How a StoneCrest Granite Order Works — From Your First Message to Your Workshop
Every step is documented. Every decision is yours. You know where your order is at every stage — before it leaves India, while it is in transit, and when it reaches your port. This page explains exactly what happens from the moment you contact us to the moment your container arrives.
✓ Six-Stage Quality Check Before Dispatch
✓ Pre-Shipment Photographs provided
✓ Block Reference Locked at Sample Approval
✓ IEC · FIEO · MCA Registered Exporter
Why We Document Every Step
Most granite suppliers describe themselves as reliable. Fewer can show you specifically what that means in practice.
This page is not here to impress you. It is here to answer the questions every experienced buyer asks before placing a first order with a new supplier:
What happens between “yes, I want to order” and “my container has arrived”?
Who is accountable at each stage?
What do I receive as proof that things are being done properly?
What happens if something goes wrong?
The answers are below — in the order they happen.
The StoneCrest Order Process — Step by Step
We’ve refined our stone export process to ensure seamless international shipping, quality assurance, and customer satisfaction. Here’s how we deliver excellence from quarry to your project site:
01
Enquiry and Specification Review
You send us your requirements — granite variety, dimensions, thickness, grade, and approximate volume. If you are not sure of exact specifications yet, that is fine. We ask the right questions to understand what you actually need.
At this stage we also confirm whether what you are asking for matches what we can supply to your standard. If we cannot match your requirement, we tell you clearly rather than promise something we cannot deliver.
What you receive: Direct response from us within one working day with
confirmation of availability, relevant slab photographs, and a sample offer if
applicable.
02
Sample Dispatch and Evaluation
Before any production begins, you receive a polished sample piece — Absolute Black, Jet Black, or Tan Brown — sent to your workshop. You cover shipping only. The sample is free.
This step is not a formality. It is how we establish your colour reference standard. You evaluate the mirror polish, the surface depth, and the colour in your own workshop under your own lighting conditions. You compare it against your existing standard if you have one.
If you are not happy with the sample, there is no order. If you are happy, the
sample becomes the locked colour reference for your production.
What you receive: Polished sample piece + sample specification note (grade, finish, origin block region).
03
Sample Approval and Block Reference Locking
Once you approve the sample, we lock the quarry block reference that matches it. This is the specific step that prevents the most common problem in granite ordering: two headstones from the same container looking slightly different shades in the cemetery.
Locking the block reference means your entire order — every slab, every cut piece, every component — is sourced from the same quarry block as your approved sample. Same colour. Same mineral pattern. Same depth of polish. Batch-to-batch.
What you receive: Written confirmation of block reference lock + order confirmation.
04
Production and In-Line Quality Checks
Production begins once block reference is confirmed and order is placed.
During production, your order goes through three of the six QC stages:
— Pre-production check: Quarry block assessed against your approved sample before cutting begins. No deviation is accepted at this stage.
— Random production inspection: Random pieces checked mid-production for dimensions, polish quality, and colour consistency.
— In-line quality review: Finished pieces assessed against your approved sample before packing. Any piece that does not meet the standard is rejected and replaced.
What you receive: Production update confirmation when cutting and polishing is complete.
05
Final Inspection and Third-Party Inspection Option
Every completed order goes through a final quality inspection before packing — polish verification, edge check, dimension check against your specification, and colour comparison against your locked reference sample.
If you want an independent third-party inspection by an agency of your choice, we arrange full access. Your inspector, your report, your standard.
What you receive: Final inspection sign-off. Third-party inspection report if
requested. Confirmation that production matches specification.
06
Pre-Shipment Photographs
Before your container is packed and sealed, we send you a full set of pre-shipment photographs. These are not promotional images — they are documentary photographs of your actual order, taken specifically for you.
The photographs show: the finished slabs stacked and ready, surface polish quality, edge finish, packing material, and container loading where applicable.
You review the photographs before the container moves. If you see anything that needs clarification, you raise it at this point — before dispatch, not after arrival.
What you receive: Full pre-shipment photograph set, sent by email and WhatsApp.
07
Export Documentation and Container Loading
Once you confirm the pre-shipment photographs, the container is loaded and sealed. All standard export documentation is prepared at this stage.
Standard documents provided with every order:
— Commercial Invoice
— Packing List
— Certificate of Origin
— Bill of Lading
— Material Test Certificate (on request)
— Phytosanitary Certificate (on request)
— Third-Party Inspection Report (if inspection was arranged in Step 5)
IEC registered. FIEO member. MSME registered. All documentation is issued by a compliant, registered Indian exporter — not an unregistered trader.
What you receive: Full export documentation set sent electronically before container departure. Bill of Lading issued when container is on board.
08
Loading Confirmation, Transit, and Post-Arrival Follow-Up
When your container is on board, you receive a loading confirmation with the vessel name, voyage number, and estimated arrival date at your port.
We do not go silent after dispatch. During transit, you can contact us at any time with tracking questions. When your container arrives, we follow up to confirm receipt and check that everything matched your specification and the pre-shipment photographs.
If there is a problem — a damaged piece, a dimension error, anything that does not match what was approved — you contact us and we resolve it. That is what accountability after the invoice means in practice.
What you receive: Loading confirmation email. Post-arrival follow-up from us within 5 working days of your estimated arrival date.
What Accountability Looks Like in Practice
You Know What You Approved — Before Production Starts
The sample you receive in your workshop becomes the locked reference standard. Not a rough guide. Not a close match. The exact block reference that produced your approved sample is the block your order is cut from. You are not trusting a description. You are trusting your own eyes.
You See It Before It Leaves India
Pre-shipment photographs are provided for every order — not on request, not as a premium service. They are standard. You review the actual pieces before the container moves. The photographs show the polish, the dimensions, and the packing. If there is a question, it is answered before dispatch — not after a six-week voyage.
You Have Someone to Call If Something Is Wrong
When there is a problem — and in any supply chain, problems happen — you contact us directly. Not a customer support inbox. Not a ticketing system. The same person who confirmed your specification is the person who resolves it. That is what it means to have an accountable supplier rather than a transactional one.
IEC Registered
Import Export Code — Directorate General of Foreign Trade, India
FIEO Member
Federation of Indian Export Organisations
MCA Registered
Registered with the Government of India under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
Karnataka-Origin Sourcing
Absolute Black and Jet Black — quarried from Karnataka's verified quarrying belt
Common Questions About the Export Process
How long does a granite order from India take from placement to UK delivery?
From confirmed order to container loading typically takes 4 to 6 weeks — this covers block selection, production, QC, and documentation. Shipping from India to UK ports (Felixstowe, Southampton, London Gateway) typically adds 25 to 35 days. Total lead time from order confirmation to UK delivery: approximately 8 to 12 weeks. This is confirmed at the time of order based on production schedule and vessel availability.
Can I get a sample before placing a full container order?
Yes. We send a polished sample piece — Absolute Black, Jet Black, or Tan Brown — to your workshop. You cover the shipping cost only. There is no charge for the sample and no obligation to place an order after receiving it. The sample becomes the colour reference standard for your order if you decide to proceed.
What documentation comes with a granite order from StoneCrest?
Every order includes: Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Certificate of Origin, and Bill of Lading as standard. Material Test Certificate and Phytosanitary Certificate are available on request. Third-party pre-shipment inspection reports are available if you arrange an independent inspector — we provide full access to the facility.
What happens if granite arrives damaged or does not match the specification?
Contact us directly. We review the pre-shipment photographs against your arrival photographs to establish what changed in transit. If the fault is in production or packing, we work to resolve it — replacement pieces, credit, or alternative arrangement depending on the nature and scale of the issue. We do not go silent after payment. That commitment is the reason StoneCrest was built the way it was.
Do you arrange shipping or does the buyer handle it?
We supply on FOB (Free On Board) basis — your freight forwarder or shipping agent handles the ocean freight from the port of loading in India (typically Mundra, Chennai, or Nhava Sheva). We coordinate all pre-loading documentation and logistics on the India side. If you do not have a freight forwarder, we can recommend one — but the freight contract is yours.
Can StoneCrest supply a mixed container with both Absolute Black and Tan Brown?
Yes. We regularly supply mixed FCL containers across varieties. You specify the volume split — for example, 60% Absolute Black slabs and 40% Tan Brown slabs — and we ensure each variety goes through the same block reference locking and QC process independently. Both varieties are packed and documented separately within the container.
What is the minimum order quantity?
One full 20ft container is the minimum. A 40ft container is welcome. Larger orders
across multiple containers can be discussed — lead time and pricing adjust accordingly.
We do not supply LCL (Less than Container Load) at this stage.
Ready to Start the Process?
The first step takes two minutes.
Send us your variety, your dimensions, and your approximate volume — by form, email, or WhatsApp. We come back to you the same working day with slab photographs, grade and thickness confirmation, lead time, and a sample arrangement if you want one.
No commitment required at this stage. No sales pressure. Just a clear picture of whether what we supply matches what you need.
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