Flooring brands and flooring businesses are facing increasing competition pressures from various of competitors. Whether it be rival brands, another distributors down the street, or big box stores like Home Depot or Bauhaus, increasing competition pressures means losing business opportunities that lead to diminished revenue and profitability. To improve products competitive edge, flooring businesses should consider about buying SPC floorings directly from China. This article explains why it is flooring businesses’ interest to buy SPC flooring from China, and how to establish SPC flooring collections with leading suppliers in China.
Tip for Flooring Importers;
What is SPC Flooring?
SPC flooring is abbreviated to stand for Stone Polymer Composition flooring. The term simply implies that SPC planks are made from compositions of PVC with limestone which resulted in a rigid construction. As a rigid core flooring, SPC flooring has an enhanced dimensional stability and rigidity when compared to conventional LVT floorings.
The high content of limestone composition makes SPC incredibly dense, durable, and highly resistant to impact and indentation. As a polymer based flooring, SPC is also waterproof, making it to resist to cupping and peeling (often caused by moisture penetration). It can be installed in laundry rooms, bathrooms, basements, kitchens, and other areas prone to moisture or temperature changes.
SPC’s rigid core vinyl flooring is installed using a floating interlocking system. It’s low maintenance and durability makes it ideal for both residential and high-traffic commercial flooring applications.
Why SPC Remain a Strong Flooring Product for Retailers
SPC flooring has gained significant market growth due to its rigid core characteristics. The growing momentum was picked up since early 2018 where it was first introduced into the United States market with large scale by MSI. With improving rigidity, SPC was seen as an upgraded vinyl flooring comparing to LVT flooring. Over the years, SPC flooring has significant proven in market success. In fact, for the first time in history, lead by the growing demand for SPC, luxury vinyl tile category (LVT + SPC + WPC) were able to exceed national carpet sales in 2023 in United States. A strong indication for Flooring Retailers to add SPC plank flooring for future success.
SPC Plank Flooring Features
- 100% waterproof property
- Easy installation for time saving
- No formaldehyde for health safety
- Minimised expand or contract issues
- High slip resistant for safety
- Flame resistant
- High sound resistant
- Super wear resistant for durability
- High impact resistant for comfort
- Up to 25~30 years of use depending on brand warranty
Example of SPC Technical Parameter
| Item | Standards | Minimum Requirement | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Floorscore Certification | SCS-EC10.3-2014v3.0 | According to Standards | Pass |
| CE Certification | EN14041 | According to Standards | Pass |
| Fire Resistance | EN 9239-1 EN ISO11925-2 EN 13501-1 | Critical Fluxr>8.0kw/m Fs<150mm within 20s Smoke<750% minutes | Bf1-s1 |
| Slip Resistance | EN13893 | Class DS | |
| Phthalate Tests (DBP/BBP/DEHP/DINP/ DNOP/DIDP) | EN14372:2004 | ND | Not Detectable |
| Formaldehyde | ISO17226-1:2008 | ND | Not Detectable |
| Dimension Stability | ASTM F2199-09(R2014) | <0.25% | MD: -0.046% TD: -0.009% |
| Seam Strength | EN 684:1995 | Ave: 360N/50mm Min: 330N/50mm Pass | |
| Residual Indentation (%) | ASTM F1700-13a & ASTM F1914-07(2011) | Average value <8 Individual value <10 | 0.4 Pass |
| Heat Stability | ASTM F1514-03(R2013) | Δ E* ab<8 | Pass |
| Recovery Under Static Load | ASTM F970-17 | 0.04mm Pass | |
| Large Ball Impact Resistance | NALFA/ANSI LF-01-2011 | No cracks or fractures occurred at the height of 2500mm | |
| Peel Resistance | EN ISO 24345:2012 | 54N/50mm | Longitudinal direction: 95N/50mm Cross direction: 95N/50mm |
| Castor Chair Test | ASTM D4060 | 25000 cycles | Pass |
| Thermal Resistance | EN 12667:2001 | 0.033 (m2.k)/w | |
| Resistance to Chemicals | ASTM F1700-13a & ASTM F925-13 | No more than a slight change in surface dulling, surface attack, or staining | No change in surface dulling, surface attack, or staining was detected |
| Static Electrical Propensity | EN 1815:2016 method A | ≤ 2kV | Pass |
| Impact Insulation Class with 1.5mm Padding | ASTM E492-09(2016) ASTM E989-12 | I IC=65 | |
| Thermal Conductivity | EN 12667:2001 | 0.154 W/(m.k) | |
| Sound Transmission Class with 1.5mm Padding | ASTM E90-2009(R2016) ASTM E413-10 | STC=62 |
Example of SPC Flooring Collections
Good, Better, Best, is a common product strategy used by flooring brands both large or small. By classifying different level of products, from entry price to premium price, you can easily build SPC flooring collections that targets different level of consumers. Below is an example of SPC flooring collection classified according to product specifications.
| Specification | Good Collection | Better Collection A | Better Collection B | Best Collection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plank Size | 48” x 9 1/16” | 60” x 9 1/16” | 60” x 9 1/16” | 60” x 9” |
| Total Thickness (Including Pad) | 5.5mm | 6.5mm | 8mm | 7mm |
| Wear Layer | 12mil | 20mil | 20mil | 20mil |
| Attached Pad | 1mm EVA | 1.5mm IXPE | 2mm IXPE | 1mm IXPE |
| Surface Texture | Deep Embossed | Deep Embossed | Deep Embossed | EIR |
| Bevel Edge | Micro Bevel | Painted Bevel | Painted Bevel | Unline pressed bevel |
| Color Selections | 14 | 10 | 10 | 15 |
Collection Render
How to Buy SPC Flooring from China?
Now that we have explained why SPC continues to be a leading product within the luxury vinyl tile category, the next question is to how individual flooring businesses can buy SPC flooring from China. International trading and importing can be an entirely different working process, but it also lead to many benefits such as improved cost of flooring goods, improving profit margin, building a private label brand for better market impact, and expanding on sales channels.
Prerequisite
- Comply with relevant business regulations and registered with licences to import good from aboard.
- Properly setup banking account for foreign transaction purposes. Multi-currency might be needed depending on supplier situation.
- Prepare cash on hand to make transitions to purchase good from aboard.
Steps by Steps to Buy SPC Products from China
- Reach out and communicate with potential SPC flooring manufactures. The communication channel can be done by direct email, phone, through B2B platforms, or in person. Further reading on “Consideration for Importing Luxury Vinyl Planks from Asia“.
- Inquiry for company/factory introduction, product offerings, quality system, and price quotations.
- Request for samples, factory auditing for validation.
- Confirm purchase order quantity.
- Make Deposit (A common practice for new clients).
- Plan for Shipping in accordance to production leadtime.
- Product Inspection before product delivery and shipping.
- Make Final Payments and Receive Products.
SPC Product Differentiators
Vinyl SPC flooring products are becoming more homogeneous as increasing number of competitors are on the raise. Offering common and ordinary SPC collections are no longer effective as price competitions drive down sales and profit margin. Therefore flooring brands and distributors needs to explore innovations that differentiate their products from other competitors.
As professional vinyl flooring supplier in Asia, Sreelance provide many SPC product differentiators into our product lines. These includes:
- 3″ Narrow Plank Click SPC Flooring
- Low Repetition ABCD Design Sets for SPC Floorings
- Extra Large Click SPC Flooring that does not need trasition molding across rooms
- Energy Efficient Floor Heating System for SPC Flooring
- 38N Repetitive Traffic Scratching (RTS) Rating for Laminate Like SPC Flooring
- Vinyl Free Polypropylene Based SPC
- Vinyl Free Polyester (PET) Based SPC
Start Buying SPC From China with Sreelance
Whether you are a building material wholesalers or a flooring distributor, buying SPC from China with Sreelance is simple. We offer a wide range of innovative resilient flooring products with top notch quality and competitive prices to support your business success.
To start buying SPC plank floorings from China, reach out to us at sales@sreelance.com
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