Pumice: Trading
Sold by grade, where size, colour and cleanliness count
What this tab covers How and where it is bought and sold: who buys and sells, exchanges and benchmarks, contract types, the big trading houses and how prices are discovered.There is no exchange or benchmark. Pumice is sold by producers to block makers, concrete suppliers, garden-product companies and industrial users, usually under private contracts or price lists by grade. Sizing, colour and cleanliness matter. Because a tonne is worth only about $44, freight decides who can supply whom. USGS notes transport cost sets the maximum distance pumice can travel before substitutes win.
Where it is bought (buyers)
- Block and lightweight concrete makers in Turkey, the Middle East and Europe
- US east and Gulf coast buyers of Greek pumice (USGS)
- Denim laundries, abrasive and horticultural blenders
Where it is sold (sellers)
- Turkish quarries (9.7 Mt, 2025)
- Greece (1.0 Mt), with 80% of US imports
- US producers in California, Idaho, Kansas, New Mexico and Oregon
Exchanges and benchmarks
| Venue | Contract | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| None | No futures | Bilateral sales per tonne |
Contract types
- Bulk vessel sales FOB Greek or Turkish ports
- Bagged and graded product sales to industrial users
- Local truck sales of aggregate
Top trading houses
- None of note; producers sell directly or through industrial-mineral distributors
How prices are discovered
- USGS average unit value
- Trade data unit values (Comtrade HS 2513)