Every Question
a Wholesale Buyer
Should Ask Us

We produce six professional surface finishes using dedicated equipment for each:

• Polished — high-gloss mirror finish, enhances natural color and veining. Interior flooring, wall cladding, countertops.
• Honed — smooth matte surface. High-traffic areas, bathrooms, contemporary interiors.
• Brushed — wire-brushed texture, aged appearance. Rustic and classical projects.
• Flamed — high-heat rough surface. Outdoor paving and anti-slip flooring. Granite only.
• Bush-Hammered — mechanically textured anti-slip. Outdoor walkways, pool surrounds.
• Sandblasted — uniform matte texture. Facade cladding and decorative applications.

We process stone to any buyer specification. Standard formats include slabs, large-format tiles, floor and wall tiles, cut-to-size pieces, countertops, stair treads, window sills, and thresholds. Standard export thicknesses are 2cm and 3cm — custom thicknesses are available for large orders. All pieces are calibrated for uniform thickness before finishing.

Egyptian marble — particularly Galala and Sunny Menia offers a distinctive warm cream and beige palette that Italian and Turkish alternatives cannot replicate. Egyptian stone is also significantly more competitive on FOB pricing while maintaining comparable quality for wholesale distribution. Egypt's geological belt produces marble and granite with strong consistency across quarry batches, which is critical for large-format commercial projects requiring color uniformity across high volumes.

Yes. Egyptian granite is particularly well-suited for outdoor applications its density and hardness make it highly resistant to weathering, frost, and heavy traffic. We supply flamed and bush-hammered finishes specifically for exterior paving, pool surrounds, wall cladding, and commercial outdoor flooring. Some marble varieties are also suitable for sheltered outdoor use. Our team can advise on the right stone and finish combination for your specific application.

Submit your RFQ through our Request a Quote page. Include your stone type, dimensions, surface finish, quantity (in square meters or container volume), and destination port. Our export team will respond with a detailed FOB quotation within 24–48 hours. If you're unsure about specifications, our team can help you define them — just describe your project requirements and we'll guide you.

Our minimum order quantities are structured for container import. LCL (Less than Container Load) is available for smaller wholesale orders — suitable for buyers testing a new stone variety or placing a first trial order. FCL (Full Container Load — 20ft or 40ft) is the standard for our regular wholesale clients and offers the most competitive per-unit pricing. Contact our team to discuss your volume and we'll confirm the right container option.

Shawkat Stone is a B2B wholesale exporter only. We supply stone distributors, importers, fabricators, and sourcing agents ordering in container quantities. We do not supply retail customers, individual homeowners, or single-piece orders. Our pricing, documentation, and logistics are all structured for wholesale import not retail purchase.

Standard production lead time after order confirmation and sample approval is typically 3–5 weeks, depending on order volume, product specifications, and current production schedule. Lead times are confirmed in writing at the order stage we do not commit to deadlines we cannot meet, and we do not adjust quoted lead times without client notification. Our own transport fleet manages the factory-to-port leg, which we account for in the total delivery timeline we provide.

Yes. Shawkat Stone holds ISO 9001:2015 certification covering our full production and export operations — from block selection at the quarry through cutting, calibration, finishing, quality inspection, and container loading. ISO 9001:2015 is an internationally recognized quality management standard. It means every process in our facility is documented, traceable, and audited — not just claimed. Certification documentation is available for clients on request.

Quality control at Shawkat Stone runs at every production stage — not just a final visual check before packing. Our structured inspection checkpoints cover:

• Block intake — color, veining, structural integrity assessed before production
• Post-cutting — dimensional accuracy and slab yield verified
• Post-calibration — uniform thickness confirmed across full slab surface
• Post-finishing — surface consistency, finish quality, and edge condition checked
• Pre-packing — batch color matching and final defect screening before export approval

Pieces that fail any checkpoint are removed from the order — they are never shipped. View our production process →

Batch color matching is one of the most critical quality requirements for wholesale buyers supplying commercial projects. Our process starts at block selection — we assess color consistency across the full block face before it enters production. During the final inspection stage, slabs and tiles within a shipment are cross-checked for visual consistency against the approved sample. Any pieces that fall outside the accepted color range are removed and replaced. For large-format projects requiring color continuity across multiple containers, we can discuss lot tracking and batch reservation.

Every export shipment from Shawkat Stone is accompanied by a full documentation package: commercial invoice, packing list (with piece count, dimensions, and weight), certificate of origin, bill of lading, and phytosanitary certificate for wooden packing materials (ISPM 15 compliant). Loading is photographed at key stages — packed units, container interior before sealing, and sealed container — and provided to the client before departure.

The key verification points for any Egyptian stone supplier:

• ISO certification — request the actual certificate, not just a claim. Verify it is current and covers the factory operations
• Own factory — confirm they manufacture in their own facility, not subcontract to third parties
• Physical samples — any supplier unwilling to send physical samples before order confirmation is a risk
• Loading documentation — ask if they photograph loading. Suppliers who do are accountable; those who don't aren't
• Export track record — ask for references from buyers in your market and verify they have active export lanes to your destination

We're happy to provide any of the above on request. Contact our team →

We actively export to the USA, Canada, Germany, Greece, Cyprus, and other European and international markets. Greece and Cyprus are our most established markets with regular container shipments. The USA, Canada, and Germany are active growth markets where we are building wholesale distribution relationships. Our team prepares country-specific documentation packages for customs clearance at each destination — including certificates of origin, phytosanitary certificates, and commercial documentation that meets each market's import requirements.

We use four export-grade packing methods, selected based on stone type, format, and destination:

• Wooden crates — for tiles and cut-to-size pieces. Heat-treated (ISPM 15), foam padded, moisture-lined, steel-strapped
• Pallets — for larger format tiles and slabs. Foam separation, plastic film wrap, steel banding
• Wooden bundles — for dimensional stone: stair treads, sills, thresholds. Individual wrapping per piece
• Block shipping — for raw quarry blocks. Internal container bracing, stability-engineered loading

All wooden packing is heat-treated and fumigated to ISPM 15 standards — required for most international destinations. View our packing methods →

Yes. We offer both Full Container Load (FCL) and Less than Container Load (LCL) options. FCL — 20ft and 40ft containers — is the most cost-effective for regular wholesale orders and gives you dedicated container space with no co-loading delays. LCL is available for smaller orders, first trial shipments, or buyers consolidating multiple stone varieties into a single container. Our team will recommend the right option based on your order volume and destination port.

Yes. Shawkat Stone operates its own transport company for the factory-to-port logistics leg. This means we control the full chain from our factory floor to the container yard with no third-party handoff where accountability gets lost. Our own fleet uses specialized stone-handling equipment appropriate for the weight and format of each shipment. Every load is documented before it leaves our factory and cross-checked on arrival at the container loading zone.

Every export shipment includes a complete documentation package:

• Bill of Lading — proof of shipment and title of goods
• Commercial Invoice itemized value of goods for customs
• Packing List — piece count, dimensions, gross and net weights per package
• Certificate of Origin — confirming Egyptian origin for customs and duty purposes
• Phytosanitary Certificate — for wooden packing materials, where required by destination country

All documents are issued before vessel departure. Loading photos are also provided to the client before container sealing.

We quote on an FOB (Free on Board) Cairo basis — meaning our price covers the stone, processing, packing, and delivery to the container yard at Cairo port. Sea freight from Cairo to your destination port is quoted separately and depends on your port, container size, and current shipping rates. We provide detailed FOB quotations itemizing stone cost, processing, and packing — so you can see exactly what you are paying for and compare on a like-for-like basis with other suppliers.

Several factors determine the FOB price per square meter:

• Stone variety — premium varieties like Dark Emperador or specialty granites carry higher base prices than standard Galala
• Thickness — 3cm costs more than 2cm due to higher material use and processing time
• Surface finish — polished is the baseline; bush-hammered and flamed require additional machine time
• Dimensions — standard tile sizes are cheaper per square meter than custom cut-to-size pieces
• Order volume — FCL orders attract lower per-unit pricing than LCL
• Packing type — wooden crates cost more than pallets due to material and labour

Our payment terms are 50% deposit in advance before production and 50% balance before shipment. All payment conditions are confirmed in writing within the sales contract prior to production. This ensures a clear and transparent process with no unexpected payment requirements during the order cycle. Production commences only after the deposit payment has been received and confirmed.

Yes. FCL orders are priced more competitively than LCL on a per-unit basis, and clients placing regular repeat container orders build a pricing relationship with us over time. We don't publish volume discount tiers — pricing depends on the specific stone, specifications, and volume combination. The best way to get our most competitive pricing is to submit a detailed RFQ with your full requirements and container volume so we can quote accurately. Submit your RFQ →

To compare Egyptian stone quotes fairly, ensure all quotes are on the same basis:

• Same Incoterms — FOB vs CIF quotes are not directly comparable
• Same stone variety and grade — "Galala" covers a wide quality range; confirm the specific grade
• Same thickness and calibration standard
• Same surface finish and edge treatment
• Same packing method — wooden crates vs pallets affect both cost and transit protection
• Same documentation package included

A lower FOB price from a supplier that excludes proper packing, uses lower-grade stone, or cannot provide ISO-certified quality documentation is not a cheaper option — it is a higher risk. Our free import guide covers this in detail.