Division 01 · Ceramic & porcelain tiles
Fifty manufacturers behind every tile quotation.
Tiles are the largest part of our business. Because Akarta owns no kiln, we are free to place your specification wherever it is made best — across a network of more than fifty manufacturers in Morbi, Gujarat, the largest ceramic cluster in India.
50+
Manufacturer network
7
Tile categories
300×300 – 1200×2400
Sizes stocked
1 × 20' FCL
Minimum order
Overview
An independent tile desk, not a factory showroom
We do not manufacture tiles, so we hold no brand loyalty. If a tile is well made and correctly priced, we will source it. That gives buyers one of the widest selections available from a single supplier — and an inspection team whose only interest is your specification.
Morbi produces the majority of India's ceramic and vitrified tiles, and quality across the cluster varies enormously from one plant to the next. A factory that excels at large-format glazed vitrified tiles is often the wrong choice for anti-skid outdoor paving. Our buying team knows which line does which job well, which is why we shortlist by application rather than by brand.
For every enquiry we send you a shortlist with factory-level pricing, available sizes and finishes, production lead time and photographs of the actual production batch. Once you approve a sample, that approved sample becomes the reference our inspectors check the bulk against — shade, calibration, thickness, warpage and surface finish included.
Buyers who need consistent repeat supply are usually placed with two nominated factories rather than one, so a single line breakdown or shade change does not interrupt your programme. Where a buyer requires their own brand, we arrange private-label cartons, printed inserts and display samples through the same plants.
At a glance
- Sourcing region
- Morbi & Rajkot ceramic cluster, Gujarat, India
- Load ports
- Mundra and Kandla (typically 4–8 hours from factory)
- Lead time
- 18–30 days from order confirmation for standard ranges
- Sampling
- Free A4 samples; full boxes at cost, freight at buyer's account
- Quality basis
- Buyer-approved pre-production sample, checked before loading
How we work
We source from India's established brands — we do not manufacture
Akarta Exports is a sourcing and export house. We do not own factories and we do not claim to. Our value is that we know which well-known Indian brands and manufacturers make what, to what standard, and at what price — and we buy from them to the exact specification you give us.
01 — Your specification, written down
We start from your specification, not from a catalogue. Grade, dimension, tolerance, finish, test standard, pack, artwork and labelling are put in writing and confirmed with you before a single enquiry goes out.
02 — Matched to the right Indian brand
We place that specification with established, well-known Indian brands and manufacturers in the cluster that genuinely makes the product — Morbi for tiles, Rajkot and Ludhiana for machinery, Meerut and Jalandhar for sports goods, Kerala and Gujarat for spices.
03 — Offers compared on merit
Because we own no plant and owe no factory a minimum offtake, we compare offers openly on quality, consistency, capacity and price — and tell you where a lower price will not hold up in your market.
04 — Inspected, consolidated, shipped
Our own inspectors clear the goods at the brand's plant and again before loading. Multiple brands and multiple divisions consolidate into one container, one invoice and one document set.
Brand names are disclosed to you on the offer and named on the inspection report, so you always know whose production you are buying. Where a buyer already has a preferred Indian brand, we are happy to source that brand and handle only the inspection, consolidation, documentation and shipping.
The range
Tile categories we export
Each category is available across multiple sizes, finishes and price points. Send us the application and we will shortlist grades against it rather than sending a catalogue.
- Porcelain tiles
- Dense, low-porosity body (water absorption under 0.5%) for demanding indoor and outdoor use. Matt, polished, carving, satin and rustic surfaces in sizes from 600×600 up to 800×1600 mm.
- Glazed vitrified tiles (GVT/PGVT)
- Digitally printed vitrified tiles that reproduce marble, stone, cement, terrazzo and wood at high resolution. The volume seller for residential and hospitality projects; available in 600×600, 600×1200, 800×1600 and 1200×2400 mm.
- Double-charge & full-body vitrified
- Two-layer double-charge and homogeneous full-body tiles for airports, malls, showrooms and other heavy-traffic commercial floors where the pattern must survive years of abrasion.
- Wall tiles
- Ceramic, porcelain, mosaic, subway and highlighter wall tiles in 250×375, 300×450, 300×600 and 300×900 mm, including matching floor-and-wall series for bathroom projects.
- Floor tiles
- Indoor ceramic and porcelain floor tiles including wood-plank, marble-look, terrazzo and micro-cement ranges, with rectified edges available where tight grout lines are required.
- Outdoor & anti-skid tiles
- R10 to R11 slip-rated porcelain, grip-surface ceramic and stone-effect tiles for terraces, poolsides, walkways and façades, tested for frost resistance where the destination market requires it.
- Parking & heavy-duty tiles
- 9–12 mm parking tiles engineered for vehicle loads and abrasion, in grit, riven and rustic surfaces, generally supplied in 300×300 and 400×400 mm.
Technical data
Typical technical values by tile type
Indicative values for the grades we ship most often. Factory test certificates to the relevant ISO 10545 method are issued with each consignment, and exact values are confirmed on your quotation.
Swipe table to see all columns →
| Tile type | Common sizes (mm) | Thickness | Water absorption | Typical application |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glazed vitrified (GVT/PGVT) | 600×600, 600×1200, 800×1600 | 8.5–10 mm | < 0.5% | Residential & hospitality floors |
| Double-charge vitrified | 600×600, 800×800 | 9–10 mm | < 0.5% | Malls, showrooms, airports |
| Full-body vitrified | 600×600, 800×800 | 9–10 mm | < 0.5% | Industrial & heavy commercial |
| Ceramic wall tiles | 250×375, 300×450, 300×600 | 7–9 mm | 10–20% | Interior walls, bathrooms, kitchens |
| Ceramic floor tiles | 300×300, 400×400, 600×600 | 8–9 mm | 3–6% | Interior residential floors |
| Outdoor / anti-skid porcelain | 300×300, 600×600 | 9–10 mm | < 0.5% | Terraces, poolside, walkways |
| Parking tiles | 300×300, 400×400 | 9–12 mm | < 3% | Driveways, parking decks |
Water absorption to ISO 10545-3, breaking strength to ISO 10545-4, slip resistance to DIN 51130 (R rating) where applicable. Values vary by factory and batch.
Applications & markets
Where our tiles go
Roughly speaking, our tile buyers fall into four groups, and each is quoted differently — on price banding, on packing, and on how much of the range we shortlist.
Importers & distributors
- Container programmes of mixed sizes and shades
- Consistent repeat supply from nominated factories
- Private-label cartons and display samples
- Price banding across economy, standard and premium grades
Projects & contractors
- Hotel, hospital and residential tower packages
- Single-batch production to avoid shade variation
- Anti-skid and fire-rated documentation where specified
- Phased shipments matched to construction programme
Retail chains & showrooms
- Curated seasonal ranges with sample boards
- Barcoded and retail-printed cartons
- Wood-look and marble-look series for showroom display
- Mixed FCL loading to widen assortment per shipment
Division in numbers
50+
Manufacturers in network
Morbi and Rajkot ceramic cluster
7
Tile categories
Wall, floor, outdoor, vitrified, parking and more
18–30
Days lead time
From confirmed order for standard ranges
2
Load ports for tiles
Mundra and Kandla, both close to the cluster
Quality assurance
Nothing leaves India until our own inspectors clear it
Akarta runs an in-house quality department with inspectors assigned to each division. Goods are checked at the factory during production and again before loading, against the written specification agreed on your purchase order — not against the factory's own grading.
- Pre-production sample approved by the buyer before bulk manufacture begins
- In-line checks during production for shade, calibration, dimension and moisture
- Pre-shipment inspection with photographic report before container sealing
- Third-party inspection (SGS, Bureau Veritas, Intertek) arranged where required
ISO 9001:2015
Certified quality management system
Govt. approved
Registered Indian merchant exporter
In-house docs
Export paperwork prepared by our team
Packing & shipping
Packed the way your market receives it
Tiles are heavy, fragile and shipped to the tonne — so packing and loading is where consignments are won or lost. Every loading plan is prepared before dispatch and shared with the buyer.
- Standard export cartons, shrink-wrapped and strapped onto fumigated wooden pallets
- Buyer-specified carton printing, barcodes, batch codes and shipping marks
- Private-label packaging under your own brand name and artwork
- Mixed-size and mixed-shade container loading to your written loading plan
- Container weight optimised to avoid port overweight penalties at destination
- Corner protection and edge guards on large-format and rectified tiles
Documentation
Paperwork prepared in-house, not outsourced
Every consignment travels with a complete document set, prepared by our own documentation team and checked against your letter of credit or contract terms before dispatch.
Commercial invoice & packing list
Prepared line by line against your purchase order, with HS codes for the destination market.
Bill of lading & certificate of origin
Issued on your nominated terms, with chamber-attested origin certificates where required.
Test & inspection certificates
Factory ISO 10545 test reports plus our own pre-shipment inspection report with photographs.
Global reach
Quoted in your currency, shipped from your nearest Indian port
Enquiries reach us from importers, distributors, contractors and retail chains across five continents — Africa, the Middle East, Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. We quote FOB, CFR or CIF, load from Mundra, Kandla, Nhava Sheva or Pipavav depending on your routing, and keep one commercial contact accountable for the consignment from purchase order to bill of lading.
Africa
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Sudan, Mozambique, Zambia, South Africa
Middle East
UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq
Europe
Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland, United Kingdom
Americas
United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile
Asia-Pacific
Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan
Load ports
Mundra · Kandla · Pipavav · Nhava Sheva
Incoterms
FOB · CFR · CIF · EXW on request
Correspondence
English, with documentation to buyer-country requirements
Buyer questions
What importers usually ask us first
What is your minimum order quantity for tiles?
One 20-foot container is the practical minimum for a single specification, which is roughly 1,000–1,200 m² depending on tile thickness and size. Smaller trial quantities can be arranged as part of a mixed 40-foot load alongside other sizes or another Akarta division.
Can you supply samples before we place an order?
Yes. A4 cut samples of shortlisted articles are free of charge; full boxes are supplied at cost. In both cases courier freight is to the buyer's account. Once you approve a sample it becomes the written quality reference our inspectors check the bulk production against.
How do you handle shade variation between batches?
Shade and calibration are recorded at approval and checked again before loading. For projects we ask the factory to produce the full quantity in a single run wherever the volume allows, and for repeat distributor programmes we nominate the same factory and line so subsequent containers match earlier ones.
Do you supply under our own brand?
Yes. Private-label supply is routine: your brand on the carton, your artwork, your barcode and, where you want it, your own series names on printed inserts and sample boards.
Which incoterms do you quote?
FOB Mundra or Kandla is the most common basis for tiles. CFR and CIF to your destination port are available, and EXW factory can be quoted where you appoint your own forwarder in India.
Common enquiries
Specifications buyers most often ask us to quote
These are the enquiries that reach this desk most weeks. If yours is on the list, we already have the grades, packing and loadability worked out — send the quantity and destination port and we will price it.
Export desk
Request a quotation
Send your product type, grade, quantity and destination port. Our export desk replies with available grades, packing options, loadability and indicative pricing — usually within one working day.