We have contacted many customers, they are doubtful about the procurement of building materials from China, “Is the quality reliable? Will transportation be troublesome?” In fact, these questions are normal. After all, cross-border procurement does require some experience and skills.
Right now, friends from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and even more countries and regions, have cast their eyes on China’s building materials market.
As George Intl, who has been deeply engaged in Foshan building materials industry for many years, we would like to combine the experience accumulated over the years and share with you some of the dry goods used.
Let you again China procurement of building materials less detour, a little more peace of mind.
Table of Contents
Building Materials in China
1.1 Recognize the Charm of Chinese building Materials
I still remember the first homeowner client I received from Canada, who was caught up in the anxiety of “there are so many building materials, I don’t know what to choose” at the beginning of the project.
Our project manager took him on a tour of our showroom, looking at rows and rows of exquisite tiles, polished stone and advanced cabinet design.
He exclaimed, “How can there be such a complete range of building materials in China?” while talking to his wife in Canada and sharing what he saw in the George Intl showroom with his family.
This made me realize that many overseas friends who originally did not know much about China’s building materials industry would be completely attracted to Foshan, a city with more than 10 years of vitality, once they set foot in China.
1.2 Quality and Diversity
In Foshan, there is an extremely mature production process of building materials, which can not only meet international standards. And the choice of products with different styles and functions is very rich. Do you want modern simplicity or European luxury?
Style and material are no longer a limitation for you to make a decision, and you can find suitable products almost anywhere in China.
Even if your home or project has special color or craftsmanship requirements, you don’t have to worry.
Many factories support personalized customization and can also show you the proofed finished product to make sure that what you receive in the end is the same as what you have in mind.
1.3 Quality-price Ratio
In Foshan, there is an extremely mature production process of building materials, which can not only meet international standards. And the choice of products with different styles and functions is very rich. Do you want modern simplicity or European luxury?
Style and material are no longer a limitation for you to make a decision, and you can find suitable products almost anywhere in China.
Even if your home or project has special color or craftsmanship requirements, you don’t have to worry.
Many factories support personalized customization and can also show you the proofed finished product to make sure that what you receive in the end is the same as what you have in mind.
1.4 Full Range, One-stop Shopping Convenience
Maybe in your local market, if you want to buy all the materials for your home, you need to run several cities to barely get all the different types of building materials together.
But in Foshan, China, at George Intl, a large one-stop supplier of building materials, you only need to spend two or three days to get all the cabinets, bathrooms, doors, windows, tiles, lighting, furniture, staircases, and stone.
Eliminating the hassle of multiple trips and docking with different manufacturers, all the bits and pieces of the idea to a complete program, all the links in our showroom can be done at once.
Identify the Needs
2.1 Clarify Project Scope and Budget
You can ask your architect to provide you with detailed project drawings when you come to China with them.
The supplier will be able to clearly understand the area of your project, the scope of each space, the width of the floor, the height, the schedule of doors and windows.
Clearly plan what products are needed for each space, and in which zone the overall project budget is distributed. This will allow you to screen out products that don’t fit the bill faster and use your limited budget where it will do the most good.
While it is possible to purchase all materials in GeorgeIntl in just a few days. But by planning ahead, you will be able to save time from it to visit the local tourist attractions.
Experiencing the food culture of Foshan and trying a city walk in a foreign city is also a good experience.
2.2 Detailed List of Materials
Don’t underestimate this step; the more specific the list, the easier it will be to communicate the details of the project later. For example, if you need an open kitchen, it’s a good idea to indicate the approximate size of the cabinets, the paneling requirements and the style of the look.
Of course, our business team will usually discuss this with you before you come to China.
When you officially come to our showroom, we will be able to give you the quotation for your reference. Subsequently, further communication and modification will be made for different materials and prices.
From this article, you can learn how to source cabinets from China:
2.3 Knowledge of Relevant National or Regional Standards
Many customers are concerned about environmental protection or safety levels. For example, formaldehyde content is required in North America, energy efficiency is highly valued in Europe, and fire ratings are particularly important in Australia.
Our team will provide clear certification or testing requirements according to your local standards. This way, you get a more assured product and don’t need to worry about getting stuck until you get to customs.
In addition, we recommend that you choose your favorite design style, or what kind of atmosphere you want your project to present, before picking the products accordingly.
Of course, George Intl has its own design team and project managers to help you quickly decide which products are right for you.
Finding the Right Supplier
3.1 Online Channel
Find large B2B platforms through the Internet and make multi-platform comparisons.
Alibaba (Alibaba): the most common large-scale B2B platform, covering almost all kinds of building materials products, many suppliers have detailed store descriptions and product videos.
Made-in-China (Made-in-China): is also a very suitable B2B platform for foreign trade procurement, bringing together a variety of building materials related industries from ceramics to furniture, hardware and accessories.
Global Sources: Focuses on national buyers and provides a huge amount of information on Chinese suppliers. Commonly used in all kinds of exhibitions, but also can not find a lot of building materials factories online.
3.2 Offline Channel
Foshan also brings together a number of offline building materials markets or industrial bases, all of which are popular locations that many overseas friends often visit when they come to look for building materials.
During your trip to China, you may want to include them in your itinerary, and feel the local atmosphere of building materials in Foshan while shopping.
Casa Ceramic & Sanitary Ware Market
The main bathroom ceramics, more than twenty showroom buildings, as far as the eye can see all the toilets, wash basins, bathroom cabinets and tile-related showrooms.
New products are updated quickly, and many design trends can be seen here for the first time.
George Intl headquarters is located in the 24th building of Casa Ceramic & Sanitary Ware Market.
Mercure International Building Material Expo Center
It can be described as a “comprehensive” building materials mall, not only tiles, stone, sanitary ware, but also doors, windows, furniture and other stores.
Suitable for one-time comparison of a number of brands, the selection of items is very friendly.
China Ceramics City
This is a specialized exhibition of ceramics, ceramic tiles, sanitary ware, the layout is relatively high-grade, brand image packaging is also more professional.
Many well-known big-name ceramic manufacturers have set up showrooms here, if you want to see high-end or technologically innovative products, you can come here to shop.
Nanzhuang Ceramic Industry Base
Located in Nanzhuang Town, Foshan City, known as “China’s first town of ceramics”, a large number of ceramic factories and wholesale markets.
For those who need to purchase ceramic tiles in large quantities and want to find source manufacturers or cost-effective products, this place is definitely worth exploring in depth.
Huaxia Ceramics Expo City
Large-scale ceramic expositions are held regularly, bringing together domestic and foreign ceramic brands, and are a gathering place for industry information and new product releases.
If you happen to attend the exhibition period, you can contact many manufacturers at once, but also access cutting-edge industry information.
Lecong Furniture Mall
Although primarily geared towards furniture purchasing, this is one of the most concentrated areas if your project requires finished or customized furniture.
Known as Asia’s largest furniture market, the showrooms inside are also quite large, so you won’t be tired of shopping all day.
Ceramic Expo & Trade Center
Focusing on ceramic tiles, ceramic raw materials and so on, it is a comprehensive ceramic trade center.
Suitable for buyers who want to find multiple brands or different positioning of ceramic products, can do a large selection in a relatively short period of time.
Louvre International Furniture Expo Center
With a focus on high-end furniture, it is also similarly located in the Lezhong area.
If you’re looking for a more unique sense of design and high-quality furniture, you can find quite a few mid-to-high-end brands and customized designer brands here.
Production and Quality Control
When you need to do cross-border sourcing of building materials, what people may worry about is – not being able to be in China, in Foshan, every minute of the day.
Then how to make sure the factory comes out with the quality we want? We deeply understand this kind of feeling, as human beings do.
As the Chinese proverb goes, we rely on our parents at home, and we rely on our friends when we go out. When you contact us, the GeorgeIntl team will be your friends in China. We will assist you in accomplishing this.
4.1 Rationalization of Scheduling: Allowing Sufficient Time
Many overseas friends initially talk about the delivery time and think that as long as it is written into the contract, it is done. However, if your order is large or requires a lot of customized details, then the production cycle can’t be simply applied as usual.
Sometimes our factories need to prepare raw materials and arrange collaboration between different workshops. We usually confirm the time needed for each process with the factory before the contract, and then a small margin in case of unforeseen circumstances.
4.2 Inspection of Raw Materials and Semi-Finished Products
Quality building materials should be guaranteed from the raw materials, such as the quality of the embryo of tiles, the thickness of aluminum alloy of doors and windows, the environmental protection level of the plate, etc..
If you pay special attention to a certain material, you can ask the supplier to send you the test report or picture before purchasing the raw materials or starting the production.
This strictness is very suitable for every friend who comes to China to purchase building materials, and also makes the factory more attentive to standardize the raw materials and production process.
4.3 In-process Inspection and Communication
It’s best not to wait for production to be completely finished before inspecting the goods all at once, it’s easy to be caught off guard then.
The safest way is to have the factory take some videos of the production progress every once in a while.
We can take some pictures or videos of the production process for certain product details, such as wall panel color, cabinet size, for you.
4.4 Quality Assurance and Inspection
When the product is basically finished, the factory usually does a self-inspection first, such as sanding the surface of the furniture and painting quality check. Flatness and color difference test for tiles or stone, etc.
If you have high requirements for certain functions, such as sound insulation or waterproof performance of doors and windows, you can also let the factory conduct on-site demonstrations.
Of course, our showroom has some professional machines to do the function demonstration, such as the sound insulation performance of doors and windows can be witnessed in the showroom.
4.5 Packaging
Sometimes what we tend to ignore is the packaging, as a result, when it comes to the transportation stage, some fragile or afraid of bumping products without protection will be damaged.
Our factory is very experienced and will use wooden crates, EPE pearl cotton, thick foam and other materials to reinforce the products, especially fragile products such as tiles, glass and stone.
We will also take pictures or videos of the packing process to show you, so that you know whether we have done product protection measures as required.
Logistics and Customs Clearance
At this point, building materials purchased from as far away as China are already within reach.
For many customers, the biggest headache of cross-border procurement is logistics and customs clearance.
It’s true, but don’t panic, as long as you know the general process and have a reliable logistics partner or customs broker.
This process can become very smooth, here George Intl has some practical tips to share with you:
5.1 How to Choose Between Sea, Air or Rail?
Sea freight: For large quantities and less urgent building materials (e.g. tiles, marble, whole cabinets), sea freight is the most common choice. Its freight cost is relatively economic, but the time will be a little longer.
Air freight: If you only need to purchase a small number of small samples, air freight can greatly shorten the time, but the cost will also rise significantly. In general, George intl does not recommend airfreight, as it is too expensive.
Railroad: For some specific routes (e.g. China-Europe, etc.), sometimes railroad can be considered. The speed is slightly faster than sea freight and the cost is cheaper than air freight.
5.2 Preparation of Customs Declaration
Before loading containers or packing, you need to make sure that your supplier can provide you with full export documentation. Common ones include:
1. Commercial invoice
2. Packing list
3. Certificate of origin
Other special certificates or certifications, such as environmental compliance certificates, fire rating certificates, etc.
These information will directly affect the customs inspection of the goods and tax calculation, this part you can rest assured that George Intl to deal with.
Our project manager will be prepared in advance and will be further confirmed with you before shipment: your country’s customs on building materials products have special requirements? So that we can deal with it in advance.
5.3 Last-mile Delivery
If you are picking up the goods at the port yourself, then you need to coordinate storage, trucking or delivery vehicles. For bulk building materials, the means of loading and unloading and vehicle selection is also critical, try to find a trucking team familiar with the transportation of building materials, can reduce breakage.
If you sign up for door-to-door service with a logistics company or supplier, the delivery upon arrival will be relatively hassle-free.
The supplier will be responsible for transporting the goods to your designated warehouse or construction site. Sometimes the price is slightly higher, but the time and effort saved is often quite worth it.
Receiving, Inspection and Follow-up Services
Buying building materials from China is not complete once the goods have been shipped to their destination.
In fact, the final acceptance is also very critical, only if you are completely satisfied with the actual product in hand, this cross-border procurement is really complete.
6.1 Goods Receipt and Inspection
Outsourcing inspection: first look at the outer packaging for any obvious signs of bumping or breakage. If you find that the box or wooden pallet has a large dent or crack, take a photo or video and try to keep the evidence.
Quantity and model control: Take the packing list or the specifications written on the contract and confirm them one by one.
For example, if you bought 300 square meters of tiles, whether the actual number of tiles in hand is the same; whether the cabinet accessories are complete.
Appearance check: after opening the package, the most intuitive is color, workmanship and so on. Look carefully to see if there are any scratches or color differences, and if it is a wooden door, check to see if the splices of the panels are firm, and whether the paint has overflowed.
Timely communication: If you find any discrepancy or breakage, take photos and record them at the first time and contact the supplier to discuss the solution together.
6.2 Installation
Professional installation team: like the whole kitchen, doors, windows, bathrooms, these, need professional construction team to cooperate. If the master does not have the appropriate experience, it may be installed with the glass door broken, or installed crooked cabinets.
Trial and debugging: When the installation is completed, be sure to conduct a simple function test: Doors and windows open and close smoothly? Shower faucet water how? Do the cabinet drawers pull out easily?
Record problems: If you find that any cabinet door won’t fit, or the hardware is a little stuck, take pictures and contact the supplier right away. The sooner you find the problem, the easier it will be to negotiate or send a replacement for the small part.
6.3 After-sales Service
Warranty and warranty terms: regular suppliers will write down the scope and length of the product warranty, and keep these commitments in the contract or communication records.
Timely communication and sincere solution: Problems do not mean the end of cooperation, but rather a time to test the responsibility of the other party.
A supplier that is worth long-term cooperation can often show professionalism and sincerity in the after-sales process.
6.4 Establishment of Long-term Cooperative Relationships
When you and a certain supplier or factory familiarize each other with each other’s needs and habits, the next cooperation will be easier and more efficient.
In addition, if you have friends who are also looking for similar building materials, don’t forget to recommend good suppliers to them.
On the one hand, you can save other people’s time, and on the other hand, the other party will give you more trust and discounts in the subsequent cooperation.
Conclusion
Sourcing building materials from China may sound a bit complicated, but in fact, as long as you have your needs sorted out.
By choosing the right suppliers, ensuring quality and smooth logistics, you’ll find that the whole process is much simpler than you thought.
