The only reliable way to keep spare stock in the same shade is to buy it in the same production run as the main order. Keep it labelled by design, shade, calibre and batch, store it apart from other lots, and track every box you sell from it.
A later run of the same design may look close, but it is rarely identical. Your customers need matching tiles for repairs, extensions and late additions to a project. Spare stock from the same batch is how you give them that.
Why a later run will not match
Tile shade depends on the raw material lot, the glaze, the digital ink, the kiln temperature and the firing cycle. Small changes in any of them shift the colour slightly. That is why factories mark a shade code and batch number on every box. Shade variation and shade vs batch numbers explain the system.
A factory can try to match an old shade in a new run, and sometimes gets close. But you cannot count on it. Reordering the same shade months later covers what is possible.
How much to keep
There is no fixed rule. The right amount depends on how you sell. A distributor supplying many small jobs needs more buffer than an importer who ships to one project. Think about three questions:
- How often do customers come back for a few extra boxes of the same tile?
- How long will you keep selling this design before the factory drops it?
- How much storage space and cash can you tie up in slow stock?
Buy it with the main order
Many importers add a small share of each design to the main order as reserve stock. Agree it with the factory before production, so it comes from the same run.
Storing and tracking it
- Keep spare boxes in their original cartons with the factory labels visible.
- Store each design, shade and batch in its own marked location.
- Record the shade and batch on every sales invoice, so you know what each customer received.
- Sell from the spare lot only for matching jobs, not for new projects that could take a fresh batch.
- Store boxes on their edge or as the factory packed them, off the ground and away from damp.
Ask the factory to hold stock
Some factories will hold part of a batch for you in their warehouse for an agreed period. This saves your space, but you take a risk that it is sold, mixed or damaged. If you agree to it, put the quantity, batch numbers, holding period and terms in writing, and inspect the stock before it ships.
Next step
We check that reserve stock is from the same shade and batch as the main order and is marked correctly at loading. To plan stock for a new range, book a free sourcing review.