3.2.11

Chinese quartz - Importing quartz slabs from China

Today's topic is Chinese quartz, if you are already importing quartz slabs from China, maybe some of the things I'm going to mention on this post is just a confirmation of your reality. Or maybe you have had a good experience with Chinese quartz imports. I must say that not everyone has had good experiences with quartz slab imported from China.

I figure that most of you are unaware of the size the Chinese manufacturers have currently in the engineered stone business. Their internal market is huge, their exports of quartz slabs and other engineered stone are still very little compared to their great potential. Currently there are more than 100 manufacturers in China alone, few use Breton Technology and most use Chinese Keda technology.
As I have mentioned a few times before, Chinese engineered stone  is unavoidable to the International markets. However, the main problem with Chinese engineered stone is quality.
You may find great pricing, excellent colours, but I advise you to be very careful, choose wisely your supplier and make sure you personally inspect the quality of your shipments prior to loading.
What may you encounter in quartz engineered stone from China?
  •  Excess resin: while Breton plants have been using less than 10% of unsaturated polyester resin, Chinese manufacturers tend to use bigger quantities of resin.
  • Raw materials: some Chinese manufacturers either use inadequate raw materials, or low quality materials, which have caused some International incidents with some customs

  •  Inefficient Compaction: the Italian production lines does a better compaction, this means the product is more resistant and has a better performance.
  •  Claims: you might have problems for your Chinese supplier to accept claims due to poor quality
  • Delivery delay: most common in Chinese manufacturers, they either receive pre-payment or by L/C and delivery may take a while, emending L/Cs is common.
  • CE Marking Compliance: most of the manufacturers are not complying with these terms yet;
  •  Health and Safety Issues: while European and other Worldwide manufacturers are looking at these issues seriously due to local and regional legislation, namely they are far from VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) certification of their products and production facilities.
Personally I have bought from China engineered stone, and I did have some of the above mentioned problems, namely:
  • They didn’t comply with the last shipping date on my L/C, which I had to exchange, actually looking back this happened a few times.
  • Due to the fact that I did not trust their quality, I had the slabs come in sawn, I did the final surface finish at my local factory, my quality index for first choice material was far from 100%, I actually had a lot or two which barely did 75%, so I ended up buying 75% first choice and 25% of problematic material;
  • My claim was initially treated professionally, until they figured out that it was totally their poor quality that caused the whole mess, after that they didn’t actually give me a direct response on how I would be compensated, so time passed and until this day no compensation was given for those quality claims, nevertheless we did not import anymore from that supplier
  • Non-existent CE Markings or even knowledge of the regulatory status
  •  Laboratory testing, I asked them for their laboratory testing and they sent me a few pdf files in Chinese for me to translate, I ended up doing my own testing locally.
  •  Price: I was importing a pure white fine grain which is very difficult to make, the price was good on a few thicknesses, although some thicknesses had an awkward pricing … a very non-proportional price, so I just avoided that thickness, although I did have a common and constant question coming from my clients: Why don’t you have 30mm slabs in this colour?
With this post I'm not saying you can't find good quality engineered stone in China, to find it you have to really look around and personally judge your supplier. But in time, I think it will be much easier to source engineered stone in China, but currently, be careful.

27 comments:

Alan said...

Hi, thanks for the article, very helpful when evaluating different quotes before final selection. Currently looking around for Polar white quartz for my new kitchen top - have to admit I am now more cautious about those unbranded quartz quotes at the low pricing end.

Something I noted, which came to light after reading this article, is that one of the quartz samples I got has cracks inside the material (can be seen along its cross-section) - fearing these are issues with compacting referred to above...ahh, won't risk that one!

Tomson said...

Answer for Alan,
I'm glad it helps, however industrial defects occur on also certified material, the only difference is that you usually thave high quality in these cases and the probability is small. And of course, I have not exposed strange things that are done in some countries to reduce resin costs, making their product less expensive ... happy to have helped. Good luck.

Jenny Patel said...

Which factory did you import from in China? If you don't mind me asking...I am debating between vicostone in Vietnam and some place in china. Vicostone is better....or so I have heard but I import majority of other goods from china so it is convenient for me...please share some thoughts...

Tomson said...

Vicostone is ok, I know them pretty well, the black may give you some problems, as they do some funny things to polish it.... I've seen some complaints on the black due to chemical reactions with the surface.
The chinese company I used to deal with I can send you a pm by e-mail if you want.

Van Nguyen said...

Vicostone uses a special substance to cover the finish surfaces of black color line so as to help them be resistant to dust or some kinds of stains, not to polish,Vicostone's finish surfaces are polished by machinery.If you want to care or wipe your Vicostone surfaces, you had better use the cleansers or cleaning methods as recommended by manufacturer or authorized retailers, contributors.

Paul Lima said...

Great info thanks! I'm also thinking of buying from China, specifically Costastone. I've been told they use Italian machinery and Italian technicians. I would love to know what you think?

STONE FAIR ONLINE - Mystone.cc said...

Every country makes good and bad quality products, including US. Actually there are some very perfect suppliers in China. I am working for a china Artificial Stone supplier,and we supply good quality quartz stone, artifiial marble. It is correct you have to SELECT the supplier, but most importantly you need to know how to select and use the RIGHT supplier and RIGHT person. Working with the right China Engineered Stone cmpany will make your job easy, and you even do not need to inspect the shippments before loading. Remember us, Ally Stone from China, a trusted supplier with 20 years experience in the industry.------Nick Xiao | International Sales Dept | Mobile: +86 1505 9818 316
T +86(0)592 5027611 | F +86(0)592 5027523 | E-mail: nick@allystone.cn
Xiamen Ally Stone Industrial Co., Ltd | web: www.granitemarblestonechina.com
Room 1504,No.170,East Tapu Road,Siming District,Xiamen City,Fujian Province, China.

Unknown said...

Hi - I am thinking of using Polar Stone Countertops for my Kitchen. They are less $ than Caesarstone and Silestone. However if they are inferior and have used hazardous materials in the counters and are not CE certified - I am very concerned. It is still a lot of money all together with manfacturing and installation - so I would like to understand this before purchasing! What brand/company are you referring to in the article? THANKS!

Unknown said...

Hi D. Radish, I was wondering if you went with the Polar Stone or not. I saw it here in Chicago and it looks really nice. I too am hesitant to go with it and I can not find anyone with experience with it. Thanks

Unknown said...

Any more experiences with Polarstone Quartz? I am interested in the Olympia
pattern. Appreciate any updates! Thanks

Unknown said...

Global Stone From China keep focus on hospitality granite, quartz and marble furniture tops supplier. They are professional, and always do excellent jobs. Just for you can find good supplier from China.
Website: www.globalstonegroup.com
www.marblegranitequartzstonecountertopschina.com

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

All or most Chinese or any international company products aren't certified so who is to say it's good. Look for the certification. If they don't have a lifetime warranty, you're out of luck. As always, you get what you pay for.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Quartz stone countertops are increasing in popularity. I think there is a problem with supply and not demand.
Nandeus

Nancy Jone said...

Nice blog. Indian Quartzite stone not just amazingly durable but the beautiful designs and colors make them one of the most preferred flooring options throughout the world.SMG Overseas India, Perfect place to buy all your home or office flooring or wall designing needs. Buy stones now!

Unknown said...

Your suposed to ask for all certifications prior any purchase. Your obviously not aware of the risks involved. And believe me there are many.

Unknown said...

we manufacturing quartz grits and lumps in INDIA. Please let us know if any one has the requirement of Quartz Grits Mobile:- 91 8140208044 +91 9924698268 Email:- info@saraminerals.com

Composite Autoclave Manufacturer said...

Which company is better for engineered granite stone project

Unknown said...

Hello Tomson, you wrote very insightful article.I'd like to invite you to visit our factory in China. We have over 10 yrs experience, certificates from SGS/TUV/NSF/CE, shipping to USA, Canada, Australia, Uk almost everyday. More info at our website: HorizonQuartz.com

XIAMEN KUNGFU STONE LTD said...

if any customer want to import china granite countertop, weclome contact with KUNGFU STONE LTD sales@kungfu-stone.com

nickmiddleton010 said...

Vona Consulting was established in New York, internationally operated with three offices in China. chinese manufacturers

Unknown said...

Thanks so much for this post! Astrum Granite is the largest fabricator and installer of granite worktops, marble worktops and quartz worktops stone countertops. We have over 2,000 stone colors. And providing Servicing in united kingdom. Call on +44(0203)290-8427 You can Also search my services with all these keywords .

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Winnipeg said...

Thanks for sharing such a valuable information..
Springfield Woodworking, we can install a stone countertop in your Winnipeg home, and the engineered, honeycomb core of our quartz counters makes this product very lightweight and durable.
Stone Countertops Winnipeg
Custom Countertops Ontario

chandan singh said...

Hi,
I am chandan singh from Udaipur, Rajasthan. According to me if you are looking for best Quartz Manufscturer, Supplier and Exporter in India then Palash Internationals is the one of the best Quartz Manufscturer, Supplier and Exporter in India.
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Gagan tailor said...

this blog has really good info, if you like it then visit Quartz Grain Suppliers in India

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