed west from Spain. Like many Chinese historical sites, it’s also a living site, with people living in it and running businesses, all enclosed in an incredible stone wall. It’s suffered some over the years, but it’s a tribute to the durability of stone.
 
 The Luojiang Bridge is also a gratifying site to visit. Built more than 900 years ago across a marshy area, it’s difficult to imagine how its builders were able to move the blocks of granite that have made it so durable. It and the ancient village next to it are very popular tourist attractions.
 
 This was my second visit to the Xiamen Stone Fair, and while China was never on my bucket list of places to visit, these last two years have shown me a culture that’s different from my own, and people who are amazingly similar.
 
 And, if you’re willing to make the trip, you can meet 150,000+ people from all over the world who speak the same language: Stone.
 
 11:18
 
Remember, our online newsletter, Slab and Sheet, comes out on alternate Wednesdays. For a transcript of today’s podcast, go to www.radiostoneupdate. I’m K. Schipper for Radio Stone Update, and we’ll see you here again soon.