32 Years at No.1: The Global Export Journey of China’s Ceramic Tile Industry and Its Future Path

From 1995 to 2025, China has maintained its position as the world’s largest ceramic tile producer for 30 consecutive years. In fact, ever since China’s ceramic tile production first ranked No. 1 in the world in 1993, it has held the top position for 32 consecutive years without being overtaken.

Although China has long dominated the world’s No. 1 spot in ceramic tile production, it already reached its peak of 10.26 billion m² in 2016. Despite a temporary rebound in 2020, production has continued to decline in subsequent years.

(Data source: 陶瓷信息汇)

A similar trend can be observed in China’s ceramic tile exports. After reaching a record high of 1.148 billion m² in 2013, export volume has steadily decreased.

What you lose in the morning, you gain in the evening. Even as domestic production and exports decline, Chinese ceramic manufacturers have established factories in at least 32 countries and regions worldwide.

Looking back at the past 30 years of China’s ceramic industry expanding overseas—from exporting products to exporting production capacity, from brand globalization to full supply-chain expansion—this journey not only reflects the transformation of China’s overseas development model, but also documents an epic shift from follower, to competitor, to global leader.

Product Export—From Compensation Trade to Export Peak

Before 1995, China’s ceramic tile exports mainly operated under a “compensation trade” model—Chinese companies purchased foreign equipment through third-party Hong Kong firms and repaid the cost with ceramic tiles, essentially a form of barter. For example, in 1991, Foshan’s ceramic tile export value was only just over USD 20 million.

China’s formal accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) on December 11, 2001 triggered explosive growth in ceramic tile exports. It is worth mentioning that the WTO itself was established in 1995, marking its 30th anniversary this year.

Data shows that by 2002, Foshan’s ceramic tile exports had surged to USD 142 million, followed by an average annual growth rate of around 30% over the next five years.

After China entered the WTO in 2001, both the export volume and export value of ceramic tiles climbed rapidly, reaching their peak in 2013: export volume hit 1.148 billion m², and export value reached USD 7.893 billion. Since then, both figures have declined steadily. By 2024, export volume had fallen to 599 million m² and export value to USD 3.21 billion—down approximately 47.82% and 59.33% from their respective peaks.

(Data source: 陶瓷信息汇)

Some analyses attribute the sharp decline in ceramic tile exports to the rise of anti-dumping measures overseas. However, anti-dumping is merely a means, not the fundamental cause. During the three concentrated periods when China’s ceramic tiles faced anti-dumping actions, only the stages of 2013–2015 and 2020–2025 showed a correlation between anti-dumping measures and declining exports. In contrast, during 2001–2010—also a period of frequent anti-dumping actions—exports continued to rise strongly.

The underlying reason is that countries and regions initiating anti-dumping investigations—such as India, the Philippines, South Korea, Pakistan, Thailand, the EU, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, the United States, Mexico, and Indonesia—were establishing trade barriers to protect their domestic industries.

Paradoxically, these anti-dumping actions also accelerated the overseas expansion of Chinese-funded ceramic factories. They catalyzed a wave of capacity relocation and global deployment, leading to a rapid and concentrated expansion of Chinese ceramic production abroad.

Production Capacity Export—Chinese-funded ceramic factories now span at least 32 countries worldwide

Since 2015, a group of ceramic manufacturers are keenly aware of the normalization of foreign anti-dumping and the decline in China’s domestic ceramic tile production. They have launched a wave of large-scale overseas factory construction that continues to nowadays.

In the Guangdong production region, ceramic companies such as Marco Polo, Deer Tiles and Xinzhongyuan Ceramics have successively laid out ceramic tile factories overseas, and Dongpeng Ceramics has also indicated that it will explore overseas mergers and acquisitions or the establishment of overseas plants.

The latest development came on November 16, 2025, when Kiln No. 2 at Deer Tiles’ Malaysia plant was successfully ignited, marking a full acceleration of the company’s localized deployment in Southeast Asia.

According to incomplete statistics, more than 30 Chinese ceramic companies are currently producing ceramic tiles in at least 32 countries and regions worldwide through new construction, acquisitions, equity participation, or contracting models, covering Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

In addition, reports indicate that Chinese companies have now invested in more than 100 ceramic tile production lines worldwide, with an annual capacity exceeding 2 billion square meters.

Brand Globalization—From OEM to Brand Internationalization

With the rise of production capacity export, brand globalization has also emerged. This is not only the path that China’s ceramic industry must take to climb to the top of the global value chain, but also the most challenging task in its 30-year journey abroad.

In Malaysia, Deer Tiles not only invested in a factory but also sells its products in two to three hundred local stores, covering more than 80% of the building-materials market. Its strategy of “local factory, local team, local brand” is helping the company expand its global market.

In addition, in 2025, Romantic’s first flagship store in Russia officially opened, and the company now operates over 100 independent overseas retail stores.

From initially doing OEM manufacturing for other overseas brands to establishing dedicated retail stores, the core of Chinese ceramic brands’ globalization is shifting from “selling products” to “selling brands.” Today, a number of Chinese ceramic companies are building global brand identities through localized operations, cultural communication, and design innovation.

However, it is important to recognize that compared with production capacity export, the internationalization of Chinese ceramic brands has yet to reach significant scale. The road ahead remains long, and continued deep cultivation is needed to gradually change the international market’s stereotype of Chinese ceramic tiles as merely “low price.”

Industrial-chain Export——From “Single-Point Breakthrough” to “Systematic Export”

Today, the global expansion of China’s ceramic industry has gone beyond simple product exports, capacity building, and brand distribution. It has evolved into a full industrial-chain export that integrates ceramic machinery, materials, technology, and standards.

Among them, ceramic machinery has been the pioneer of China’s industrial-chain export. Since 1995, ceramic machinery has achieved full domestic substitution and has secured a leading position in the global market through exports.

In recent years, Keda has set a benchmark for “systematic globalization” of the upstream ceramic industry chain by acquiring domestic glaze-ink companies and an Italian mold manufacturer, as well as establishing subsidiaries and various factories across the world.

Future Outlook — Facing the Gap and Moving Toward Comprehensive Leadership

Looking back on the 30-year journey of China’s ceramic industry globalization, the path has evolved from merely “going out,” to “getting in,” and ultimately to “integrating in.” China has not only sold ceramic tiles to the world, but has also exported capacity, equipment, brands, technology, and standards across the globe.

When ceramic machinery born of “Chinese intelligent manufacturing” serves customers worldwide, and when Chinese ceramic brands gradually become important options in international markets, it signifies a historic leap—from looking up to advanced peers, to catching up, to standing on equal footing, and even surpassing them in certain areas.

However, the journey is far from over and gaps still remain. Compared with top global enterprises, China still has room for improvement in global brand influence, diversified product structures, and cross-cultural operational capabilities. In particular, the experience of global ceramic giants offers valuable reference for developing “global production and global sales” operating models and for innovating high-end products.

In the future, China’s ceramic industry globalization should not be confined to capacity relocation or market expansion, but should pursue deeper value-chain integration and co-creation of a global industrial ecosystem. Only by advancing technological self-reliance, building brand confidence, and fostering win-win cooperation—while consistently delivering high standards, high quality, and high value—can China gain greater voice in the global ceramic landscape and achieve the ultimate transformation from “Chinese manufacturing” to “Chinese creation.”

Source：陶瓷信息汇