Construction
From bolts to tiles, wooden floors to kitchen units, construction and fit-out projects can source materials directly from Chinese factories at prices that transform a project budget — with quality checked before anything ships.
Construction is a volume game, which is exactly what makes it suit direct sourcing. Materials that look like a modest saving per unit — a tile, a fixing, a length of flooring — turn into a figure that visibly moves a project budget once multiplied across a whole build. Developers and fit-out contractors tend to notice this first on the lines they buy in the largest quantities.
What has to be got right is compliance and condition. Where building regulations, structural ratings or fire performance apply, the requirement belongs in the specification before quoting, not discovered at inspection. And because these goods are heavy and easily damaged, how they are packed and loaded matters as much as how they are made. We check both before the container is sealed, because a pallet of cracked tiles is not a problem you can solve after it reaches the UK.
What we source
- Tiles and flooring
- Fixings and fasteners
- Kitchen units and worktops
- Doors and ironmongery
- Timber and wooden flooring
- Tools and hardware
What to consider
- Where building regulations or fire ratings apply, we confirm the required standards before ordering.
- Heavy, bulky goods reward careful quality control and container planning to protect both cost and condition.
- Order the whole quantity in one run where you can — tiles and timber vary subtly between production batches, and a later top-up may not match.
- Build the shipping time into the programme early; sea freight on construction materials is measured in weeks and will not compress to suit a slipped date.
Common questions
Is it worth importing construction materials from China?
For volume orders the saving is often substantial. We handle quality checks, shipping and UK customs so you receive a single landed price.
What if the materials have to meet UK building regulations?
Then that requirement goes into the specification before we quote, and we verify it before ordering. Where a product cannot credibly meet a required standard, we tell you rather than sourcing it anyway.
Who is responsible if goods arrive damaged?
We agree packing standards up front and inspect before the container is sealed, which is where most damage is actually prevented. Cargo insurance covers what happens in transit, and we set that out as part of the quote.
Related guides
- Sourcing construction materials from ChinaPerformance declarations, heavy freight and site deadlines. What UK contractors and developers should lock down before ordering.
- Sea vs air freight: cost and timeSea is cheaper per kilogram and measured in weeks; air is measured in days and costs several times more. The decision is what the extra weeks cost you, not which is faster.
- Understanding your landed priceLanded price is what one sellable unit costs by the time it is in your warehouse: goods, freight, duty, clearance and delivery, plus tooling spread across the run, divided by the units you can actually sell.
- Quality inspection explainedWhen to inspect, what the common inspection types are, and why checking before shipment is far cheaper than after.