“WPC decking”, or composite wood flooring, is one of the most popular products of the moment. As with most building materials, the European Union has imposed fairly strict directives; directives that only a minority of Chinese suppliers are able to comply with. Additionally, product quality varies greatly depending on the supplier you choose.
China is the world leader in the production and export of WPC decking. A quick search on Alibaba.com reveals that there are more than 450 exporting companies; 70% of which are located in the provinces of Guangdong, Zhejiang or Jiangsu.
In this article, we will discuss the most important product specifications that you will need to take into account, the reasons why you should not trust the “guarantees” of Chinese suppliers, and what certification standards you will need to comply with so that you can import the product legally.
Product Specifications
“WPC” stands for “wood-plastic composites”, which is a material composed of plastic and plant fibers. Along with PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) and HDPE (High-density polyethylene), WPC is the most common composite material made in China.
As we often say, there is no universal definition of “good quality.” To avoid surprises, it is therefore extremely important to communicate the main specifications of the product you want to import to the supplier. As for WPC decking, the specification list should contain at least the following information:
- Size (e.g. 150*25mm)
- Length (e.g. 2.2 m or 2.9 m)
- Colour (RAL or Pantone code)
- Materials (e.g. 55% plant fibres, 35% HDPE and 10% chemical additives)
- Surface (e.g. smooth or rough)
- Term (e.g. 25 years)
- Use (e.g. indoor or outdoor flooring)
- Non-slip (Yes/No)
- Anti-UV (Yes/No)
- Waterproof (Yes/No)
- Climatic resistance (e.g. suitable from –40°C to 60 °C)
- Flame retardant standard (e.g. German B1)
The quality of composite wood flooring depends above all on the materials. The higher the percentage of vegetable fibers, for example, the more the duration (but also the price) increases. Always keep in mind that you will have to decide on these specifications and clearly communicate them to your supplier.
Guarantee
Many Chinese suppliers who specialize in WPC decking offer a warranty on the durability of the product. The problem is that such a guarantee can mean everything and nothing. The reality is that there is no international treaty that regulates the “guarantees”. This means that in order to obtain an effective warranty, you will need to have the supplier sign a sales agreement that contains the terms. These terms must specify:
- What to do if the product is found to be defective after arrival in Europe (inspecting the quality of every single unit of goods before shipping is realistic only for minimum orders).
- The years of validity of the warranty.
- Whether the importer will have to send the defective units to China, and if so, who will bear the freight costs.
- Who will have to pay the transport costs in case of replacement of the defective units.
- What to do if the goods do not comply with the certification standards in force in the importing country.
- The definition of “defect”.
- For which types of defects the warranty is valid.
- How defects should be compensated for (compensation, repair or replacement).
Even if the supplier agrees to your warranty terms, the surest way to avoid problems is to make sure that the product complies with the specifications you require and the certification standards in force in the country you intend to import before you have paid the final balance and the product is shipped from China.
The most effective way to check the quality of goods is to send a quality inspector to the factory and perform a laboratory test on a sample of the product.
Product certificates and conformity tests
If you intend to import the product within the European Union, you will need to make sure that it complies with the EN 15534 standard, which is part of the EC directive.
Since WPC decking also contains a number of chemical additives, you will also need to make sure that it complies with the REACH directive.
If you intend to import the product into the United States, you will need to make sure that it complies with the ASTM D7032 standard.
Flame retardants
As it contains a significant percentage of plastic and chemicals, WPC decking may catch fire. It is therefore important to ensure that the product complies with one of the most common flame retardant standards (B1, B2 or M1, for example).
Certification Standards and Chinese Suppliers
Keep in mind that many suppliers on B2B portals such as Alibaba.com trade their products almost exclusively within China. Such suppliers would not know where to start to make a product that complies with European or American certification standards.
Despite this, the vast majority would not think twice about selling you their products since the responsibility for complying with European regulations falls entirely on the importer. Before placing an order, it is therefore essential to check whether the supplier has the necessary certificates or not.
Laboratory tests
We also recommend that you have a sample of the product tested at a qualified laboratory such as SGS, Bureau Veritas, TUV or Asian Inspection. Obviously, the sample to be tested must come from your production stock and not, as sometimes happens, from stock of past productions carried out on behalf of other customers (as the materials or the production process may vary).
WPC decking prices
The price will depend on the standards to be met, the size, the duration required, etc. But the factor that has the most impact is the composition of the product: the higher the percentage of vegetable fibers, the more expensive the product is.
A common mistake is to choose the supplier only based on the price of the product. In November 2013, we performed a price research on behalf of one of our clients. Among the 24 suppliers contacted there was a huge price difference (from 4.4 to 33 dollars per square meter).
The reason is that some of these suppliers, the cheapest, only trade their products in China. This does not imply that they are “bad” suppliers. These suppliers simply do not have the production capacity to produce a product that complies with European certification standards. In addition, it is possible that a product considered of “good quality” in China is perceived as “garbage” in Italy (not always, depending on the case).
In any case, these suppliers must be discarded because it is useless to buy a product at a good price if it is illegal in Europe and, moreover, has such poor quality that it is practically unsellable in Europe.
Trade fairs
Visiting a trade fair is an effective way to get to know various suppliers and get an idea of their products. Here is a list of the most important trade fairs for WPC decking:
- Canton Fair.
- Domotex Asia/China Floor.
- WPCGZ
- Hong Kong International Building and Hardware Fai
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