If you’re shopping for tiles, sanitaryware, crockery, laminates, or industrial ceramic items, then you would have come across the term “Morbi.” Morbi, an industrial town in Gujarat, is rightly called the ceramic city in India.
What makes Morbi so special? And why has it garnered popularity all across the world? As one of the top ceramic tile suppliers in Morbi, India, we take you through the interesting history of Morbi and how it came to be renowned for ceramics not just in India, but all across the world.
Where is Morbi?
Morbi is an industrial town located in the Saurashtra belt of Gujarat. It's the one-stop hub for anything and everything ceramics. Right from floor tiles to bathroom sanitaryware, home accessories to crockery and kitchen utensils, Morbi is a thriving hub for ceramic products in India.
- Can you believe that the city of Morbi alone has over 900 ceramic manufacturing plants that produce products worth a whopping Rs. 20,000 crores?
- The Indian ceramics industry ranks second in the world right after China and accounts for 13% of the overall ceramic products in the world.
- 90% of the ceramic products manufactured in India come from Morbi.
Popular Ceramic Products from Morbi
Morbi produces all types of ceramic and porcelain tiles including:
- Wall tiles
- Floor tiles
- Double charged vitrified tiles
- Glazed vitrified tiles
- Nano charged vitrified tiles
- Mosaic tiles
And much more. Besides floor and wall tiles, Morbi is also famous for high-quality bathroom sanitaryware. Morbi ceramic and porcelain tiles are available in a wide range of sizes starting from small 8 cm x 12 cm tiles to extra-large tiles of the size 160 cm x 320 cm. The tiles are available in endless designs, colours, patterns and textures.
History of the Ceramics Industry in Morbi
For centuries, Morbi was renowned for the production of Naliya, a clay roof tile. These tiles were traditionally used for roofing in villages. In the year 1932, small scale pottery plants were set up in Morbi.
It was during the economic liberalisation of the 90s, the production of ceramics in Morbi grew root. Following that Morbi evolved to become a major exporter of ceramics. Easy availability of raw materials, modern infrastructure, new technology led to the development of state-of-the-art ceramic factories in the district.
There was a rapid growth in the tiles industry in Morbi during 2013 to 2018. Today, Morbi leads the world in tile manufacturing.
Why is Morbi known as the Ceramics Capital of India?
90% of the ceramics produced in India come from Morbi. There are nearly 1000 ceramic manufacturing units spread across a distance of 50 km x 9 km in the district of Morbi. The main reason why Morbi became the ceramics capital of India was because of the thriving industry of clay roof tiles. Traditional Naliya tiles (roofing tiles) were manufactured in Morbi for centuries. Easy access to raw material, availability of skilled labour and supporting infrastructure paved the way for the city to transition easily from traditional roofing tiles to modern ceramics manufacturing.
In fact, Morbi is famous across the world as one of the biggest ceramics clusters in the world and accounts for over 13% of the world’s total ceramic output. Currently, the Indian ceramics industry is ranked second in the world, right after China.
In the last two decades, Morbi has provided direct and indirect employment to over ten lakhs of individuals in the country. Morbi is not just known for its traditional expertise in tile making. The city has progressed in technological advances and today has fully automated tile plants that produce a whopping 14,000 square metres of tiles per day.
It's recognised as a TEE (Town of Export Excellence), an award granted by the Ministry of Commerce, India. Here are a few reasons that provide a conducive environment for the tile making industry in Morbi.
- Easy availability of large tracts of land for establishing huge factories
- Availability of skilled labour
- Access to bank loans and investment support from the state and central governments
- Abundant supply of raw materials
- High-quality raw materials
- Access to the seaports of Kandla and Mundra, paving the way for exports to distant parts of the world
- Adequate power supply and industrial gas lines
- Easy accessibility to the nearby cities of Ahmedabad (230 kms), Rajkot (65 kms) and Wankaner (30 kms)
Tiles from Morbi India are exported to far-off countries like Brazil, UAE, Kenya, Mexico, USA, Indonesia, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and several others. Today, the major ceramics tiles manufacturers in India are based in Morbi.
All these factors combined make Morbi a proud export town in India and a major ceramics hub in the world.
Decorcera, one of the top ceramics and porcelain tiles suppliers in Morbi India are well-known for our high-quality products. Get in touch with our sales team to know more about our tiles and find the perfect flooring and wall tiles for your project.
