Shipping ceramic tiles and sanitary ware from Foshan to the UAE

Tiles from Foshan usually leave through Nansha port in 20ft containers, because a box of tiles reaches its weight limit long before it is full. As of November 2026, containers for the UAE are discharged at Khor Fakkan and trucked to Jebel Ali or the site under customs seal, with a typical transit of 18–30 days door to door. On arrival you pay 5% duty on the CIF value, GCC anti-dumping duty on Chinese ceramic and porcelain tiles, and 5% VAT.

At a glance

How it works

1. Send weights and sizesShare carton or pallet weights, sizes and quantities so we plan the load by weight and check the anti-dumping position.
2. Pick up in FoshanOur truck collects from the factory to our Guangzhou warehouse, or the container is loaded at the factory.
3. Load and securePallets and crates are spread across the floor, braced and photographed, and the VGM is declared before cut-off.
4. Export from NanshaWe file the Chinese export declaration and the container sails from Nansha.
5. Land at Khor FakkanAs of November 2026 the box is discharged at Khor Fakkan and trucked to Jebel Ali or your site under customs seal.
6. Clear and deliverOur broker files the declaration and settles duty, anti-dumping duty and VAT, then the truck delivers.

Plan by weight, not by space

A 20ft container has about 33 CBM of nominal space, but a load of tiles reaches its payload of roughly 25–28 tonnes with floor space still empty. A 40ft box carries hardly more weight, so for tiles it usually means paying for air. Road weight rules in China and the UAE can cap the load further, so we check the whole chain before booking. Heavy pallets go at the bottom, spread evenly, with the centre of gravity near the middle of the container. LCL is charged per W/M, and for dense goods one tonne counts as one W/M, so small LCL lots of tiles become expensive quickly.

Anti-dumping duty on Chinese tiles

Ceramic and porcelain tiles from China carry GCC anti-dumping duty on top of the 5% customs duty. After a sunset review opened by the GCC Secretariat in March 2025, final duties on tiles from China and India were approved for five years; Oman, for example, applied them from 29 May 2025. The rate is a percentage of the CIF value that depends on the exporter, so two Foshan suppliers with similar prices can produce very different landed costs. Ask us to check your supplier's rate before you sign. The invoice and certificate of origin must show the true origin and value; we do not handle shipments that misstate either.

Sanitary ware and product approvals

Toilets, basins and bathtubs are bulky and fragile rather than heavy, so they usually fill a 40ft or 40HQ by volume. Each piece needs its own carton with moulded foam or thick inserts, stacked no higher than the carton marking. Taps, showers, cisterns, urinals and WCs fall under the Gulf technical regulation for water consumption conservation products, applied from the start of 2024, so check that your models are tested and labelled. Dubai Central Laboratory has issued a scheme for certificates and a conformity mark for ceramic tiles under ISO 13006:2018; ask your consultant whether your project requires it. Electrical items such as water heaters need ECAS.

Breakage, routing and clearance

Most breakage comes from weak crating and loose loads. Use ISPM 15 treated crates or pallets with the IPPC mark, corner protection and strapping, keep large slabs upright on fixed A-frames, and fill gaps with dunnage or airbags. Photograph the loading and record the seal. Since 28 February 2026 the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed to normal container shipping, so heavy boxes land at Khor Fakkan and need trucks that respect road weight limits; queues there have been reported. Our broker clears through Dubai Customs. Invoices of AED 10,000 or more need MOFA attestation, and VAT-registered importers with a linked customs code can reverse-charge the VAT.

Checklist before you book

• Gross weight per carton and pallet on the packing list
• Supplier's GCC anti-dumping rate confirmed before ordering
• True country of origin on the invoice and certificate of origin
• ISPM 15 treated crates and pallets with the IPPC mark
• Corner protection, strapping, and slabs upright on A-frames
• Water efficiency testing and labels for taps, showers and WCs
• Dubai Central Laboratory certificate if the project asks for it
• MOFA attestation for invoices of AED 10,000 or more

Questions

Read next

General information checked against the sources below. Our team confirms the route, papers and timing for your shipment before booking; prices are quoted per shipment.

Sources

1. Qatar Ministry of Commerce and Industry: GCC announces review of anti-dumping duties on ceramic and porcelain imports from China and India (March 2025)
2. Times of Oman: Oman implements anti-dumping duties on ceramic and porcelain tile imports from China and India (May 2025)
3. Dubai Municipality: Product certification (ceramic tiles scheme under ISO 13006:2018)
4. SGS: Water efficiency labels introduced for water fixtures across the Gulf region
5. IMO: CTU Code for packing cargo transport units
6. UAE ICP: The concept of the GCC Customs Union (common external tariff)
7. Gulf News: Invoice and origin certificate attestations via MOFA eDAS (August 2026)
8. Lloyd's List Intelligence: Strait of Hormuz Brief, 22 October 2026