To check a tile factory's capacity, count its press and kiln lines, see which are actually running, and ask what each line makes per day in your size. Then ask how much of that output is already booked by other buyers.
Installed capacity on a brochure is the most a plant could make with every line running. What matters to you is the free capacity on the line that makes your product, in the weeks you need it.
Why the headline figure misleads
Tile capacity is usually quoted in square metres per day. That number changes with the product. A kiln that fires a lot of small tiles per day fires far fewer square metres of large, thick slabs, because they need longer firing cycles.
A plant may also quote capacity across several lines, or several sister companies. Only one or two of those lines may make your size and body. A wall-tile line cannot run your vitrified floor order.
Lines are not always running. In early 2026 a fuel crisis led several Morbi units to suspend operations from mid-March, and some plants pause lines or shut for maintenance when margins fall. Read more in how gas prices affect Morbi tile costs.
What to check
- Count the presses and kilns, note their size range, and see which ones are running on the day of the visit.
- Ask which line would make your order, and what that line produces per day in your exact size and thickness.
- Ask to see the production plan for the next few weeks, so you can see how much is already booked.
- Look at the sorting and packing lines, because a fast kiln is no use if sorting is the bottleneck.
- Look at the warehouse, where steady finished stock in many designs suggests the lines run regularly.
- Ask about the fuel situation, including whether the plant runs on gas or propane, and whether it has paused lines recently.
- Check that the exporter on the documents is the company that owns these lines, not a related trader.
How to judge the answers
Compare your order to the line's output. If one container of your design is a small part of a line's monthly run, the plant can fit you in. If your order would take that line over for weeks, ask how it will handle its other buyers.
Ask for a loading date in writing, with the production start date. A factory with real free capacity can commit to both. Vague answers such as "soon after advance" often mean the line is booked.
Be wary of a supplier who says yes to any quantity, any size and any date. Big claims with no line you can see are a common sign of a trader. Our article on telling a Morbi tile trader from a factory lists the other signs.
Capacity is also seasonal. Lead times stretch in peak season and during fuel disruptions, so check capacity close to when you plan to order, not months before.
Recheck before each repeat order as well. A plant that had free capacity for your first container may have taken on a large new buyer since then.
How we help
Our factory audits record the lines, what they make, which were running and how much output is booked. We also confirm the production slot and loading date in writing before you pay. To check a plant you are already talking to, book a free sourcing review.