Exporting to France
Egyptian marble and granite for France
Egyptian marble and granite, and engineered quartz, into Marseille on the direct West Med sailing, with laboratory tests arranged for the stone you specify.
We reply within one working day · Saturday – Thursday, 08:00 – 18:00 Cairo time · WhatsApp +20 106 926 2572
Family business since 1991 · Factory in Alexandria · 50 % in advance · 30 % on approval after production · 20 % before shipping · Reply within one working day
Shipped by the container: Granite setts and cobbles by the container · Granite kerbs, channels and edging · Cut-to-size marble and granite · Granite floor tiles, steps and skirting · Egyptian limestone: Sinai Pearl, Galala and Sunny Menia · how much fits in a 20 ft · Download catalogue (PDF)
01 — Getting it there
Route and terms
- Routing
- Alexandria → Marseille, discharging at Mourepiane. Fos-sur-Mer suits Rhône and Lyon haulage; Le Havre has a direct call but a long rotation.
- Sea leg
- 7 – 12 days to Marseille; 25 – 30 days to Le Havre
- Incoterms
- FOB Alexandria, CIF Marseille or Fos, or DAP to site. Egyptian goods enter the EU duty-free under the Association Agreement; we apply for the EUR.1 and send it with the documents.
- Minimum order
- 1 × 20 ft container
Transit times are indicative port-to-port sailing times and exclude customs and inland haulage. Confirm at booking — they move with the season and the service.
We reply within one working day · Saturday – Thursday, 08:00 – 18:00 Cairo time · WhatsApp +20 106 926 2572
02 — Paperwork
What has to travel with it
CE marking with a Declaration of Performance per batch — EN 12057 for modular tiles, EN 12058 for floor and stair slabs, EN 1469 for cladding, most of it System 4. France then asks for more: the CCTP usually cites NF B10-601, and slip is handled by classing the premises under NF P05-011 and testing the finish to NF EN 16165, PC for shod areas and PN for barefoot. Slip belongs to the finish, so tell us the finish and the class you have to reach. Natural stone is reaction-to-fire A1 without testing under 96/603/EC, but only while organic content stays at or below 1 per cent — mesh-backed and resin-filled slabs fall outside it, which matters in an ERP. Quartz worktops have no harmonised standard, so they carry no CE mark and we send the technical data instead.
03 — What sells here
Stone that suits France
France buys for hospitality, retail fit-out and public works, and the three want different things. Hotel and restaurant work takes cream and pale grey marble in cut-to-size, worked to setting-out drawings rather than a tile schedule. Retail fit-out wants book-matched grey panels and counter tops in small quantities on short lead times. Public works is granite — paving to EN 1341, setts to EN 1342, kerbs to EN 1343, tendered against CCTG fascicule 29, where the specification is fixed long before anyone asks us to price it. The French palette runs cooler than the Gulf's, and quoting a warm golden beige against a grey specification usually loses.
Galala Extra
The selected, lightest and most uniform grade of Galala.
Galala Mountain360° →
Sinai Pearl
Pearly cream with a faint grey-green cast.
Sinai Peninsula360° →
Crema Egypt
Light, low-movement cream for large calm surfaces.
Minya Governorate360° →
Imperial Grey
Silver-grey ground lit by pale crystalline veining.
North Sinai360° →
Milly Gray
Egypt's signature grey — white veining over a cool ground.
Minya Governorate360° →
Grey Aswan
Mid grey with black and white speckle — the neutral workhorse.
Aswan360° →
04 — Questions
Buying from Egypt, into France
How long is the sailing to Marseille?
Seven to twelve days on the direct West Med service, discharging at Mourepiane in the Bassins Est. Le Havre runs 25 to 30 days.
Which declaration does France require?
A Declaration of Performance under EN 12057, EN 12058 or EN 1469 as the use requires, with CE marking. For the stone you select we arrange water absorption, flexural strength and abrasion tests at an accredited laboratory.
How is slip resistance handled?
By classing the premises under NF P05-011 and testing the finish to NF EN 16165 — PC for shod areas, PN for barefoot. Slip belongs to the finish, not the stone, so tell us both.
Is the stone classed A1 for fire?
Natural stone is A1 without testing under 96/603/EC while organic content stays at or below 1 per cent. Mesh-backed and resin-filled slabs fall outside that, which matters in an ERP — say so at order stage.
Quoting for France?
Send the stone, the finish, the thickness, the quantity and the destination port. You get FOB and CIF prices and a lead time, usually within one working day.
We reply within one working day · Saturday – Thursday, 08:00 – 18:00 Cairo time · WhatsApp +20 106 926 2572
Family business since 1991 · Factory in Alexandria · 50 % in advance · 30 % on approval after production · 20 % before shipping · Reply within one working day