Most import problems are supplier-selection problems that surfaced later. This is the sequence for catching them earlier — in three stages, in order, before money moves.
Before you discuss stone, establish that the business is what it says it is. In India these are all checkable.
The twelve-point checklist
| # | Checkpoint | What to verify | Red flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IEC code | The 10-digit Importer Exporter Code | No IEC means not licensed to export |
| 2 | GSTIN | Verifiable on the government GST portal | No or inactive GSTIN is a shell-company risk |
| 3 | AD code | Bank Authorised Dealer code | Without one they cannot process an L/C or a TT properly |
| 4 | Quarry ownership | Own mine or trading only? Ask to see the lease. | Trader-only means less price and continuity control |
| 5 | Processing unit | See the gangsaw and the polishing line | No factory means a broker markup |
| 6 | Export history | Last five bills of lading and commercial invoices | No history means your container is their first |
| 7 | Quality control | Walk the QC. Do they actually reject slabs, and for what? | A supplier who has never rejected is not inspecting |
| 8 | Block stock | Count blocks. Ask weekly throughput. | Low stock means fulfilment delay |
| 9 | Packing | ISPM 15 stamp on the crates | No stamp means cargo refused at destination |
| 10 | References | Three existing buyers, any country | No references — proceed carefully |
| 11 | Payment terms | 30/70 L/C? 50/50 TT? | 100% advance demanded — walk away |
| 12 | IEC re-verify | Cross-check independently on the DGFT portal | A failed check is a fraud risk |
Point 4 is the one that separates suppliers. Ask to see the mining lease. A supplier with quarry control will show you; a trader will change the subject to price. Neither answer is disqualifying — plenty of good exporters are processors rather than miners — but you need to know which you are dealing with, because it determines whether they can hold a quarry for a repeat order. See Direct-Quarry vs Trader.
Point 11 is the clearest signal in the list. A legitimate exporter with a factory and a bank relationship does not need 100% in advance from a new buyer.
The three questions that reveal a broker
"Which quarry, which village?" A supplier with origin control answers with a district and often a village — Chimakurthy, Karimnagar, Deogarh, Bijolia, Makrana. A broker answers with a state, or with the name of the port.
"What is your rejection rate on the polishing line, and for what?" The answer you want describes a real defect they turn back: a fissure length, a polish dullness, a colour drift. "We don't get rejects" means they are not inspecting.
"Can you hold this quarry for a repeat order, and for how long?" A broker says yes reflexively. A supplier gives you a number and a condition.
Before production
Approve a range panel, not a sample. Five or six pieces showing the acceptable spread from one extreme to the other. A single sample tells you the colour; the range panel tells you the tolerance, which is what you will actually argue about. Seal it, date it, hold a copy at each end.
Define the grade on four axes, in writing on the proforma invoice:
- Veining and pattern tolerance
- Fissures and pits — how many, how long, may they be resined
- Resin and mesh — used or not, and disclosed
- Calibration and polish — thickness tolerance, gloss consistency
Get the test data for the quarry. Not a generic sheet with the stone name typed at the top. ASTM C615/C503/C568/C616 with C97, C170, C99, C880, C241 for US and Australian work; EN 1926, EN 12372, EN 13755, EN 1936, EN 14157 for European; EN 12371 for frost; EN 12407 petrographic where the material class matters.
Ask for block photographs before sawing on gangsaw material. This also tells you whether they hold the block or are buying it after your order.
During production
In-process inspection, not final inspection. By the time a container is packed, a defect is a rejection rather than a correction. What in-process inspection looks like:
- Block photographs before sawing
- Slab photographs after sawing, before polishing
- Polish photographs under neutral light, around 4000K — not warm showroom light, under which every stone looks good
- First-article approval on anything dimensionally critical: portrait recesses, plaque recesses, anchor holes, cladding drilling
- Dimensional check reports against the drawing
For cut-to-size and monuments, insist on a first article. One piece, produced, photographed with measurements, approved in writing, before the run proceeds. A systematic dimensional error caught on piece one costs nothing; caught on piece four hundred it is a container of scrap.
Before loading
Packing specification agreed in writing. A-frames for slabs, ISPM 15 crates for cut-to-size and monuments, edge protection, no steel in contact with stone, desiccant. The full clause is in Sea Packing for Natural Stone.
Marking specification agreed. PO number, description, piece count, net and gross weight, and — critically — bundle and sequence numbers written on the slab edge, matching the packing list. Packing lists get separated from cargo; slab edges do not.
At loading
The loading photograph set, before documents are released. Six sets of images:
- Material in the yard
- Material in the A-frame or crate
- Frames or crates being loaded
- Container half loaded
- Container fully loaded
- Doors closed with the seal number visible
Make this a condition of document release. It costs the exporter ten minutes and it settles most claims before they become disputes. A supplier who resists it is telling you something.
Documentation check
- Commercial invoice describing goods in terms your broker can classify — see HS Codes for Natural Stone
- Packing list matching the marking on the crates
- Bill of lading with the seal number recorded
- Certificate of origin in the form your trade agreement requires — see Certificate of Origin for Stone Imports
- Test reports for the material
- Declaration of Performance where an EU harmonised standard applies
- Fumigation or heat treatment certificate for the timber
- Insurance certificate if buying CIF — and check the clauses
On arrival
Inspect before signing clean. Photograph the container seal intact, photograph the doors opening, photograph the load before unloading. If there is damage, you want the images that show whether it was a packing failure or a handling failure.
Check against the range panel, not against your memory of the sample.
Responsible sourcing — the fourth stage, for some markets
For German, Dutch and Belgian public and quality-conscious buyers, add a due-diligence layer:
- Named quarry and named processing unit
- Third-party certification for those specific sites — XertifiX, Fair Stone. A certificate covers named sites, not a company.
- Evidence the supplier has actually been there
- Traceability from delivery back to block
See TruStone-Compliant Indian Sandstone and Selling Stone to Germany: XertifiX, Fair Stone.
What Gemarix does differently
We supply the loading photograph set as standard, before documents are released, because we would rather you saw the container packed than take our word for it.
We produce a first article with measurements on anything dimensionally critical, and we name the quarry on the invoice — which is what makes points 4 and 12 of the checklist above answerable in the first place.
And we expect to be asked all twelve questions. A buyer who does not ask them is a buyer who will have a problem with someone eventually.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I verify an Indian stone exporter is legitimate?
Check four things that are all independently verifiable: a ten-digit Import Export Code, an active GSTIN on the government portal, a bank Authorised Dealer code, and the mining lease if they claim to own a quarry. Cross-check the IEC separately on the DGFT portal.
What payment terms should I expect from an Indian stone supplier?
Something like 30/70 on a letter of credit or 50/50 on telegraphic transfer is normal. A demand for 100 per cent in advance from a new buyer is the clearest warning sign in the whole process: a legitimate exporter with a factory and a bank relationship does not need it.
What is the difference between a range panel and a sample?
A sample tells you the colour. A range panel — five or six pieces showing the acceptable spread from one extreme to the other — tells you the tolerance, which is the thing that actually gets argued about later. Seal it, date it and hold a copy at each end.
Should quality control happen before or after production?
During. By the time a container is packed, a defect is a rejection rather than a correction. In-process inspection means block photographs before sawing, slab photographs after sawing, polish photographs under neutral light, and first-article approval on anything dimensionally critical.
What should a loading photograph set contain?
Six sets: material in the yard, material in the A-frame or crate, frames being loaded, the container half loaded, the container fully loaded, and the doors closed with the seal number visible. Make it a condition of document release — it settles most claims before they become disputes.