Following the Government of Pakistan's amnesty scheme for the construction sector, there was a huge surge in demand for all construction materials used both in grey structure house construction and finishing works — at times, demand was so high that there was a shortage of supply in the market, particularly for materials like bricks, steel and cement for grey works, and fixtures for finishing. As we all know, materials required for the grey structure stage of house construction are manufactured and produced locally. But many materials used in finishing works were being imported from China and a few European countries. The government at the time imposed import duties that made it more difficult for such materials to be imported. Tiles were one such material with the biggest share among imports. Due to these steps, tile imports slowed down, creating a gap in the market that encouraged local businessmen and investors to set up local Pakistani tile production.
In the last 2-3 years, 4-5 factories have been set up in Pakistan that are now producing tiles. More factories are already in the planning stage and are expected to start production in the next 1-2 years. Currently, the most well-known names producing tiles locally in Pakistan, having started operations recently, are:
- Time Ceramics
- Ghani Ceramics
- Oreal Ceramics
Some of the other established names that have been in the market for much longer:
- Master Tiles
- Shabbir Tiles (Stile)
- National Tiles
- Pakistan Tiles
- Sonex Tiles
Talking about Master Tiles first — they have a huge setup, production capacity and market share, with dealers already selling their tiles across the country. Master Tiles deals in both floor tiles and wall tiles in various sizes. Floor tiles are available in 12″x12″, 20″x20″, 24″x24″, 30″x30″, 32″x32″, 36″x36″, 24″x36″ and 18″x36″ up to 24″x48″. Their wall tiles are also available in various sizes, but 12″x24″ and 12″x36″ are the sizes in peak demand. The price range for floor tiles is Rs 1,500-1,900/sqm, while wall tiles range from Rs 1,200-1,600/sqm.
Shabbir Tiles was once known for quality local tile production in Pakistan, but the group couldn't grow with time. It is still in production, but in only limited sizes of wall tiles, with very few outlets and dealers in Pakistan.
National Tiles is known for making commercially small-sized tiles, mostly used in large public projects. It doesn't deal in tiles for house floors or washrooms.
Pakistan Tiles has been in production for the last 5 years. It is owned by the well-known Abu Yousaf Group, based in Lahore. They offer various designs and patterns for wall tiles in a 12″x24″ size in decent quality, in both matt and gloss finish. The price range for wall tiles is Rs 1,100-1,200/sqm.
Sonex Tiles is currently not in production due to internal disputes within the company.
Now let's talk about the brands that have entered production more recently.
Time Ceramics is currently the biggest name in the market, with a huge network of outlets and dealers across the country. Like Master Tiles, it also has a huge per-day production capacity, however it currently only deals in limited sizes for floor tiles — 24″x24″ and 32″x32″. For wall tiles, it produces only the 12″x24″ size. The quality of Time Ceramics tiles is very good and highly recommended. It is a Chinese group, currently operated locally by Chinese staff. The price range for floor tiles is Rs 1,500-1,600/sqm, while wall tiles are around Rs 1,200/sqm.
Ghani Ceramics is another big name that has recently entered production. It is the same group that owns Pakistan's largest glass manufacturing industry, under the brand name Ghani Glass. It is the only local tile producer that has imported a SAKMI plant from Italy for floor tiles, so it can be assumed that their current quality is most superior in the market compared to other local producers. Ghani Ceramics currently has limited production capacity compared to others, but is already in the execution stage for its second and third production lines, which will multiply capacity 3-4 times over the next year. At the moment, Ghani Ceramics only produces floor tiles in 24″x24″, easily available in the market in the price range of Rs 1,200-1,400/sqm.
Oreal Ceramics is another name that has recently entered production. Like Time Ceramics, Oreal is also a Chinese group. It currently deals only in wall tiles, in the 12″x24″ size, available in the market in the price range of Rs 1,150-1,200/sqm.
It is said that the period from 2011-2019 belonged to imported tiles. There was a huge influx of tiles from around the world into Pakistan, which had a significant negative impact on our economy. Secondly, the prices of imported tiles were so high that it was becoming difficult for the common man to afford them, but there was little other choice due to limited quality local options. Today, it can be said that local tiles have already taken over from imported tiles, and this trend is expected to continue in the near future.