Are you interested in buying marble and granite from China?
You have no idea where to find stone at the best prices in China?
Having difficulty deciding which Chinese stone supplier is best for you?
In this guide, we will explain how to import granite and marble from China and try to answer your frequently asked questions about stone products.
Why import marble and granite from China?
Sending stone samples (private collection)
1. Good quality with low price
Sending stone samples (private collection)
The Chinese granite and marble industry is constantly being upgraded and is certainly competitive on the world market. With high global demand for imports and large-scale processing, China has improved the quality of stone slabs and other stone products by using state-of-the-art machinery.
And if we're talking about price, you know most sellers can't beat the prices in China.
We will cite just one example that is not clear to us either: the famous Brač stone in slabs is cheaper in China than in Croatia!
How and why you tell us. We did not know this information, but we were told so by clients who are interested in white stone and who tried to buy it in Croatia. In the end, of course, they bought the stone in China with our help.
2. A huge number of manufacturers
China is one of the world's leading producers of granite, marble and other natural stones.
If you follow our blog, you could have read that China concentrates the production of certain types of goods by region. The production of marble and granite as well as supporting related products in China is mainly concentrated in the provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, Shandong, Hubei, and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Most of the leading manufacturers operate in these regions.
3. Start a successful business
If you are planning to do business with China, consider starting a business as an importer, wholesaler or seller of marble, granite and other slabs as building materials from China.
There will always be a strong demand for building materials because housing is a basic need. And where else can you get a good return on investment than when you decide to get granite and marble from China?
In China, the supply of these goods is huge, and the prices are much lower compared to other countries.
Where to find granite and marble suppliers in China
Since China has a lot of marble, granite and other stones, it is easy to find suppliers. Here's where to start:
1. On the Internet
The easiest way to search and find stone suppliers is on the internet. One of the most important sources is certainly Alibaba, the world's largest online trade company, which brings together millions of merchants and businesses.
Purchasing through Alibaba saves you time and money.
You don't have to go to China to shop. However, using Alibaba, you can create a list of suppliers that you want to check out at your convenience.
2. At fairs
The Canton Fair is an annual import and export fair held during spring and autumn in Guangzhou, China.
This massive fair features exhibitors of various products from electronics and electrical household appliances, building materials and hardware, machinery, equipment, fabrics and textiles and much more.
In addition to a wide range of marble and other stones from different manufacturers, there is a wide range of materials made of different stones (natural or artificial) for import.
Here you can talk to a lot of different suppliers in a few days and get the best offers.
Since the time of the corona, the fair has also got its own virtual presentation, so you can talk to the exhibitors online. We wrote about it on our blog.
Entrance to the Canton Fair is free, but you may need to apply for a visa when going to China. Apart from this, there are other fairs for stone.
On our site page Planning your trade show trip you can find links to them in section 5, titled Building Construction Trade Shows.
3. Directly from the manufacturer
The leading producers of Chinese marble and granite are located in provinces where stone resources are abundant.
Foshan, Guangdong
Foshan, located in the hinterland of the Pearl River delta, is well known as the ceramic city of the south. There are currently over 350 companies dedicated to the production and development of ceramics and stone and more than 1,200 production lines in Foshan. Foshan has always been a leader in product quality and manufacturing technology development, with affordable product prices.
Yunfu, Guangdong
Yunfu is the stone center and the artificial stone capital of China. The city has the largest inland river port, which plays a significant role in the province's imports and exports. With abundant resources, top manufacturers located in and around the city supply quality stones such as marble of different colors, onyx, limestone and other stones at a lower price. Here you will find quality stones that are used for both construction and decoration.
Xiamen, Fujian
Xiamen is a coastal city in Fujian province. A variety of stone products are available in Xiamen, including granite, marble, slate, sandstone, and limestone. They can be used for sculptures, tombstones and building stones for slabs, countertops, columns, stairs, patterns and mosaics for various construction projects.
Laizhou, Shandong
With its abundant natural resources and convenient water and land transportation, Laizhou City in Shandong Province is regarded as the "stone export base in North China". Laizhou City produces stones such as granite, marble, limestone, slate, gravel and other stone products. They are particularly good for exterior and interior both wall and floor applications.
Difficulties
Contacting Chinese companies in these stone producing provinces directly can help you speed up the import process. However, some of them are not familiar with exporting or even do not know English. You may find it difficult to communicate if you talk directly to the manufacturers. This is where trading companies or procurement agents like us can help you.
You can find many Chinese stone suppliers on Google or Alibaba, but actually most of them are traders.
Also, there are not many sellers who actually buy blocks from the quarry. If you need to purchase ready-made stone for a larger project, we highly recommend working with factories where the stone can be purchased directly from the quarry to reduce procurement costs and risk of out-of-stock.
Popular stone types
Do you know which are the popular and most used types of stone? Here are some types of stone you can import from China:
Granite is an igneous rock used for monuments and buildings. Polished granite is used as benches, coverings for columns and walls.
Marble is a metamorphic rock used for facades as well as for decorative works. It is also used for floors, stairs, columns, less often for tables or work surfaces.
Onyx is a stone formed from limestone. It consists of fine growths of quartz and morganite, and is available in many colors. Its best use is for walls with light behind them where the texture is accentuated due to its transparent color.
Quartzite is a metamorphic rock used as building blocks and slabs. It is also used as an aggregate for concrete.
Limestone consists of calcium carbonate. It is often used as floor tiles or wall tiles in bathrooms, sinks, fireplaces and staircases.
Loading a stone into a container (private collection)< /span>
Problems you may have when importing stone from China
Question of quality
It is difficult to tell the quality of any product, especially if you bought it online. This is the reality you have to face if you import goods from another country.
The key here is to find a reliable stone manufacturing company as well as a dealer who will remain committed to delivering top quality goods.
The good news is that stone materials are more durable than most products, so the chances of opening a container and seeing a pile of broken stones are pretty slim.
However, there is one big problem that you should be prepared for, and that is the non-uniformity of the slabs when it comes to the thickness and size of the slabs.
Another problem can be board damage in terms of broken edges, cracks or patterns on the board itself.
Stone is an earthy material that has natural colors, textures and patterns. Even after polishing, the color of the stone does not change, which makes it an excellent parameter when evaluating the quality of the stone. As a rule, stone surfaces should be almost uniform in color. Color variations, if any, should be very minimal.
In addition, it is also important to assess the shape of the stone and look for any defects such as deformations, hard-to-see cracks or concave surfaces.
While precision in defining dimensions, shapes, colors and patterns can help you minimize this risk, it is always better to find a supplier who can compensate you.
Price negotiation
Prices always depend on quality, and this is also true when buying stone in China. The price of natural stone tiles generally ranges between 1 and 15 dollars per m2. But that price varies depending not only on the material, but also on the color and unique properties of the stone.
Although prices may vary, one thing will always remain constant: it is cheaper to buy stone from Chinese or Indian manufacturers who can sell products in bulk.
If you need help negotiating prices, your best bet is to find a sourcing agent based in China (why not us) who can give you access to products at lower prices.
The prices given to you by Chinese suppliers may not be final. If you come to China and visit one of the mentioned areas with us, we can get in the car and visit many manufacturers. We are sure that you will get a satisfactory price.
Notes regarding stone procurement
No one but you knows what will satisfy you in terms of the class and quality of the stone, especially the texture and design!
We tried, we sent stone samples, 10x10cm slabs to clients, several times, but those samples are never white enough or black enough and so on.
That is why our recommendation is that if you are planning to purchase stone from China, come, sit on the plane and we will meet you and take you through the city of stone.
It is best to choose who you will work with yourself and with our help negotiate the price, dimensions, design and required quality.
You only need to come once to define which goods you want. Later, when we see what it is that satisfies you, we can control the goods ourselves without your arrival.
Finally, take a look at just one of the halls of one seller that we guided our client through. If you are wondering how many sellers there are with the same halls, bigger or smaller, we don't know, it's better that you don't know either because you would never have time to visit them all.
Tour of the hall and finding the stone supplier (private collection)
If you are engaged in stone processing and want to start importing on your own or are already importing and want to improve your business contact us, we will be happy to help you.