China is the homeland of ceramics, and its thousands of years of porcelain making history have made it the core of the global ceramic industry. Whether it’s art collectibles, daily-use porcelain, or industrial ceramics, China’s abundant production resources and mature supply chain can meet the needs of global buyers. Myoung Ceramics will analyze the characteristics of China’s major ceramic production areas and compare in detail the three major channels of cross-border procurement (physical stores, exhibitions, e-commerce platforms) to help enterprises efficiently complete procurement plans.
1、Core production areas and characteristics of Chinese wholesale ceramics market
The Chinese ceramic industry is widely distributed, and different production areas have formed distinct product characteristics due to differences in historical heritage, raw material resources, and technological processes.
(1) Jingdezhen, Jiangxi
Positioning: World’s “Porcelain Capital”, renowned for high-end art porcelain and antique porcelain.
Features: Exquisite traditional crafts such as blue and white porcelain, underglaze red porcelain, and Linglong porcelain, emphasizing handmade painting and cultural heritage.
Suitable for buyers: art collectors, high-end gift buyers.
High cost: Hand drawn blanks and paintings result in a unit price 3-5 times higher than Chaozhou porcelain, and the minimum order quantity is high (usually ≥ 2000 pieces);
Long delivery cycle: A piece of blue and white porcelain takes 45-60 days from embryo to firing, which is difficult to meet the demand for fast-moving consumer goods;
Cultural premium: European and American buyers have limited acceptance of traditional patterns (such as dragon patterns and landscapes), and the audience for artistic porcelain is narrow.
(2) Dehua, Fujian
Positioning: The hometown of Chinese white porcelain and an important export base for global daily-use porcelain.
Features: Ivory white porcelain is warm and jade like, mainly used for tea sets, Buddha statues, and modern home decorations, with a high degree of mechanized production.
Suitable for buyers: mid-range home goods retailers, tea set brand merchants.
White porcelain has low hardness and is not suitable for high-frequency use in microwave ovens/dishwashers (Chaozhou reinforced porcelain is more wear-resistant)
(3) Chaozhou, Guangdong
Positioning:Chaozhou ceramics wholesale market ,is the largest production and export base for daily-use ceramics in China.
Features: High cost-effectiveness, specializing in tableware, coffee utensils, and hotel porcelain, with fast supply chain response speed.
Suitable for buyers: mass consumer market, hotel supplies wholesalers.
For cross-border buyers, Chaozhou ceramics has become the preferred choice in the field of daily-use ceramics due to its high cost-effectiveness, flexible supply chain, and comprehensive product coverage. Chaozhou has over 5000 ceramic enterprises, with more than 90% achieving mechanized assembly line production, and Myoung Ceramics is one of them; The labor cost is lower than that of handmade production areas such as Jingdezhen. The surrounding porcelain clay resources are abundant, the supply of fuel (natural gas) is stable, and the comprehensive cost is 30% -50% lower than that of Tangshan bone porcelain. In the context of global consumption downgrading, bulk purchases in price sensitive mass consumer markets such as Southeast Asia and the Middle East, as well as in the hotel/catering industry, are very favorable.
(4) Tangshan, Hebei
Positioning: A major ceramic town in the north, with leading bone china technology.
Features: Thin and translucent bone china, featuring high-end tableware and customized gifts.
Suitable for buyers: European and American high-end catering brands, customized gift companies.
Tangshan ceramics’ bone china contains over 40% bone powder, is lightweight but has weak impact resistance, and has a higher rate of damage during cross-border transportation compared to Chaozhou ceramics.
(5) Liling, Hunan
Positioning: The birthplace of underglaze multicolored porcelain and a national level intangible cultural heritage technique.
Features: Colorful and never fading, mainly used for state banquet porcelain and government gift porcelain.
Suitable for buyers: government procurement, high-end banquet supplies suppliers.
(6) Yixing, Jiangsu
Positioning: Core production area of purple clay pottery.
Features: The purple clay teapot combines practicality and collectible value, with a deep tradition of handmade pottery.
Suitable for buyers: government procurement, high-end banquet supplies suppliers.
(7) Huairen, Shanxi
Positioning: Northern Daily Porcelain Capital, focusing on artistic porcelain in recent years, with an industrial chain covering the entire process of raw materials, production, and research and development.
Features: Gaolingyan has abundant reserves and provides raw materials for multiple production areas, with obvious resource advantages. The revival of artistic porcelain is rapid, and the government supports the integration of traditional crafts such as twisted tire porcelain with industry, academia, and research.Suitable for buyers: mid to low end gift buyers.
The brand awareness is low, and daily porcelain is mainly in the mid to low end, lacking the drive of top enterprises.
The sales channel is single, relying on traditional models, and the e-commerce and cultural marketing capabilities are insufficient.
In summary, Chaozhou ceramics, with its industrial efficiency, cost advantages, and cross-border friendliness, has become the “king of cost-effectiveness” for daily ceramic exports, especially suitable for cross-border buyers who pursue stable supply and fast turnover. The limitations of production areas such as Jingdezhen and Dehua are essentially a trade-off between their “specialized positioning” and “market demand breadth”. Buyers should choose the optimal combination of production areas based on target customer groups, profit margins, and operational capabilities – with Chaozhou as the core supply chain, and combining with characteristic products from other production areas to increase premiums, in order to achieve maximum profit.
More information about Chinese ceramics can be found at：https://www.ceramicschina.com/
2、 Three major channels for cross-border ceramic procurement and their advantages and disadvantages comparison
（1）Physical store procurement: in-depth investigation of the place of origin
Operation method: Go directly to factories or wholesale markets in China’s ceramic production areas (such as Jingdezhen Taoxichuan and Chaozhou Fengxi Ceramic City).
Advantages:
Visual inspection: on-site inspection of product quality and process details.
Establishing long-term relationships: Face to face communication with factories, customized cooperation is more flexible.
inferiority:
High cost: Requires travel and time expenses, suitable for large order buyers.
Language barrier: Small and medium-sized manufacturers may lack English support.
(2) Exhibition procurement: centralized docking with high-quality suppliers
Main exhibitions:
Canton Fair (Guangzhou): A comprehensive exhibition with a complete range of ceramic categories.
China International Ceramic Industry Exhibition (Guangzhou): Focusing on ceramic production equipment and technology.
Local exhibitions in various production areas (such as Jingdezhen International Ceramic Expo).
Advantages:
Efficient product selection: Contact a large number of suppliers in a short period of time, compare products with quotations.
Industry Trend Insights: Stay informed about the latest designs, materials, and technologies.
inferiority:
Fixed time: Plan your itinerary in advance, and if you miss the exhibition, you will have to wait for the following year.
Intense competition: Popular manufacturers may be fiercely contested by multiple buyers, resulting in limited bargaining space.
(3) Cross border e-commerce platform: the new mainstream of digital procurement
Mainstream platforms:
B2B platforms: Alibaba. com, Global Sources – suitable for bulk procurement.
B2C/D2C platforms: Amazon, AliExpress – suitable for small retail or trial orders. Own platform: Company official website
Advantages:
Low cost: No need for offline travel, the platform provides guaranteed transactions and logistics services.
Rich categories: can compare multiple suppliers with one click, supports small-scale trial orders.
inferiority:
Quality risk: It relies on pictures and evaluations, making inspection difficult.
Communication efficiency: Time difference and language may affect negotiation progress.
3、 Procurement suggestion: How to choose the best way?
(1) Novice buyers: Start small trial orders on cross-border e-commerce platforms and gradually screen reliable suppliers.
(2) Medium to large scale purchasers: Combining the “exhibition preliminary selection+factory inspection” mode to ensure controllable quality and cost.
(3) Customized requirements: Prioritize contacting factories directly through physical stores or exhibitions to avoid middlemen raising prices.
(4) Enterprises that choose cross-border procurement: Choose the “public mold private flower” service (shared mold+exclusive flower surface) from the Chaozhou factory to reduce development costs. For the first cooperation, it is recommended to conduct a third-party inspection company (such as SGS) to randomly check the lead cadmium leaching amount and microwave oven safety.
Require the factory to use 5-layer corrugated paper and bubble column packaging, and purchase sea freight insurance (the damage rate of Chaozhou porcelain can be controlled within 2%).
I would like to recommend Chaozhou Mingyang Ceramics Co., Ltd. here. As a senior enterprise rooted in the Chaozhou ceramic production area in Guangdong for 30 years, Myoung Ceramics has always focused on the craftsmanship manufacturing and global market development in the field of daily-use ceramics. The company specializes in diversified ceramic household products such as ceramic tableware, baking tools, bathroom sets, and candle holders. With excellent quality and innovative design as its core competitiveness, it provides OEM/ODM customized services and spot direct supply support to global customers, helping brands quickly respond to market demand.
Relying on the complete industrial chain advantage of Chaozhou as the “Porcelain Capital of China”, Myoung Ceramics integrates traditional craftsmanship with modern technology, strictly controls the entire process of raw material selection, molding and firing, surface treatment, etc., ensuring that the products have both practicality and artistic value. Its ceramic tableware series focuses on high-temperature reinforced ceramics, which are wear-resistant and easy to clean; Baking tools and candle holders are popular in Europe, America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and other regions due to their environmentally friendly materials and exquisite appearance.
With 30 years of industry accumulation, the company deeply integrates production, warehousing, and logistics resources, flexibly meets customers’ small batch customization and large batch spot procurement needs, and is committed to becoming a trusted ceramic solution partner for international home furnishing brands. With quality as the foundation and service as the bridge, Myoung Ceramics continues to promote Chinese ceramic culture to the world, and sincerely invites partners at home and abroad to explore business opportunities together!
source:Myoung Ceramics
Conclusion
The Chinese ceramic industry combines traditional craftsmanship with modern manufacturing capabilities. Whether you pursue cultural value, cost-effectiveness, or innovative design, you can find matching suppliers. When making cross-border purchases, it is recommended to flexibly choose channels based on order size and product type, and make good use of third-party inspection services to reduce risks. If you need to know more about the recommendation of China Chaozhou ceramic manufacturers or the optimization of procurement process, please contact our cross-border consultant team!
Contact:
Annie Lin(sales manager-Myoung ceramics)
Tel:+13433773486
Email:anne@myoungceramics.com
