Furniture, wood & rattan
Terracotta and roof tiles
Indonesian terracotta covers roof tiles, floor tiles, planters and cladding, fired in Java from local clay. Two things decide whether an order works: whether the material suits your climate, and how much of it survives the journey.
How it leaves the country.
- Roof tiles
- Traditional profiles fired in Java. Heavy, and the fixing system matters as much as the tile.
- Floor and wall tiles
- Unglazed terracotta with the colour variation that comes from a wood or gas kiln.
- Planters and pots
- The largest export category, from small pots to very large vessels.
- Cladding and screens
- Extruded and pressed elements for facades, which brings architectural performance requirements.
How it is graded.
Fired clay varies by nature and by kiln position. The specification bounds the variation and the packing decides how much arrives.
- Frost resistance
- The question that decides whether the material suits a cold climate. Porous terracotta absorbs water and it fails when that water freezes.
- Water absorption
- The measurable property behind frost resistance, and it belongs in the specification for any exterior use.
- Firing and colour
- Kiln type and position produce real colour variation. Approve a range rather than a single tile.
- Dimensional tolerance
- Fired clay shrinks and it shrinks unevenly. A tolerance has to be stated or laying becomes slow and expensive.
- Strength and breakage
- Both in service and in transit. Weak firing shows in the container before it shows on a roof.
- Efflorescence
- Salt migrating to the surface as the material dries. It is a known characteristic and worth discussing before somebody sees it.
How it is packed.
- Crates and pallets
- Individually packed for large pieces, crated for tiles. This is where the breakage rate is decided.
- Weight before volume
- Fired clay is dense, so a container weighs out well before it fills. The loading plan is a payload calculation.
- Breakage allowance
- Agree one in writing. Some breakage is realistic and a stated allowance prevents an argument on arrival.
- Moisture
- Damp packing on porous fired clay causes staining and mould on the packaging that transfers to the surface.
Where it grows.
Central Java
Java
Traditional tile and pottery districts with clay, kilns and long-established production.
East Java
Java
Manufacture with a route through Surabaya and access to industrial kilns.
West Java
Java
Production including the Plered pottery area, serving both domestic and export markets.
Bali
Bali
Decorative and garden pottery oriented to export buyers, at workshop scale.
Documentation, where applicable.
- Certificate of analysis
- Water absorption, frost resistance where relevant, dimensional tolerance and strength on the shipped lot.
- EU general product safety
- For consumer products in the European market, with a responsible person established in the union.1
- ISPM 15 mark
- On the crates and pallets, regulated separately from the goods.2
- Certificate of origin
- Which form applies depends on the destination and the preference scheme in force with Indonesia.
Questions buyers ask.
Will Indonesian terracotta survive a cold winter?
Only if it is frost resistant, which is a measurable property tied to water absorption. Tropical production is not made with freezing in mind, so this is the first question rather than an afterthought.
How much breakage should I expect?
Some, on any fired clay shipment. Agree an allowance in writing before shipping so that a normal outcome does not become a dispute, and photograph the packing before the container is closed.
Why do the tiles vary in colour?
Kiln position and firing produce real variation, which is characteristic of the material rather than a fault. Approve a range and tell your customer, because a customer expecting uniformity will be disappointed.
Tell us what you need.
Give us the specification and the destination port. We come back with producer options and an indicative price. Our fee is 5 % of the order value, paid by you and never by the factory.
Sources
- 1Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety. EUR-Lex. Checked 5 August 2026.
- 2ISPM 15, regulation of wood packaging material in international trade. International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), FAO. Checked 3 August 2026.