Buying flooring from China
Engineered timber and hybrid floors are made in volume in China. The price gap is real; the checks are timber rules, emissions and the warranty.
What to spec
- Type: engineered timber (wear layer thickness, core, species, grade), hybrid or SPC (core thickness, wear layer, underlay), or laminate.
- Board width, length and profile (click or tongue and groove).
- Finish and colour, from a physical sample in your light.
- Matching stair nosings, scotia and trims.
- Quantity plus 5 to 10 percent for cuts.
What it costs landed
We do not have a delivered flooring job yet. Factory-gate asking prices on export marketplaces in October 2026 ran from about $4 to $11 USD per m2 for SPC and $15 to $38 USD per m2 for engineered oak, depending on wear layer and thickness. Real quotes at your volume will differ.
Elje estimate, October 2026. Not yet from a delivered job; replaced with real landed numbers as jobs land.
| Item | Factory gate | Landed estimate |
|---|---|---|
| SPC hybrid flooring, per m2 | About $4 to $11 USD (asking prices) | $14 to $28 per m2 |
| Engineered oak, 3 mm wear layer, per m2 | About $15 to $38 USD (asking prices) | $35 to $75 per m2 |
What to check
- Timber and timber-based flooring are regulated timber products: illegal logging due diligence.
- Formaldehyde emissions on any board core, with the report.
- Slip resistance where the floor is in a wet or outdoor area.
- Biosecurity: timber flooring and bamboo may be inspected at the border; packaging must be ISPM 15.
- Acclimatisation and installation instructions in English, and a warranty that names who honours it in Australia.
Mistakes we have seen
- Buying on the wear layer number without seeing the sample.
- A floor warranty that is void unless installed by the factory's own installers.
- No spares from the same batch for future repairs.
Questions
Is flooring worth importing on its own?
Usually only with the rest of the house. It is heavy for its value, so freight and fixed charges weigh more on a small order.
Sources
- Made-in-China.com, SPC flooring manufacturer listing (FOB asking prices)
- Made-in-China.com, engineered wood flooring listings (FOB asking prices)
- Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, regulated timber products (illegal logging rules)
- Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, ISPM 15 timber packaging
- Standards Australia, AS 4586 Slip resistance classification of new pedestrian surface materials