How to choose a ceramic tile factory: surface, format, thickness

Almost every buyer starts the same way: scrolling a catalogue and looking for a picture — «I want this marble». It is the most natural and the most expensive way to lose time. The pattern tells you almost nothing about the factory. A factory is defined by three things: surface type, format and thickness.

Why the pattern is not a selection criterion

Patterns are applied by digital printing. Calacatta, travertine, concrete, wood — to the printing line these are graphic files. Changing one is a matter of setup, not of equipment. Almost any factory will print almost any pattern, so choosing by picture filters out nobody.

Surface is the opposite story. It is physics: a press of a certain tonnage, a punch with the required relief, a polishing line, a station for dry salts and granulla, tooling for structure. That equipment is expensive, lasts for years, and far from every factory has it. If a factory does not produce soft satin or deep carving, it will not produce it for your order either.

Surface type is the strongest filter

The Gaudihab catalogue holds around seventy surface types. Indian factories use their own terminology, and the same name can mean a different texture at different producers, which is why we keep a video review for each type. Below are the main groups as they appear in specifications.

Matt and soft to the touch

Matt Paper Matt Evermatt DG Matt MUSE MATT Lux (Matt) Soft Touch Ultra Soft Velvet Satin Sleek

The most requested group. Types differ in how velvety they feel and how much they show marks. Soft Touch and Ultra Soft require a dedicated line, and noticeably fewer factories make them than plain Matt.

Glossy and polished

Glossy High Gloss Super High Gloss Semi High Gloss Polished Brillo Endless Glossy Uniglow

The difference between High Gloss and Super High Gloss lies in the number of polishing passes and the quality of the mirror finish. It affects both price and how many factories will take the order at all.

Structured, textured and carving

Carving Matt Carving Rustic Carving Carving Endless Silver Carving Golden Carving Heavy Structure Light Structure Rocker Rustic Wood Morraccan

Carving is relief that follows the pattern: a marble vein or a wood grain you can feel with your finger. It needs a punch made for that specific design, so carving almost always means a narrower list of factories and a longer lead time.

Grainy, with salts and granulla

Sugar Sugar + Glue Granulla Matt Granulla Glossy Granulla Matt with Glossy Granulla Matt with Luster Effect Feather Feather Touch

Technological and premium

Double Charge Full Body Book Match 3D 4D Endless Luminox Signature GHR / GLR Punch with Carving Punch with Honed Punch with Matt

Full Body means the body is coloured through the whole thickness: a chip does not expose a pale base, which is why it is chosen for steps and heavy-traffic floors. Book Match is the mirrored joining of two slabs into a single pattern — without it you cannot assemble a large-format marble panel.

Anti-slip

Anti Skid R10 Anti Slip Matt R-11

For entrance areas, bathrooms, pools and terraces the slip rating is set by regulation, not by taste. It is a hard requirement, and it narrows the list of factories more than anything else.

Patterns: what is available

Since the pattern does not limit your choice of factory, decide it last — but decide it precisely, so that samples do not have to be re-approved. These are the main decor families Indian factories produce as standard.

White and light marbles

Calacatta, Statuario, Carrara, Bianco, Botticino, Crema Marfil, Dover, Onice Bianco. The largest group: light background, expressive veining, suits almost any interior.

Grey marbles

Pietra Grey, Armani Grey, Bardiglio, Sahara Grey, Silver Root.

Black and dark

Nero Marquina, Sahara Noir, Port Laurent, Portoro, Nero Assoluto.

Beige and brown

Emperador, Travertine, Noce, Walnut, Daino Reale, Sunny Beige.

Coloured and exotic

Onyx, Amazonite, Blue Roma, Patagonia, Verde Alpi, Rosso Levanto, Fusion, Invisible.

Not marble

Concrete and cement, terrazzo, wood and herringbone parquet, natural stone and slate, metal, fabric and linen, plain solid colours.

Format: the larger it gets, the fewer factories remain

Format comes down to the press. Small and medium tiles are made by almost everyone, but a 1600×3200 slab by very few: it needs a press of a different class, its own drying line, its own cutting tooling and separate logistics. Format therefore narrows the supplier list second only to surface.

• Mosaic and small format. 50×250, 75×150, 75×200, 75×300, 80×80, 100×100, 100×200, 100×300, 100×400.
• Classic wall sizes. 200×300, 250×400, 250×600, 300×450, 300×600, 200×600, 300×800.
• Square floor sizes. 300×300, 400×400, 500×500, 600×600, 605×605, 800×800, 910×910, 1000×1000.
• Large rectangular. 600×900, 600×1200, 800×1200, 800×1600, 600×1800, 900×1800, 1200×1800.
• Plank and parquet-style. 150×900, 195×1200, 200×1200, 295×1200, 285×1800, 295×1800.
• Large format and slabs. 1200×2400, 1200×2780, 1200×2800, 1200×3200, 1200×3600, 800×2400, 800×2600, 800×3000, 790×3000, 1000×3000, 1600×3200.

Thickness: from 5 to 30 mm

Thickness ties together equipment, application and shipping cost — a container hits its weight limit long before it runs out of volume. The catalogue covers values from 5 to 30 mm.

• 5–7 mm. Thin tile for walls and cladding, including over an existing finish. Lighter to ship, but demanding on the substrate and on cutting accuracy.
• 8–10 mm. The working range that covers most orders: floors and walls in residential projects. The most common values sit here — 8.2, 8.5, 8.8 and 9.5 mm.
• 11–13 mm. Commercial spaces with moderate traffic: offices, shops, lobbies.
• 15–16 mm. Heavy loads, industrial and warehouse floors.
• 20–30 mm. Terraces, accessible roofs, laying on pedestals and on gravel, ventilated facades.

The selection order: four steps

1. 1. Thickness. Set by the application and the load. The hardest constraint.
2. 2. Format. Set by the project and the layout.
3. 3. Surface type. Set by use: slip, marks, maintenance, class of the space.
4. 4. Only then the pattern. By this point you are left with a short list of factories — and any of them will print the decor you need.

Go in the reverse order, starting from a beautiful picture, and you will almost certainly find that the factory with that pattern does not make your thickness or your format. And the selection starts over.