Clay building products: trends and figures of the Italian industry
Italian production volumes and sales on the rise in 2024.
The Italian heavy clay industry stands out for the wide variety of products available on the market. These range from masonry bricks (both standard and lightweight blocks) to facing bricks, floor slabs, hollow bricks, ceiling tiles, lintel blocks, roof tiles and special pieces. Production is distributed across the entire country, although companies are more concentrated in the northern regions.
According to the latest statistical survey by Confindustria Ceramica - the national trade association that has represented this sector since 2019 - in 2024, there were 57 brickmakers in Italy operating 75 production sites and employing around 3,000 people.
Photo courtesy of FBM
Production and revenue
Italian brickmakers produced a total of 4.1 million tonnes of clay building products in 2024, up 2.6% from 2023. The entire production was sold on the domestic market, generating an estimated turnover of €700 million, up from the previous year.
Looking more closely at the different product types, the trends were mixed.
Production of standard masonry bricks and blocks grew by 7.6%, while lightened blocks rose by 12.3%. On the other hand, volumes of hollow bricks and blocks and hollow ceiling tiles saw a slight decline (-4.5%), facing bricks decreased by 6.3% and lintel blocks showed a more marked drop of 14.6%. Floor slab production recovered by 4.7%, while roof tile output remained essentially stable (+0.2%).
Photo courtesy of Confindustria Ceramica
Regional dynamics
An analysis of production by product family and geographical area shows that regional differences in brick production were quite pronounced last year.
Standard brick and block production saw a significant recovery in North and Central Italy, while production fell in the South. Production of lightweight blocks increased throughout the country.
The output of hollow bricks and blocks and hollow ceiling tiles declined sharply in North-West Italy and, to a lesser extent, in North-East and Central Italy, while increasing in the South.
As for facing bricks and pavers, production recovered in North-West, Central and Southern Italy, but contracted sharply in the North-East. Floor slab and lintel block production increased significantly in Southern Italy, with a more moderate rise in the North and a contraction in Central Italy.
Finally, roof tile production saw strong growth in the South, as well as in the North-East and Centre, but declined in the North-West.
In terms of regional performance, production volumes in North-West Italy remained essentially stable compared to 2023 (-0.4%), while the North-East saw a slight recovery (+1.4%). In Central Italy, production grew by 3.2%, while the South experienced a more significant increase (+8.6%).
Photo courtesy of FBM
Distribution of production sites
The distribution of production facilities confirms these regional differences. Of the 75 active facilities, 40 are located in Northern Italy and produced more than 1.9 million tonnes of clay building products in 2024. The remaining 35 facilities in Central and Southern Italy produced more than 2 million tonnes of clay products.
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