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Published 2026-09-21 · Educational article from the SWME TRADE team
Step 1: Define Your Specification Before You Ask for Prices
Wholesale pebble quotations vary widely because 'pebbles' is 不会 a specification. Before requesting prices, define four things: color family (white, black, mixed, natural), size grading (for example 2–3 cm, 3–5 cm), finish (natural tumble or polished) 和 packing (20 kg bags, 1 tonne jumbo bags, or loose).
Buyers who send this specification in the first email receive accurate FOB prices in one round; buyers who ask 'price for pebbles' typically spend two weeks clarifying details before a comparable number appears.
Step 2: Approve a Physical Sample, Not a Photo
颜色 on screen is unreliable: 白色鹅卵石 photograph warm, 黑色鹅卵石 photograph grey. Order a sample of the exact grading 和 finish you specified, sign off on it, 和 reference that sample in your purchase contract.
A practical compromise many distributors use: approve one sample box per material, then require batch photos 和, for repeat orders, retain a sealed counter-sample at the factory so every shipment is measured against the same standard.
Step 3: Understand How Much Fits a Container
Decorative stone is sold by weight but shipped by volume. A 20 GP container typically loads around 24–26 tonnes of bagged pebbles; a 40 HQ loads roughly 50–54 tonnes depending on packing. Polished pebbles need individual wrapping, which slightly reduces loading weight.
Ask your supplier for the loading plan — bag count per container, pallet arrangement 和 gross weight — before confirming the order. Container utilization is often worth more than a price discount per tonne.
Step 4: Agree 服务条款: Incoterms, Payment 和 Lead Time
Most Chinese stone suppliers quote FOB (Chinese port, usually Qingdao or Tianjin) — you add ocean freight 和 destination charges to compare true landed cost. CIF is fine for first orders; EXW pushes inland trucking on you 和 is rarely worth it.
Standard payment is 30% deposit, balance against the copy of bill of lading. Production lead time for pebbles is usually 15–25 days after deposit, depending on washing, polishing 和 bagging workload.
Step 5: Documents You Will Need at Destination
The commercial invoice, packing list 和 bill of lading are the core set. A certificate of origin reduces import duty in many countries. Ask your customs broker in advance whether any additional certificate applies to your market — requirements differ between the US, EU, Middle East 和 Australia.
A supplier who ships regularly to your country will already have the document checklist; ask which destinations they serve most 和 request a copy of a previous document set (with sensitive data removed) for your broker to review.
Step 6: Quality Control Before the Container Leaves
Your leverage exists before loading. Standard practice: supplier sends pre-loading photos of packed bags 和 grading, plus batch samples retained from production. For large or first orders, third-party inspection (a few hundred dollars) checks grading accuracy, bag weight 和 container condition.
After the container is sealed, disputes become expensive. Every quality clause — grading tolerance, color consistency against the approved sample, bag weight tolerance — belongs in the purchase confirmation, 不会 in an email footnote.
Start with a 混合色 Trial Order
If you are testing a new market or a new supplier, combine two or three materials — for example 白色鹅卵石 for retail, 装饰砾石 for volume 和 landscape stone for margin — in one container. You spread freight across products 和 learn the supplier's consistency across material classes at once.
Send your material list, destination port 和 target landed cost in your first inquiry: a serious supplier will answer with a full loading plan 和 realistic lead time, 不会 just a price per tonne.
常见问题
How many tonnes of pebbles fit in a 20 ft container?
A 20 GP container typically loads 24–26 tonnes of bagged 装饰鹅卵石 depending on grading 和 bag size; 抛光鹅卵石 with individual wrapping load slightly less. Always ask for the loading plan in writing before confirming an order.
What is the usual lead time for a pebble stone order from China?
Production takes about 15–25 days after deposit for most pebble 和 gravel orders, followed by ocean freight of 20–40 days depending on destination. Order peak-season volumes 6–8 weeks ahead of your project schedule.
Which Incoterm should I choose for buying stones from China?
FOB is the most practical: the supplier delivers to a Chinese port cleared for export 和 you control the ocean freight. Compare suppliers on FOB prices plus your own freight estimate to get a true landed cost per tonne.
Do I need a certificate of origin to import decorative stones?
In many countries a certificate of origin reduces the import duty on stone products. Requirements vary by market, so confirm the checklist with your customs broker before shipment — a regular exporter will provide it on request.
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