Buying tiles in Morocco: where, when and what to check
Tiling is one of the few items on a building site that the client chooses personally, often alone, on a Saturday morning, in a noisy warehouse where everything looks the same. I do not sell tiles and I recommend no particular brand: my role is to give you a buying method, the points to check before you pay, and the quantities to order so that you do not run short at the end of the job. This guide applies to Casablanca, Rabat and the rest of the country, for new builds as well as renovations.
Where tiles are sold in Morocco: districts, supply chains and price logic
In Morocco, tile retailing has historically clustered along building-material corridors on the outskirts of cities, where land is cheap enough to store pallets by the hundred. In Casablanca, the route de Mediouna and the Mediouna district form one of these hubs, well known to tradespeople: you will find warehouses, wholesalers and resellers there, most of them working on volume. Other clusters exist around Aïn Sebaâ, Sidi Maârouf, the route d'El Jadida and Hay Mohammadi. In Rabat, supply is spread mainly across Salé, Témara and the outlying business zones, with a few city-centre showrooms aimed at the interior design market.
This geography explains the price gaps. The same tile can be sold at very different rates depending on whether you buy it from the importer, from a warehouse that has bought up a batch, or in an air-conditioned showroom with advice, a setting-out plan and a scheduled delivery. You are not just paying for ceramic: you are also paying for available stock, a guarantee of restocking, service and sometimes installation.
Three families of product coexist:
- Domestic production: porcelain stoneware and wall tiles made in Morocco, often the best value for money and availability, with easier restocking.
- Imports: Spain, Italy, Turkey, China, India. Large formats, marble-effect finishes and rectified edges mostly come from these sources.
- Traditional materials: zellige, bejmat, marble and local stone, which follow different buying rules and different lead times.
Before you go scouting, know what you are looking for. A villa whose plans are finalised lets you calculate exact areas room by room, so you can negotiate seriously. Without a proper measurement schedule, you are only buying impressions.
Wholesaler, showroom or DIY superstore: what each one does well
The three channels serve different needs, and the best choice depends on the size of your project.
The wholesaler or warehouse
They buy by the container and sell by the pallet. Prices per square metre are the lowest, but service is minimal: no setting-out plan, no visualisation, sometimes no return of surplus. Stock is real but volatile, a batch can be gone in a day. This is the right channel for large areas, provided you know exactly what you want and can store pallets on site. Plan for handling: a pallet of porcelain stoneware weighs between 1 and 1.5 tonnes.
The showroom
It displays, advises, offers coherent floor and wall ranges, manages reservations and documents references. This is where you find recent collections, large formats and technical finishes. Prices are higher, but you are buying traceability: a product sheet, an identified batch, the possibility of restocking. For an interior architecture project where the floor sets the whole atmosphere, this is often the safest route.
The DIY superstore
It offers immediate availability, clear labelling, the option to return unopened boxes, and accessories: adhesive, spacers, grout, trims. Shelf quantities are limited and references rotate. It works well for a bathroom, a kitchen or a small repair during a renovation, less so for 300 m² of single-storey flooring.
A simple rule: the larger your area, the more it pays to move up the chain towards the wholesaler, and the more precise you must be. The smaller your area, the more the service is worth its premium. On my projects in Casablanca and Rabat, I often make a first selection in a showroom to validate the look, then check whether the same product or an equivalent is available from a warehouse in the right volume.
The eight things to check physically before ordering
A tile cannot be judged on a screen, nor from a sample held vertically under a fluorescent light. Here is what I check, with the box open, before approving an order.
- Batch and shade. Every box carries a batch number (or firing batch) and a shade code (or tone). Two batches of the same model can show a visible difference in colour once laid. Insist that your entire order comes from the same batch and the same shade, and check it box by box on delivery.
- Calibre. This is the tile's actual size, which varies slightly during firing. A tile sold as 60 x 60 may measure 59.6 or 59.8 depending on the calibre. Mixing two calibres produces irregular joints and uneven edges.
- Rectified or non-rectified. A rectified tile is trimmed after firing: its edges are sharp and allow fine 2 mm joints. A non-rectified tile requires a wider joint, 3 to 5 mm. Rectified tiles are more demanding to lay: they reveal the slightest unevenness in the substrate.
- Flatness. Place two tiles face to face, edge to edge, on a flat surface. Visible play, or a tile that rocks, means ridges and raised corners after laying, especially in large formats.
- PEI rating. This measures the glaze's resistance to abrasion, from I to V. For a living room or bedroom, PEI III is enough. For an entrance hall, kitchen or corridor, aim for PEI IV. For premises open to the public or a retail space, PEI V.
- Slip resistance, R rating. R9 for dry interiors, R10 to R11 for a kitchen, shower room or terrace, R11 to R12 for a pool surround or an outdoor ramp. In the Moroccan climate, a sun-exposed terrace that sometimes gets hosed down deserves R11.
- Water absorption and frost resistance. Full-body porcelain stoneware absorbs less than 0.5%: it is the right choice outdoors, in Ifrane as much as on the coast. Wall tiles, which are highly absorbent, must never be used on floors.
- Actual stock. Ask for the quantity physically available in the warehouse, not the quantity "currently in transit". Have it written on the quote, along with the reference, batch, calibre and the number of m² per box.
Finally, look at the tile on the floor, laid flat, in daylight if possible, and over at least 1 m². A shade that looks light in a display can turn greyish in a north-facing living room.
How much to order: offcuts, breakage and a restocking reserve
The question that comes up most often: how many square metres to buy. The answer depends on three factors, not just the floor area.
1. Net area. Add up the areas room by room, without deducting small obstacles. Include skirtings if they are cut from the same tile, since that consumes material.
2. Cutting waste. This depends on the layout:
- Straight layout in a rectangular room: + 5 to 7%.
- Offset layout, brick bond, irregular rooms, multiple corners: + 8 to 10%.
- Diagonal or herringbone layout: + 12 to 15%.
- Large 120 x 120 or 60 x 120 formats in narrow rooms: go up to + 10 to 12%, since offcuts are hard to reuse.
3. Breakage and reserve. Allow 2 to 3% for breakage during transport and handling, then keep the equivalent of 1 to 2 m² per tiled room as a restocking reserve. A tile cracked by a dropped object five years later cannot be replaced: the reference has been discontinued, or the batch is different. That reserve, stored flat and dry, costs a few hundred dirhams and saves you from redoing an entire floor.
In practice, for 100 m² of living room in a straight layout with 60 x 60 tiles, I order between 108 and 112 m², rounded up to the next full box. Tiles are sold by the full box, never individually: check the number of m² per box, often 1.08 or 1.44 m², and do the rounding yourself before discussing price.
On budget, 2026 orders of magnitude vary widely: a domestically produced porcelain stoneware in a standard format remains affordable, while an imported, rectified, marble-effect large format costs several times more. No general price range replaces three quotes compared on the same reference and the same volume. To place this item within the overall budget, I break down the ratios in the guide on house building costs in Morocco.
When to buy, and how to have a batch reserved
Buying too early ties up cash and takes up space. Buying too late holds up the site. The right moment lies between the two, and it has to be prepared.
On a new build, tiles are chosen during the structural works, as soon as the partitions are up and the real room dimensions are known. Scouting warehouses ideally happens 6 to 8 weeks before laying: enough time to compare, reserve and arrange delivery. Remember that all of this comes after the building permit, filed in Morocco through the Rokhas platform and signed by an architect registered with the Ordre, as required by law 016-89.
In a renovation, buy after the old floor covering has been stripped out, never before. It is only once you start breaking out that you discover the real state of the slab, the height available under the doors and the repairs required. A 10 mm tile plus a bed of adhesive changes the clearance under a door.
Reserving a batch properly
A batch is reserved, not promised. Here is the procedure I have applied:
- A written order form stating the exact reference, format, calibre, batch number, shade code, quantity in m² and in boxes, unit price and lead time.
- A deposit that triggers the physical setting aside of the pallets, wrapped and labelled in your name.
- A written reservation period: 15 days, 30 days, with a statement of what happens after that.
- A note on restocking: does the seller undertake to keep 2 or 3 boxes from the same batch for the duration of the works?
- The return conditions for unopened boxes, if any exist.
Photograph the labels on the reserved pallets. In a dispute, a batch number on a dated photograph carries far more weight than a phone conversation.
Reading an offer: catalogue, discontinued lines, clearance stock
Searches for catalogues or clearance stock reflect a genuine buying logic: finding the right product at the right price. They call for a few precautions.
A catalogue is a selection tool, not a stock statement. A reference shown in a brochure or on a website may not have been imported for two years. Use the catalogue to identify a look and a format, then always ask: is it available today, in what quantity, from which batch. Be wary of lifestyle photographs: the scale of the tile and the appearance of the joints are often flattering.
Clearance stock and discontinued lines offer real opportunities, on one condition: the available quantity must cover your needs, including offcuts and reserve, because there will be no restocking. Never take a clearance batch for a continuous floor if the quantity is tight. On the other hand, it works very well for an isolated room, a utility room, a guest bedroom, a service terrace, or a wall of tiles where you control the area down to the box.
Three checks specific to clearance stock:
- Is the stock consistent in batch and shade? Clearance lots sometimes combine several shipments. Open several boxes taken at random from the stack.
- Have the boxes been stored outdoors? A warped box signals exposure to damp, and therefore a risk of breakage and illegible labels.
- Is the displayed price excluding or including VAT, and will an invoice be issued? Without an invoice, there is no recourse and no proof of warranty.
Finally, bear in mind that a cheap tile laid by a poor tiler makes a bad floor, whereas an average tile laid perfectly makes a good one. Installation accounts for a large share of the final result: a level screed, back-buttering for large formats, self-levelling clips, even joints. I set out how design and execution responsibilities are divided in my fees page and in the guide architect or interior architect.
Taking delivery of the pallets: the fifteen minutes that prevent disputes
Delivery is the last moment at which you can still refuse the goods. Plan to be there, or send someone with the list in hand.
- Compare the delivery note with the order form: reference, format, number of boxes, batch, shade, calibre. Any discrepancy, even of a single unit, must be raised immediately.
- Open at least three boxes taken from different pallets. Check the shade, the edges, the flatness.
- Write your reservations on the note, by hand, before signing: crushed boxes, torn wrapping, leaning pallet. Signing without reservations counts as acceptance.
- Organise storage: pallets flat, on a stable surface, sheltered from rain and away from wheelbarrow traffic. Never store boxes upright leaning against a wall.
- Set the restocking reserve aside from day one, before the tiler starts into it.
A word on accessories, often forgotten at quotation stage even though they affect both budget and appearance: adhesive suited to the format and substrate, grout in the right shade, corner and threshold trims, stair nosings, skirtings, silicone for internal corners. The choice of grout colour radically changes how a floor reads: a contrasting joint draws a grid, a tone-on-tone joint erases the layout. I always test the grout on three tiles before approving it.
For professional projects, retail units, clinics and offices, the requirements go further still: fire rating, resistance to cleaning products, continuity with other floor finishes, coved skirtings in certain rooms. I have dealt with these issues for the My Laser centres in Morocco, in Casablanca and Tangier, where the floor had to withstand heavy footfall while still looking immaculate in photographs. It is the same logic I apply to office fit-outs. A few examples of this approach appear in my projects, and further practical guidance in my guides.
What clients ask me most
How much does tiling cost per m² in Morocco?
The range is very wide: domestically produced porcelain stoneware in a standard format remains the most economical option, while an imported, rectified, marble-effect large format can cost several times more per square metre. Price depends on format, origin, finish and above all on the volume ordered. The only reliable method is to have the same reference, the same batch and the same quantity priced by three suppliers, specifying whether the price excludes or includes VAT and whether delivery is included. Then add adhesive, grout, trims and installation, which account for a significant share of the final cost.
Where can you buy cheap tiles in Casablanca?
The warehouses and wholesalers along the building-material corridors, including the route de Mediouna and the Mediouna district, offer the lowest prices because they sell by volume and provide little service. I do not recommend any particular brand. Real savings come less from the shop than from your preparation: accurate measurements, a single reference for the whole area, one single order and negotiation on full pallets. A low price on insufficient stock always costs more in the end, since you will have to top up from another batch, and therefore another shade.
How do you calculate how much tiling to buy?
Work out the net area room by room, add waste according to the layout (5 to 7% for a straight layout, 8 to 10% for an offset layout, 12 to 15% for diagonal or herringbone), add 2 to 3% for breakage, then keep 1 to 2 m² per room as a restocking reserve. Finally round up to the full box, since tiles are never sold individually. For 100 m² in a straight layout, order between 108 and 112 m².
What is a rectified tile?
It is a tile whose edges have been mechanically trimmed after firing to obtain perfectly regular dimensions and sharp arrises. It allows fine 2 mm joints and a very continuous look, much appreciated in large formats. In return, it is more demanding: the substrate must be perfectly flat and the laying more careful, otherwise the differences in level between tiles become visible and can be felt underfoot. A non-rectified tile, with its slightly rounded edges, is more forgiving and needs a 3 to 5 mm joint.
Which tiles should you choose for a terrace in Morocco?
Full-body porcelain stoneware with low water absorption, with a slip rating of at least R11 for a terrace exposed to rain or close to a pool, and a fairly light shade to limit heat build-up in summer. Check that the product is stated as suitable for outdoor use: wall tiles or highly absorbent tiles deteriorate quickly under cycles of damp and intense heat. Also think about drainage falls, edge trims and movement joints, which matter as much as the tile itself.
Should you buy the tiles yourself or let the contractor handle it?
Both work, provided it is written into the works contract. If you buy them yourself, you control the choice and the price but you carry the responsibility for quantities and breakage. If the contractor supplies them, they take on procurement and restocking, with a margin built in. On my projects, I set the reference, batch and quantity in the specification, then let the client decide. The key point is that nobody should discover mid-project that 12 m² are missing. Write to me through the contact page if you want this settled from the quotation stage.
Tell me about your project
New villa, apartment to renovate, commercial premises: send me your areas, your plans even if rough, and a few photos of the existing space. I will tell you what type of floor finish suits each room, what quantities to order and how to frame the purchase within your works contract. An on-site assessment costs between 1,500 and 2,500 MAD (Moroccan dirhams) depending on location, a 2026 order of magnitude to be confirmed by quotation. You can reach me on +212 661 25 78 84 or through the <a href="/en/contact">contact</a> page, and find out more about how I work on the <a href="/en/a-propos">about</a> page.
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