FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions include inquiry for slate products, how to select, communicate, samples, payment, minimum order, delivery time, loading, packing, shipping, compensation etc.
Q: How I inquire products what I am interesting?
First of all you need to tell us what are your purpose for slate products, use in commercial or residential, interior or outerior, roofing slate tiles, flooring slate tiles, or wall stone veneer, size, thickness, shape, quantities of slates, which we can better serve your requirement. Slate industry is more customized, we have difficult to offer all prices of slate products.
You could download the pictures of slate products what you are interesting, then to send us per email, we will be easy to understand your request.
You are also better list your company, postal address, Tel and Fax number, we can use to calculate CIF prices and evaluate how to deliver our products to near discharge port.
Q: Promote communication efficiency betwen you and us.
Because of the time difference reasons, inquiry and reply will be spent one day at least, so you are hoped to promote communication efficiency. Our answer is even more specific and detailed if your request listed is more detailed. We encourage each enquiry list as specific as possible, integral, detailed description of request are welcome.
Q: Could I get a sample with free charge of slate products?
Yes, just specify your requirement. We usually supply 300*200*5-7mm for roofing slate, 200x200x10mm for flooring tile, normally our slate samples are free charge, but we would send the samples based on freight collect except for our long term partner, therefore, sometimes you're requested to provide a collect account number of express courier, such as FedEx, DHL, TNT, UPS etc.
Q: What is your minimum order of slate?
It depends on what you are buying, normally, our minimum order is one 20' full container at least, we usually don't accept order of LCL container (Less than a Container Load).
Q: I am a small trader or private customer, whether I can directly buy from Westone?
Westone usually devote to supply quality slate to bigger importers of its partners to avoid trivial operation of small request due to huge output. We encourage small trader and private customer buy from our distributor who locate your area if available. If there is not distributor in your area, we can directly supply.
Q: What is your payment term?
Our standard payment term could be T/T (50% deposit, balance against copy of B/L) or irrevocable Letter of Credit at sight, L/C draft must to be confirmed by each other before slate order.
Q: What is approximate delivery time from order?
Within 10-45 days after receipt of your L/C or deposit according to your requirement. We usually deliver some roofing slate in 10 days because we have stocked great quantities in harbor warehouse, noremal size and variety always be dispatched quicly.
Q: How could I get to know how much stone I could load per 20' container?
At Tianjin, Qingdao, Shanghai, and Xiamen Port, we could load the maximum gross weight of 24 tons in one 20'container. Therefore, how much stone you could load per 20' container depends on the weight limit on the roads or railway of your country. The density of slate with wooden crate from 2750KGS per cubic meter. Therefore,
For America, the quantity per 20' container load is as follows
3/8" thickness: 6459 sq.ft.
3/4" thickness: 3229sq.ft
1 1/4" thickness: 2153 sq.ft.
1 1/2" thickness: 1615sq.ft.
2" thickness: 1292 sq.ft.
For most of the European countries and Middle East, the quantity per 20'container load is as follows
1cm: 935M2
1.2cm: 772M2
1.5cm: 617M2
2cm: 463M2
2.5cm: 370M2
3cm: 309M2
4cm: 231M2
5cm: 185M2
Q: Could you guarantee your quality? How?
For each order, no matter it is small order or big order, we will have our Quality Inspectors to be responsible for quality testing of all stone raw materials and finished products. Each order will be followed and monitored from beginning to end by experienced QC inspectors to ensure quality standards and punctual delivery. In addition, we also welcome clients to monitor product quality by either personally visiting our production areas or employing third party independent inspection companies. Quality is the life of Westone. It is our principle that we will not ship any unqualified goods to our customers.
Q: How many colors we can load in one 20' container for slate?
We usually load slate in one variety because great output. If diffirent color slate locat at near quarry, we can also load more color in container.
Normally about maximum 2-3 colors. It is easier for us if you buy no more than 3 colors (say 2-3 colors) and we appreciate it. Especially for some differient quarry slate, it is very difficult to collect in one port, If you buy many colors for one container, it will make us inefficient and high cost.
Q: Do your slate color in website and samples matching with your real slates will be shipped?
Firstly, we try to ensure our website will be most ture and precise showing in all website of Chinese slate industry, so we list more pictures of stock slate in factory.
Secondly, the real slate of shipment matching with slate color in website pictures and samples very well. But for natural material, the slate mined from diffirent layer of quarries, time, season, temperature, rain and snow etc cause some little changing with pictures and samples. Westone is only responsible to slate quality, quantities, breaken except special clarified for a little bit different of color because nobody in slate industry will be sure for control color uniform.
Q: Why I can't find your advertisement in some media now? but before, I often found it.
We invested advertisements before 5 years ago, but now, we found the network of distribution in the world. Server existing clients well is our highest target.
Westone have good reputation in slate industry of European and American slate market yet; And we don't want to conflict with our distriburos; And we concentrate on network of distribution in the world.
Q: Will you compensate for our losses if your products will be failure?
Yes, I do. Nobody can control all procedures in international trade. In our experience, many compensations are caused by crates fall down and breaken in container, we usually present Insurance to buyer, if consignee can bot get compensation from Insurance, we would like to be charge a part of losses. Westone happed very few fail of slate quality in great output in past years, we were responsible for all of responsibility after fairly discussion and proof.
Q: Why are your prices reasonable?
You are directly buying from the one of biggest manufacturer and exporter for slate products in China. Quality, delivery, regular supply are assuring.
