What the FOB Castellón price of a porcelain tile container includes

When an importer compares porcelain offers, the figure that stands out is the price per square metre. But that price only makes sense if you know what it includes. In export ceramics the norm is to quote FOB port of origin, and understanding what sits inside and outside that FOB is what avoids surprises when the container arrives.

What the FOB price includes

Free On Board means the seller delivers the goods loaded on board the vessel at the port of origin. In practice, our FOB price per m² covers:

• The product, supplied on full pallets and from a single shade and calibre batch.
• Export packaging: boxes, pallet, strapping and film, prepared for sea transport.
• Inland transport from the factory to the port of loading.
• Terminal handling charges at origin and loading of the container on board.
• Export clearance and documents: invoice, packing list and Bill of Lading.

What is excluded and paid by the buyer

• Sea freight to your port, arranged by your forwarder or quoted by us on CIF terms.
• Cargo insurance during transit.
• Terminal handling and unloading at destination.
• Import clearance, duties and VAT or the equivalent tax in your country.
• Transport from the arrival port to your warehouse.

From FOB to landed cost

A round-number example for a 20-foot container with about 900 m² of 60x120 porcelain: at an FOB price of 12 euros per m², the goods cost 10,800 euros. Freight to a northern European port can run 1,500 to 2,500 euros per container depending on the season — 1.7 to 2.8 euros per m². Add insurance, terminal charges and final delivery, and the landed cost usually sits 2.5 to 4 euros per m² above FOB within Europe, and somewhat more for transoceanic destinations. Duties vary by country; within the European Union there are none. These figures are indicative: your forwarder will give you the exact freight of the week.

The practical conclusion is that freight dilutes the fuller the container is. That is why we quote by full pallets and recommend grouping references until the load is complete, combining porcelain with shower trays or taps if you need volume without weight.

How to really compare two FOB offers

Two prices per m² are only comparable if they match on five points: format and thickness (a 9 mm 120x120 weighs and ships differently from an 8 mm 60x60), finish (polished and rectified involve extra processes), commercial grade (first quality versus seconds or clearance lots), a single shade and calibre batch, and lead time. A cheaper offer served in three different batches or with a twelve-week lead time is not cheaper when the site is waiting.

Payment: the standard

The industry works with a deposit on order confirmation and the balance when the goods leave the factory, against the shipping documents. The Bill of Lading is released on receipt of the balance, which protects both sides. Other terms can be agreed for repeat customers.

Request your offer with the container already in mind

Send us the references, the m² for each and the destination port, and we return an FOB Castellón offer with the number of pallets, the weight and the lead time of each reference. If you want freight included, we also quote CIF. All terms are on our wholesale and import page, and if this is your first import we recommend reading how to import tiles from Spain first.