China is currently the world's largest producer of SPC flooring, but it is not the only option — and for many brands and distributors, it is not the best fit. Türkiye has become a serious manufacturing origin for waterproof flooring, combining certified quality with a location close to Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Here's how the two origins compare, and where MILAT Floor fits.
The global SPC sourcing landscape
SPC flooring is produced at scale in several countries. China dominates on volume and has the largest number of factories. Türkiye — and Gaziantep in particular — has grown into a certified, export-focused manufacturing hub, backed by an established floor-covering industry. The right origin depends on your market, your logistics and your quality requirements.
Where Türkiye stands out
- Proximity to Europe, the Middle East and North Africa — a shorter shipping distance than East Asia to these markets.
- EU-market compliance — CE Declarations of Performance under EU 305/2011.
- Licensed technology — MILAT builds on a licensed Unilin click system, not a lookalike.
- Certified systems — FloorScore® plus five ISO standards covering quality, environment and safety.
Factors to weigh when choosing an origin
| Factor | Why it matters | MILAT Floor (Türkiye) |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Affects shipping time and cost to your market | Gaziantep — close to Europe, MENA and beyond |
| Certification | Determines where you can legally sell | FloorScore®, CE (EU 305/2011), five ISO standards |
| Click system | Genuine licensed locking vs. unlicensed copies | Licensed Unilin click system |
| Surface realism | How authentic the wood/stone looks | Embossed In Register (EIR) across all collections |
| Custom capability | Private label, colours and sizes | OEM / private label, custom colours & sizes |
| Backing | Stability of the supplier | Full end-to-end production in our own Gaziantep factory |
Is Türkiye right for your project?
If you sell into Europe, the Middle East or North Africa, or you value licensed technology and transparent certification, sourcing from Türkiye is often the stronger choice. MILAT Floor combines that origin with OEM and private-label flexibility and worldwide export.
Dual sourcing: it does not have to be either-or
The smartest importers we meet do not treat Turkey versus China as a fork in the road. They run both. A Chinese factory might supply the high-volume entry range while a Turkish plant like MILAT covers the certified, design-led, quicker-to-Europe programme. Dual sourcing hedges freight disruption, tariff changes, and single-factory risk; if one origin stalls, your shelves do not empty. The cost is a little more management overhead: two sets of samples, two quality baselines, two relationships. For a growing distributor, that overhead is cheap insurance.
The working-relationship difference
Distance is measured in more than kilometres. A buyer in Warsaw, Berlin, or London shares most of the working day with a factory in Gaziantep; questions asked in the morning are answered before lunch. With East Asia, every exchange loses a day to time zones, and complex issues can stretch across a week of overnight replies. There is also the audit trip. Flying to Türkiye for a factory visit is a short hop for a European buyer, which means quality checks, pre-shipment inspections, and face-to-face negotiations actually happen instead of staying on the wish list.
Reading quotes from different origins fairly
The most common sourcing error is comparing a Chinese quote and a Turkish quote as if they described the same product. Often they do not. Check the wear layer thickness, whether the click system is genuinely licensed, whether the acoustic pad is attached, and whether the certificates are current documents in the factory's own name rather than borrowed paperwork. Then compare landed cost, not factory price: freight, duty, insurance, finance cost on stock in transit, and the price of a delayed container all belong in the calculation. A cheaper invoice can be the more expensive floor.
Where each origin typically fits
| Buyer situation | Origin that usually fits |
|---|---|
| EU retailer needing CE Declarations of Performance and fast replenishment | Türkiye |
| Very large volume, price-led programme with long planning horizons | China |
| Private label with custom colours and European design taste | Türkiye |
| Mixed portfolio hedging freight and tariff risk | Both |
Use the table as a starting point, not a verdict. The right answer always comes from your own landed-cost sheet and a sample on your own desk.
Talk to MILAT Floor
Samples, specifications, OEM & private label, wholesale or export — our team is ready.