Need Help On Building Materials Importing from China? Bansar Recommend the Best Building Materials Supplier for You

Importing Building Materials from China: The Definitive Guide

If you are planning on importing from China, you will definitely to know the details involved.

This guide will offer you information about the process of importing goods from China.

Importing building materials from China be its steel structure, paint, pipes, tiles, window glass among many others should be a very simple process.

Of course, that will only be possible if you follow the right procedures.

Today, you’re going to learn all the basic things you should consider when importing building materials from China.

From identifying the right building materials, sourcing agent, freight forwarder to building material manufacturer – everything you need to know is all here.

But before all this, finding a reliable manufacturer is important.

Where to Find Building Material Manufacturer in China

Finding the right manufacturer in China for building material will not only save you on costs and increased profits but also efficiency in your entire shipment process.

Most people may find this quite a hustle considering there are several manufacturers to choose from in China. Of course, all of them are always ready to provide what you want.

Worry no more.

Why?

Platforms such as Alibaba, Global Sources, Made in China, AliExpress among others have come in handy to help you in selecting the best manufactures easily.

Alibaba building and construction section

 In most cases, they have ratings on the manufacturers and suppliers of different products.

By so doing you are able to easily identify the best rated supplier.

There and then, you are ready to make an order.

Some of the top B2B websites include; Worltrade or DHgate, HiSupplier, and TradeKey just to mention a few offer a better way of finding suppliers.

However, here are some other ways to find your manufacturer;

• Google direct search –Here, all you have to do is type what you are searching for and it will be displayed. Simple as that.
• China building material trade fair- There are several trade fairs which create platforms where manufacturers and suppliers can freely interact with the buyers.

Some of them include Canton fair. Here is a video on how to find your way here:

Other trade fair includeRooftile China, Steel Build, PMMHF, etc.

• China building material market- Cities such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Beijing, Foshan are well known in selling building materials.

Also, you can get some building materials from credited suppliers and stores such as Jinjiang Jiaxing Home Co. Ltd, Guangzhou Zhilv Aluminum Co. Ltd, China tiles limited, Hong Kong building center, China building materials mart.

More resources:

• China Building Material Trade Fair Dates
• List of Trade Fair for Building and Construction Materials
• How to Check for Suppliers on Alibaba
• Wholesale Market for Building Materials in China

You Need a License to Import Building Material from China

For every type of import, you will be required to provide a license document.

This includes importing building materials from China.

You might be wondering – What is the significance of an import license?

Well, a license approves that your goods are authorized.

It basically refers to a document that is issued by a government department to certify your importation.

Before making any purchases, it’s advisable to get all your documents in order including your license just so as to avoid difficulties later after purchasing your materials.

Types of Building Material You Can Import from China

China is the leading producer of several types of materials.

Meaning you can get a variety of building materials from the many manufacturers available.

Types of building material

Some of these building materials are not limited to;

• Kitchen cabinets – You can find kitchen cabinets in sites such as Alibaba or rather you can choose to visit China and purchase it from manufacturers such as Quanzhou Yatai cabinets Co. Ltd, Jinjiang Jiaxing Home Co.Ltd among many others.
• Ceilings– Again here, you can easily purchase ceilings in the online platforms such as made in China at relatively cheaper prices.

On the other hand, suppliers such as Guangzhou Zhilv Aluminum Co. Ltd, Shandong Wan Zhuang building materials Co. Ltd can provide such materials for your ceiling.

• Floor tiles– Floor tiles are mostly common in Foshan area in Guangdong. Here you will get several manufacturers and suppliers and have a variety of types to choose from.
• Doors and windows – Doors and windows can be found in Guangzhou, Beijing, Luoyang, Jinhua among others.
• Kitchen countertops and cabinets – You can purchase your kitchen building materials from Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, and Weifang.

As you can see, most of these building materials are found in similar locations.

This implies that you can end up shopping for everything in the same city or province.

More resources:

• Type of Building Materials
• Classification of Building Material
• Building Materials

You Need a Sourcing Agent for Your Construction Material When Importing from China

Sourcing agents help in finding the right building materials in China.

Most of the services they offer include:

• Warehouse storage
• Customs clearance
• Quality inspection
• Sourcing the product from China.

Here is a summary of what to expect from a sourcing agent:

In most cases, the sourcing companies are familiar with the different suppliers and manufacturers.

So they make the whole process of procuring your goods much easier.

Some of the best rated sourcing agents in China include;

• Meenogroup
• Sourcingbro
• Lazpanda
• Foshan sourcing
• Import Dojo

To add on that, you can get your sourcing agents from google, upwork, Alibaba, Fiverr and trade fairs just to mention a few.

More resources:

• Best 10 China Sourcing Agents
• How to Find a China Sourcing Agent

How to Find a Reliable Freight Forwarder to Ship Your Building Materials from China

A freight forwarder takes care of all the processes involved in the shipment of your building materials.

This includes;

• Custom clearance
• Documentation e.g. bills of lading
• Insurance
• Inventory management

Here is a summary of what to expect from a freight forwarder:

Making use of a freight forwarder could be a great idea for both new and experienced importers as all operations will be easily handled by the freight forwarder.

Not to mention that freight forwarders often have good rates owing to the fact that they also have access to shipping discounts.

Other benefits you might get from making use of a freight forwarder include;

• Fast transportation of your goods
• Saves time and resources
• Assured arrival time- You are guaranteed that your building materials will be delivered at the expected time.

Freight forwarder

You have to keep in mind that it’s important to have a well laid out budget outlining the costs involved in importing building materials from China.

I will be explaining this in the next section. Stay with me to learn more

More resources:

• International Freight Forwarder List
• Tips for Finding Freight Forwarder in China

Cost of Importing Building Materials from China

Importing building materials from China is actually cheaper more so if you are operating a large scale business.

After establishing a strong bond with your suppliers or manufacturer, being given discounts will be easier for you.

Therefore you will end up increasing your profit margin.

Nevertheless, you are bound to incur some costs such as tariffs, logistics and shipping cost.

In as much as air freight is considered the fastest means of shipping, it is the most expensive as compared to other means such as rail and road transport.

Airfreight

The costs involved are determined by two main factors such as volumetric weight (cubic meters) and weight(kilogram) of the goods.

If you are transporting FCL (Full Container Load), you will spend around $480 depending on the distance involved.

This is quite different as compared to LCL(Less than Container Load) shipping which would cost you from as low as $30 to $40 per cubic meter.

The cost of tax and tariffs levied on different materials varies from one country to the other.

For instance, the US imposes tariffs on all imported goods costing from $800. Goods below this value are rendered tax free.

It is important to know that tax is normally calculated as per the custom value.

Having said all these, I’d briefly like to add that there are several payment methods that you can use when importing building materials from China not excluding;

• PayPal
• Western Union
• TT
• International credit cards
• Cash
• Online escrow

The cost incurred when paying for your building materials will vary depending on the type of goods you are importing.

All in all, having found and established a bond with the right suppliers or manufacturers, I can gladly say that importing building materials from China would save you money and increase your profit margin.

Building Material Quality Compliance and Standards

In order to achieve the construction of strong structures, the building materials should the required standards and quality.

The question remains:

Which are these standards or rather quality that should be met?

For instance, the use of asbestos is still a major concern in the construction industry.

This is mainly because being a carcinogen, it poses health risks to a human.

And that is not all, other hazardous materials not excluding cadmium, lead, silica and halogenated flame retardants just to mention a few.

They are marked as red list building materials.

In simple terms, they are hazardous and so should be controlled when used in construction.

To mitigate the risks involved, manufacturers, suppliers, and everyone involved in the installation of construction products is in a position to help in making sure that the appropriate products are used in the right way.

Sample quality testing report

Different countries have distinctly laid out standards as well as quality regulations regarding building materials.

Like for instance, in the US, Russia, Australia, India, Canada and Brazil among many other countries have banned the use of asbestos.

Some of the key general regulations and standards set for most countries include:

• Importers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers are required to have information on the limitations of the products they deal with.
• Developers and builders should use products that have recognized certification.
• Again, manufacturers should clearly state how the product should be used or not giving the limitations where need be.

More sources:

• Construction Materials and Building
• ISO Quality Standards in Construction Industry
• Quality Control for Construction Works

How to Ship Building Materials from China

There are a variety of means that you can use when shipping your building materials from China.

You might choose to use rail freight, sea freight, air freight all depends on your location and amount of goods in question.

COSCO

Why am is saying this?

Rail freight might only cover a specified region and thus can be disadvantageous.

However, rail freight together with sea freight are considered the best for transporting bulky goods.

Air freight is not only expensive but also limited to shipping a small number of materials.

It’s important to know that you will also need to use intercoms when shipping building materials.

Intercoms comprise of three letter codes and a city name that defines how far and where your materials are destined to be delivered depending on your preference.

Here are some of the intercoms that you can use when doing your shipping;

• FOB(Free On Board)
• CIF (Cost Insurance Freight)
• DAP (Delivered at Place)
• EXW (Ex Works) –
• DAT (Delivered at Terminal)

More sources:

• Incoterms 2010
• FCL Shipping Building Material from China
• LCL Shipping Building Material from China
• Building Material Sea Freight Shipping from China
• Building Material Air Freight Shipping from China

How Long it Takes to Ship Building Material from China

The duration of your shipment process will be determined by a couple of factors such as:

• Your destination
• Means of shipping
• Efficiency in clearing your goods for import

You have to factor in all these before embarking on your shipment.

 Shipping from China to global destinations

Like for instance, it will take 23 to as long as 35 days to ship materials from China to the UK by sea freight.

On the other hand, shipping from China to America will take as short as 3 days to as long as 40 days depending on the means of shipment.

But then again, shipping to Africa countries such as South Africa will take a maximum of 25 days by sea freight and 5 days by air freight.

With this information, it’s quite evident that the duration of shipment will also vary from one continent to another depending on the proximity of the exporter.

So, what’s the bottom line here?

The faster the means of shipment the shorter the delivery time and vice versa.

Also, the closer the exporter is located the shorter the delivery time.

More resources:

• Shipping from China to Global Destinations

Importing Prefabricated Building Material from China

In order to gain a better understanding here, let me explain to you what we mean by prefabricated building materials.

These refer to materials that are delivered to the construction site having been already assembled together in the factory.

Prefabricated building material

Such materials include fiberglass, aluminum, concrete, wood just to mention a few.

From the illustration, you can easily tell that this will be used to build a house structure.

I hope this has clarified what prefabricated building materials entail.

And this is not all, prefabricated will greatly save on costs.

Why?

I. The materials are bought in large quantity at greater discounts

II. There is a reduced amount of labor

III. Weather changes don’t affect construction using prefabricated materials which might result in extra costs being incurred.

IV. Shorter construction time thus less costs incurred

You can easily import prefabricated materials from China at relatively low prices more so if you are buying in bulk.

All in all, it is a much cheaper building a prefabricated building as compared to the one built on site.

MOQ for Chinese Building Material Suppliers

MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) simply refers to the minimum amount of products that a supplier is willing to sell.

MOQ

You might come across this in all or most of the Chinese suppliers.

It is also a way of maintaining the profits margin.

MOQ for building materials might be measured according to the weight, number or size of the product.

What I mean is that products such as iron sheets will be measured according to size (meters).

Whereas a steel coil will be measured according to its weight (Tons).

However, the MOQ varies from one supplier to the other.

What I’m implying is that you might get a supplier with a MOQ set from as low as 100 units to as much as 100,000 units.

For some reason, most if not all suppliers offer no negotiation on the MOQ.

If they do, then there is a high probability of you paying more for your building materials.

The aim of doing this is ensuring that they are not incurring any losses.

In order for all these processes to be carried out efficiently, you will need to have legal documents that certify your importation.

Importing Building Material from China Documents

When carrying out any form of international trade, legal documents will be required in order to authorize the importation of your materials.

You may need financial documents, commercial documents, insurance documents, transport documents among other international trade documents that I’m about to explain to you.

Shipping documents

Some of the important documents needed include:

• Import /export license – This document is administered by the national government indicating that the materials being imported or exported are authorized in the country of delivery or origin.
• Inspection certificate– Issued by the exporter or an inspection company approving the quality, quantity, and price of the materials.
• Insurance certificate – Issued by an insurer guaranteeing that the goods are covered against damage or loss while in transit.
• Product testing certificate – Confirms that the materials meet the required set standards either nationally or internationally.
• Country of origin certificate – Just as the name implies, this document actually shows that the goods have been manufactured in the country of origin.
• Customs invoice– A document issued by the exporter outlining the insurance, cost of freight, selling price among others in order to determine the customs value.
• Landing certificate– A document issued by the government of the country where the goods are to be delivered approving that the goods have arrived in the country.
• Import declaration– It gives more details about the shipment such as the nature of the cargo as well as the destination.
• Sales contract –A document that stipulates terms and conditions between the importer and the exporter clearly stating the terms pertaining price, delivery or exchange of goods and services.

Conclusion

In as much as importing building materials from China is considered a tiresome process, we can evidently conclude that having the right sourcing agents can play an important role.

It saves and relieves you the hassle and bustle of the whole importation process.

Not forgetting that you need to ensure you have the right legal documents before embarking on your importation process.

With that said, I believe you are now able to start planning your importation wisely from whichever part of the world.

Best 20 Building Materials Manufacturers in China

1 Wenzhou Shunyi Building Materials Co., Ltd

Located in Ouhai District, Wenzhou Shunyi Materials Co., Ltd. is part of the Abrasives Manufacturing Industry that specializes in building materials. They have intelligence data on over 120, 000, 000 companies and provides sales lead in the market around the world. They have a total of 4 employees across all of its locations.

2 Foshan Nanhai Top Metal Building Material Co., Ltd

Established in 2008, Foshan Nanhai Top Metal Building Material Co., Ltd. is a well-known company that is professional in producing, marking, and selling aluminium decorative products. Located in Guangdong Province, their facility covers an area of 15, 000 square meters. Foshan Nanhai is a certified company that manufactures all types of building materials.

3 BBMG Corporation

BBMG corporation is one of the largest and reliable manufacturers of building materials in China. They mainly manufacture wall body and insulation materials, furniture and woods as well as the fitting and decorative materials. BBMG Corporation facility is located in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China. They are known as the number one modern building manufacturer in Beijing.

4 LIXIL Group

LIXIL Group is engaged in a broad spectrum of building-related businesses and manufactures building materials, products, and equipment. They focus on providing products that surprisingly enhance the beauty of any homes or buildings and adds creativity. LIXIL Group is composed of 75, 000 employees worldwide.

5 Haining Liwei Decorating Materials Co., Ltd

Located in Zhejiang, Haining Liwei Decorating Materials Co., Ltd. is a company that focuses on the development and production of PVC buckles, PVC wallboards, and new decorative panels. They already have 16 most advanced producing lines in this industry. Their company contains more than 80 staff members with technical teams and foreign trade team.

6 Yingchuang Building Technique (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (Winsun),

Founded in 2003, Yingchuang Building Technique Co., Ltd is the leader of global 3D printing architecture. For more than 17 years, they managed to produce new building materials with the latest innovations at reasonable prices. Winsun was awarded as “one built one road” policy and holds 225 national patents.

7 Beihai Composite Materials Group

Beihai Composite Materials Group is a specialist in producing building materials for more than 26 years. They are the first company that has set up its own factory that produces Aluminium Foam Panel. Beihai had gained enough experience in manufacturing and developing high-quality building materials. Their company now owns the property rights in making, producing, and application of foam aluminum.

8 Shanghai Metal Corporation       

Established in 1980, Shanghai Metal Corporation has been diligently manufacturing and supplying construction materials, machinery, containers, metals, electrical system, medical accessories, and mechanical products. SMC is composed of more than 100 engineers that are devoted to provide building products and assist major products for better results.

9 Weifang Meizhitai Building Materials Co., Ltd

Weifang Meizhitai Building Materials Co., Ltd. manufactures high-quality building materials and offer excellent services. Their main products for architecture and industry are aluminum alloy extruded profiles. They hold an outstanding record of over 12, 000 product categories of 150 series. They guarantee the quality and performance of their manufactured products.

10 Guangzhou Thinkon Building Materials Manufacturing Co., Ltd

Guangzhou Thinkon Building Materials Manufacturing Co., Ltd. is known as one of the top suppliers of building materials like PVC Foam Boards in China. They are one of the leading sellers of listed products located in Guangzhou, China. They guarantee the quality and performance of their products.

11 Shanghai Huilian Industry & Trade Co., Ltd.

Shanghai Huilian Industry & Trade Co., Ltd. manufactures products that will surely meet your multifarious demands. The company’s main goal is to satisfy all the needs of its customers in the domestic and international markets. Huilian Industry is willing to cooperate with enterprises around the world in order to realize a win-win situation.

12 Zhejiang Geely Decorating Materials Co., Ltd

Founded in 1986, Zhejiang Geely Decorating Materials Co., Ltd. is a specialist in manufacturing building materials. They are one of the top 500 largest enterprises of China in this industry. Although Geely manufactures building materials, its main products are fluorine-carbon-aluminum veneer and fluorine-carbon-aluminum composite panels at very affordable prices.

13 Shandong Sino Steel (Stainless) Co., Ltd

Shandong Sino Steel Co., Ltd. specializes in the manufacture and sale of building materials since 1989. They can supply up to 5, 700 tons of stainless steel coil and sheet monthly. They are now engaged in business covering the import of stainless, iron, and high value-added steel products at very affordable prices.

14 Shanghai JUNBOND BUILDING MATERIAL Co., Ltd

For 30 years of experience in manufacturing building materials, Shanghai Junbound Building Material Co., Ltd. is one of the most reliable manufacturers. Company facility is located in Shanghai, China. They already supplied their products in over 30 countries around the world and they also have different factories located in 6 different provinces of China.

15 Jiyu Building Materials Co., Ltd

 Jiyu Building Materials Co., Ltd. is a company that manufactures building materials and specializes in aluminum coils and aluminum composite panels. Since 1996, they have become a multi-facet corporate giant with integrated elements of trade, post-processing, production, and services. The company has more than 1, 000 employees that are highly-skilled and experts.

16 Qingdao Jiahexin Steel Co., Ltd.

 Located in Qingdao city, China, Qingdao Jiahexin Steel Co., Ltd. manufactures production and steel structures, prefabricated house, steel welded fabrications, and T beams. Their products always contain modern fabrications, designs, and trading and logistics. Their products are already distributed and imported around the world like Europe, North America, Oceania, Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

17 Fuzhou ROPO Building Materials Co., Ltd.

Fuzhou ROPO Building Materials Co., Ltd. specializes in supplying building materials and are keen to deal with designers, windows wholesalers, builders, architects, and homeowners. Their main products are doors, aluminum windows, UPVC doors, and double glazed windows. ROPO is a certified company that passed ISO9001.

18  Foshan Life Building Material Co., Ltd

Foshan Life Building Material Co., Ltd. is a company that manufactures a wide variety of building materials for many years. Since the trend of economic globalization has developed, Foshan Life is willing to have a partnership in any potential enterprise around the world to share a win-win situation in this industry.

19 Foshan Benme Building Material Co., Ltd

Founded in 2008, Foshan Benme Building Material Co., Ltd. manufactures top-grade building materials like shower columns, faucets, toilets, cooper and stainless bathroom accessories, urinals, toilets, bidets, bathtubs, bathroom cabinets and etc. For over 8 years, they are focusing on manufacturing sanitary wares. Benme products are 100% high quality and checked carefully to ensure its performance.

20 Foshan Landzone Building Co., Ltd

Located in Guangdong, China, Foshan Landzone Building Co., Ltd. is a company that deals with all kinds of building materials’ wholesale and project product collocations. Their main products are slabs and processing sizes, ceramic tiles, stone marbles, and granite in blocks, mosaics, and wood laminate flooring in quantities. For more than 15 years, they have been the most reliable manufacturer in this industry.