How to Find Ceramic Tile Importers, and Which Markets Buy Your Origin
Reevi team · Updated
Screen each market with import records filed in that country, build your shortlist of named companies from the Coverings and Cersaie exhibitor catalogues or a Reevi search, and check your origin's duty status before you quote. The United States has 1,736 ceramic tile importers on record with no origin above about 21% of shipments, while in the United Kingdom India supplies about 57% of shipments. In the United States, Chinese tile has been under an antidumping duty order since 1 June 2020 and Indian tile under a countervailing duty order since 16 June 2025; both add cash deposits at entry but do not stop imports.
Reevi returns named companies that already import ceramic tiles, with the reason each one fits; searching is free and needs no account.
Which markets buy tile from your country: two sets of import records
Both rows come from import records filed in the destination country under HS 690721, 690722 and 690723. The data provider does not state the period the records cover, so compare the two markets with each other, not with a calendar year. Customs and Bill of Lading data explained shows what these records are.
Ceramic tile importers on record (import records filed in the destination country, period not stated by the provider)
| Market | Importers on record | Shipments | Declared value | Largest origin, share of shipments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 1,736 | 36,492 | $168M | Mexico, about 21% |
| United Kingdom | 70 | 2,039 | $12.3M | India, about 57% |
United States: many origins compete. The largest supplying country, Mexico, has only about a fifth of shipments. No single origin controls the market, so a new origin joins buyers who already source from several countries. The duty orders in the next section raise the landed cost of Indian and Chinese tile. The wider process for this market is in find importers in the United States.
United Kingdom: India accounts for about 57% of recorded shipments. For a Morbi factory, the buyer already handles Indian tile, so you compete with other Indian suppliers on price or product. If you supply from another origin, explain why the buyer should consider your range.
The United Kingdom list is short (70 importers), so you can review every company by hand. This guide quotes tile importer counts for these two markets only. For other markets, start from find importers by HS code.
United States: duty orders on Chinese and Indian tile
- China: the Department of Commerce issued an antidumping duty order on ceramic tile from China, applicable 1 June 2020 (case A-570-108, Federal Register, 1 June 2020).
- India, countervailing duty: Commerce issued a countervailing duty order on ceramic tile from India, applicable 16 June 2025 (case C-533-929, Federal Register, 16 June 2025). It followed a finding by the International Trade Commission that the industry in the United States is threatened with material injury.
- India, antidumping: Commerce's final antidumping determination on Indian tile was negative. That investigation (case A-533-928) was terminated, so it produced no antidumping order.
What an order means for the importer. United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) requires a cash deposit for each entry of the tile. The importer pays it at the same time as the normal estimated customs duties. The deposit equals the rate set for that producer or exporter. Producers that are not listed by name pay the all-others rate (India) or the China-wide entity rate (China). Commerce sets the final duty later, so the deposit is an estimate, not the final bill. The rates differ by company, so they are not quoted here. Each order's Federal Register notice is public, needs no login and lists the rates by company name. For India, see the 16 June 2025 notice (90 FR 25234). Commerce's ACCESS system holds the full case files under the case numbers above, but it requires a login.
Imports of ceramic tile from India into the United States (International Trade Administration (ITA) case page; United States Census Bureau data via S&P Global Trade Atlas)
| Year | Volume (m²) | Value (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 19,812,890 | $114,171,600 |
| 2022 | 25,712,181 | $145,218,718 |
| 2023 | 36,622,409 | $184,501,499 |
Volume grew by about 85% from 2021 to 2023, before the order. The sources for this guide cover China and India only. If you ship from Vietnam or Malaysia, search the Federal Register for 'ceramic tile from' plus your country before you quote, and ask the buyer's customs broker to confirm.
The documents buyers ask for: a DoP in Europe, ANSI A137 reports in North America
In the European Union, tiles are a construction product. The manufacturer, or the importer who places the tile on the market, issues a Declaration of Performance (DoP) and applies CE marking under the Construction Products Regulation (EU) 305/2011. The harmonised standard for tiles is EN 14411. Below is what one real DoP's file name tells you, and the fields to read inside any DoP.
What the file name shows: Standard: EN 14411 Water absorption group: BIa Markets: one DoP for both the European Union and the United Kingdom Fields to read on any tile DoP before you copy its format: Product type and production method (EN 14411 covers extruded and dry-pressed tiles) Intended use (internal or external, floors or walls) The system of assessment and verification of constancy of performance (AVCP) declared The harmonised standard and its edition The declared performance for each essential characteristic
Check the edition. The Estonian standards catalogue lists EN 14411:2016 as the current edition, valid from 3 August 2016, replacing the 2012 edition. A DoP may still cite the 2012 edition, so ask your buyer which edition their DoP template cites. Also check the harmonised standards list on the European Commission's CPR page. The same page explains the AVCP systems and covers the move from the 2011 Regulation to the 2024 CPR. Read its timeline before you print DoPs for a new range.
North America. Buyers and specifiers refer to the ANSI A137 tile standards. The Tile Council of North America (TCNA) publishes these standards. One example is ANSI A137.3 for calibrated porcelain tile and calibrated porcelain panels and slabs (October 2025 edition). TCNA also runs an ISO-accredited lab for ASTM, ANSI and ISO tests. Ask the buyer which standard they name, and have a test report to that standard before you discuss price.
Three kinds of tile buyer and how each is reached
| Buyer type | How it buys | How to reach it |
|---|---|---|
| Importer-distributor (sells to dealers, merchants and contractors) | Container loads. Four of the five top results in the search shown below buy this way. | Import records, exhibitor lists and a buyer search. Terms for the relationship: find distributors abroad. |
| Retail chain, home centre or online retailer | A national retailer buys across wall, floor and porcelain categories. An online retailer may buy smaller mixed loads through a distributor. | Directly if you can supply national volume. Otherwise, sell to the distributor that supplies the retailer. |
| Project or contract buyer (architects, designers, contractors) | Works from a specification. In North America, that specification usually names an ANSI A137 standard. | Through distributors that serve contractors, and at Cersaie and Coverings, where these buyers attend. |
Where to get company names this week
- 1
Screen the market on the importer pages
Open ceramic tile importers by market, then the United States and United Kingdom pages. Use them for importer counts, shipments and the origin mix. They do not show company names, so build the shortlist from the next steps.
- 2
Build the shortlist from exhibitor catalogues
Coverings 2027 runs from 6 to 9 April in Orlando, Florida, and visitor registration costs nothing. Its exhibitor list on coverings.com shows which distributors and brands are active in North America. The Cersaie 2026 Exhibitor Digital Directory (Bologna) stays online until next spring. You can filter it by product category, country and hall. Neither source shows a filter for importer-distributors, so filter by your target country and check each company. The next Cersaie runs from 27 September to 1 October.
- 3
Optional: run a buyer search
Another route to names is a search at /find-buyers. Describe your tile (body, sizes, finish, CE or ANSI test status, container loads) and the target market. Searching needs no account. The next section shows one run.
- 4
Check each name yourself before you quote
For a buyer in the United States, ask which antidumping or countervailing duty rate their broker expects on your tile. Verify a foreign buyer lists the full checks.
One search: Morbi porcelain for the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia
This search was run on Reevi on 11 November 2026, signed out. It returned 69 potential buyers across the two markets (the market-wide count). The signed-out view lists the top 5 companies by name; a free account adds verified contacts. Company names and domains are removed below. The reasons are Reevi's own lines, shortened.
Glazed porcelain floor and wall tiles from Morbi, India
Search: “Glazed porcelain floor and wall tiles made in Morbi, India (60x60, 60x120, 80x160 cm), CE marked, container loads. Tile importers, distributors and building material wholesalers in the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia.” · Run on 2026-11-11
| Buyer (name removed) | Country | Why Reevi matched it |
|---|---|---|
| Tile importer and wholesaler (strong fit) | United Kingdom | Buys porcelain and ceramic tiles by the container for distributors and merchants. |
| Tile supplier with a container MOQ (strong fit) | United Kingdom | Sells on a single 20ft container minimum, a sign it imports container loads. |
| B2B tile distributor (strong fit) | United Kingdom | Stocks large-format porcelain slabs and paving; fits a container import model. |
| National tile retailer and distributor (strong fit) | United Kingdom | Buys across wall, floor and porcelain categories at national scale. |
| Online porcelain tile retailer (good fit) | United Kingdom | Sources porcelain ranges for resale. |
All five top results are in the United Kingdom, even though the search also named Saudi Arabia. To see Saudi buyers, open the full list or run a separate search for Saudi Arabia only, which also needs no account.
Questions exporters ask
Are cash deposits on Indian tile refunded for entries before June 2025?
The notice says Commerce will instruct CBP to refund cash deposits on entries made before the Commission's final determination was published, because the finding was based on threat of injury. Duties apply from that publication date onward.
Does EN 14411 cover mosaics and trims?
It covers mosaics, defined as any piece that fits into a square area of 49 cm2, if they are made by extrusion or dry-pressing. It does not cover mesh-backed products, or trims and accessories such as edges, corners, skirting and coves. It also excludes tiles for external road finishes and tiles for ceilings.
Do the importer counts include sanitary ware or other ceramic headings?
No. The counts cover HS 690721, 690722 and 690723 only, and they do not include sanitary ware. The ITA import figures for India use a wider list of tariff lines, including 6907.30, 6907.40 and 6905.10. Do not compare the two sources line for line.