Everyone asks about the price per square metre. But the factory price you're quoted is only the beginning — FOB logistics charges, ocean freight that swings by the week, duties, and handling costs can double your total before the tiles reach your warehouse. Here's what each cost layer looks like, with real numbers you can plan around.
FOB (Free on Board) charge is the logistics cost to move your tiles from a Guangdong factory to the export port — typically Foshan or Shenzhen — and load them onto the vessel. It covers inland trucking, port handling, documentation and loading. This is a logistics-only cost; the tile product cost is quoted separately based on your spec, grade and order volume.
FOB charges vary primarily by tile size and weight. Here are the typical ranges for Guangdong factory → FOB Foshan / FOB Shenzhen:
| Tile Size Band | Example Sizes (mm) | FOB Charge (USD/m²) |
|---|---|---|
| Small format | 300×300, 300×600, 400×400, 60×240 | $0.80 – $1.20 |
| Medium format | 600×600, 800×800, 600×1200 | $1.20 – $1.80 |
| Large format & slabs | 750×1500, 1200×2400, 1600×3200 | $1.20 – $3.00 |
These are logistics-only charges. When a supplier quotes you "FOB Foshan $X/m²", the product cost and FOB logistics charge are already bundled into one number. Understanding the logistics component helps you compare quotes more intelligently and identify where costs can be optimised.
Tiles are heavy cargo. They ship in 20GP or 40GP containers — not 40HQ. For sintered stone slabs 1800×900mm and larger, 40GP is the standard choice due to the slab dimensions.
| Container | Max Load (tons) | Approx. Tile Volume | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20GP | 26–28 | 800–1,200 m² | Standard for most tile orders |
| 40GP | 26–28 | 1,600–2,200 m² | Used for large slabs (1800×900+) or high-volume orders |
⚠️ Critical: ocean freight is not a fixed number. Three things every tile buyer needs to understand:
Practical takeaway: when budgeting, always ask for a current freight quote for your specific destination port — not a generic estimate from last month. A 40GP carries roughly 2× the volume of a 20GP but typically costs only 30–50% more in freight, making it more cost-effective per square metre for larger orders. But the exact numbers depend entirely on your route and the week you book.
Import duty on ceramic and porcelain tiles varies widely by country. Some key reference points:
Customs clearance adds a broker fee of $150–$500 per shipment. Budget another $200–$800 for port handling charges at the destination.
Once your container clears customs, it needs to reach your warehouse or project site. Inland transport costs depend on:
These are the line items that turn a "good deal" into a cost overrun:
Let's walk through a realistic order — 1,000 m² of 600×600mm matte porcelain tiles shipped from a Guangdong factory via FOB Foshan to a Middle East port, with inland delivery to a warehouse 80 km from the port. Product cost is excluded below — it varies by spec, grade and volume and is quoted separately. The table shows the logistics, freight and handling costs that apply on top of your product cost. Note: ocean freight below is a snapshot — next week's rate for the same route could be significantly different.
| Cost Item | Amount (USD) | Per m² |
|---|---|---|
| FOB charge — factory → Foshan port (medium format) | $1,500 | $1.50 |
| Palletisation @ $0.30/m² | $300 | $0.30 |
| Ocean freight — 20GP to Middle East port (indicative snapshot) | $2,200 | $2.20 |
| Customs broker + port handling | $500 | $0.50 |
| Inland transport (80 km) + unloading | $700 | $0.70 |
| LOGISTICS & HANDLING SUBTOTAL (excl. product cost, duty, insurance, breakage) | $5,200 | $5.20 |
Additional costs to factor in: import duty (typically 5% of CIF value for Middle East routes), marine insurance (0.3–0.5% of cargo value), and breakage buffer (1–2% of product cost). For a typical mid-range porcelain order, these percentage-based costs add approximately $1–2/m² to the logistics subtotal above — but the exact amounts depend on your product spec and destination country.
The bottom line: logistics, freight and handling alone add up to $5,200 ($5.20/m²) for this shipment at a normal freight rate — roughly doubling your effective per-square-metre cost. And this is before factoring in duty, insurance and breakage. If ocean freight spikes to $5,000+ for the same route (which happens during disruptions), your logistics+freight costs alone jump to $8,000+. This is why comparing only product prices between suppliers misses the real picture — the logistics and freight layers often make a bigger difference to your total cost than a $1/m² product price variation.
If you're buying from multiple factories — say, porcelain tiles from Factory A, ceramic wall tiles from Factory B, and SPC flooring from Factory C — shipping each as a separate container wastes money. Consolidation (combining orders from different suppliers into shared containers) saves 20–40% on freight per product type.
Our Foshan consolidation warehouse receives goods from all your suppliers, palletises uniformly, and loads mixed containers. You pay one ocean freight bill instead of three. See how our Full-Service Supply works.
Most buyers think going direct to the factory is the cheapest route. In practice, an independent sourcing partner brings three cost advantages:
Read our full buyer's guide for the complete sourcing workflow.
For a typical tile import, logistics, freight and handling costs add $5–8/m² to your product cost at normal freight rates. On top of that, import duties, insurance and breakage buffer add approximately $1–2/m² depending on your destination and order spec. When ocean freight spikes during route disruptions, these non-product costs can jump to $8–12/m² or more — effectively doubling your logistics burden.
A practical rule of thumb: budget $6–10/m² in logistics and handling costs on top of your product cost for most routes — and always get a current freight quote for your specific destination port before committing to an order. The freight rate at the time of booking can make a bigger difference to your bottom line than a $1/m² variation in product price.
Related reading: Porcelain vs Ceramic Tiles: Which to Import · Sintered Stone & Big Slab Buying Guide
Send us your tile spec and destination port — we'll calculate your complete cost within 24 hours, with current freight rates for your route.