When a builder or a dealer calls us for the first time, the opening question is nearly always the rate. It matters, but on a large job the things that go wrong are rarely about price. They are about shade, timing and counts.
Will the shade match across the whole job?
Clay changes colour with the kiln. Two firings of the same tile can come out a shade apart, which is invisible in a box and obvious on a twelve-storey facade. Ask the supplier whether they can set aside one batch for your project and release it in lots. If they cannot, order the full quantity at once and store it on site.
Who approves the sample, and where?
Approve the shade on the actual wall, in daylight, next to the plaster or paint it will sit beside. A tile that looks warm in a showroom can look orange against white plaster. Get the owner or the architect to sign off on a sample box before the main dispatch.
How is it packed, and what breaks in transit?
Ask how the tiles are packed and how breakage is handled if a few arrive cracked. For long routes into the hills, smaller loads on smaller trucks often arrive in better shape than one heavy load.
Is freight in the quote?
A low rate per sq ft with freight added later is not a low rate. Ask for the delivered cost to your pin code, and check whether the truck can reach the site gate.
What happens when you run short?
Every big job runs short somewhere. Ask how quickly the supplier can send a top-up and whether it will come from the same batch. A manufacturer with its own kiln can usually answer this better than a trader buying from several factories.
If you are planning a project or stocking brick tiles as a dealer, our bulk supply page explains how we handle each of these points.
