A tile carton should tell anyone who picks it up what is inside and which production group it came from. That means the design, size, grade, shade, calibre and batch, the quantity per box, the weight and the country of origin. Add any marks your market requires, such as CE marking for the EU.
Box markings are how your warehouse, your customers and their tilers keep shades apart. If the codes are missing or wrong, mixing happens after delivery, even if the factory sorted correctly.
What the standard asks for
ISO 13006 and EN 14411 require tiles or their packaging to carry certain marks. These include the manufacturer's mark or trade mark and the country of manufacture, a mark showing first quality, the type of tile and the standard it conforms to, the nominal and work sizes, and the nature of the surface, glazed or unglazed. Our article on ISO 13006 and EN 14411 explains the standards.
The full list to agree
- The design name and code, as used on your purchase order.
- The size in millimetres, the thickness and the finish.
- The grade, using the factory's written grade name.
- The shade code, calibre code and batch or production date.
- The number of tiles per box and the area in square metres per box.
- The gross weight of the box.
- "Made in India" or the origin wording your market requires.
- Your order number or a reference that links the box to your packing list.
- Handling marks, such as fragile and the side to keep upright where it matters.
Market-specific marks
Some markets add their own requirements. For the EU, CE marking and the Declaration of Performance reference must be on the packaging or accompanying documents, as explained in CE marking for tiles. For Saudi Arabia, check how the SASO Quality Mark must appear. Language rules also apply in some countries, so ask your customs broker which wording must be in the local language.
Your brand or the factory's
Many importers sell under their own brand and have boxes printed with it. That is common in Morbi, but it needs planning for artwork and printed carton minimums. Our guide to private label tile boxes covers it.
Even with your brand on the box, the shade, calibre and batch codes must be printed for each production group. Usually the packing machine prints these on the carton during packing, in a space left blank on the artwork. Check that the space is large enough and that the codes are legible.
Pallet labels
Each pallet should carry a label repeating the design, grade, shade, calibre and batch, with the number of boxes and gross weight. This lets the inspector check codes at loading, and your warehouse sort pallets without opening them. Both codes matter, because two pallets can share a shade code and still come from different batches.
Next step
We agree carton artwork and marking with the factory and check box and pallet labels during packing and loading. To set this up, book a free sourcing review.