Nabel Ceramics (诺贝尔瓷砖 / 杭州诺贝尔陶瓷有限公司)
Nabel (诺贝尔瓷砖, 杭州诺贝尔陶瓷有限公司) is the tile brand that shows up in almost every comparison a European or American importer does when they are looking outside Foshan. It is based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, not in the Guangdong ceramics belt, and it built its reputation on porcelain tile with a marble look and on a polished-glaze product it markets as "porcelain polished tile" (瓷抛砖).
The honest summary: Nabel is a brand-and-distribution company with real manufacturing behind it and a very Chinese domestic sales model. That combination is fine for a distributor wanting a brand, and awkward for a buyer who wants private label.
Company overview
The company behind the brand, Hangzhou Nobel Ceramics Co., Ltd. (杭州诺贝尔陶瓷有限公司), was established in Hangzhou, Zhejiang in 1992. Registered and operating address according to Chinese business registry records is on Linping Avenue in the Linping District of Hangzhou, with group email contacts on the nabel.cc domain. The brand's own site describes roughly three decades in tile, positions itself in the premium segment, and lists several sub-brands under the group: Nabel porcelain polished tile, Nabel tile, Cézanne Impression (塞尚印象) and Hanwei sintered stone (汉为岩板).
Recent public registry information notes the company was recognised as a national-level enterprise technology centre in 2025 and received a science and technology award from the China National Light Industry Council in the same period — consistent with a group that invests in product development rather than just in showrooms. It is not a listed company, so there is no audited revenue figure comparable to Monalisa or Dongpeng; treat any revenue number you see in a directory as an estimate.
Production is in Zhejiang, which is a genuine differentiator. Most of what leaves China as "Chinese tile" is Guangdong or Jiangxi product. A Zhejiang base means a different clay and glaze supply chain, a different port of loading (Ningbo or Shanghai rather than Shenzhen/Foshan), and a shorter inland haul for anything shipped to North America via the Pacific.
Main products
- Marble-look porcelain tile — the company's signature category and the one it has marketed hardest; large-format, high-gloss and matt variants.
- Full-body porcelain polished tile (瓷抛砖) — the product family Nabel is best known for domestically; a polished porcelain with a printed-then-polished surface treatment intended to give depth rather than a printed-only look.
- Sintered stone / ceramic slab (岩板) — marketed under the Hanwei sub-brand; large format for worktops, walls and furniture.
- Wall tile and conventional floor tile — the volume ranges under the Cézanne Impression brand aimed at domestic residential retail.
Product families on the official site change regularly, and the export range is narrower than the domestic range. Ask for a separate export catalogue — the domestic catalogue includes finishes and sizes that are not certified or stocked for export.
How buyers actually deal with Nabel
Nabel's published model is domestic retail through a large store network plus project supply. Export is handled through an export division and, in many markets, through appointed distributors rather than direct container sales. In practice that means:
- You will probably be quoted through a distributor or agent, not through the factory's own sales team, unless your volume is large and your enquiry reaches the right department.
- Private label of Nabel-branded product is unlikely. If you need your own brand on the box, you are better off with a mid-size Foshan or Gao'an factory that runs OEM as its core business.
- For brand-name distribution, the value is real: consistency, a documented spec, and a brand your architect customers may already recognise.
One practical note from buyers who have worked with them: Hangzhou-based groups tend to run tighter documentation and slower commercial decisions than Foshan traders. Expect more paperwork and a longer quotation cycle, and expect fewer exceptions to standard terms.
Key facts
| Brand | 诺贝尔瓷砖 / Nabel |
| Legal entity | 杭州诺贝尔陶瓷有限公司 (Hangzhou Nobel Ceramics Co., Ltd.) |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Location | Linping District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang |
| Sub-brands | Nabel, Cézanne Impression (塞尚印象), Hanwei sintered stone (汉为岩板) |
| Main categories | Marble-look porcelain, porcelain polished tile, sintered stone slab, wall/floor tile |
| Sales model | Domestic retail network + project supply; export via export division/distributors |
| OEM for foreign brands | Not a realistic channel — brand-led business |
Certifications
The official site and company materials reference the usual Chinese domestic product standards (GB/T 4100 for ceramic tile classification and GB 6566 for building material radioactivity limits) and national enterprise technology centre status. For export markets, the relevant marks — CE, UKCA where applicable — need to be confirmed model by model and are not part of the general brand pitch. Ask for the specific certificate for the exact SKU and size before you put it in a tender, and check that the test report is from a CNAS-accredited lab rather than an internal sheet.
Contact
Official site: nabel.cc. The site has a group email channel and a store-locator; for export enquiries use the contact details published on the official site, because distributor arrangements vary by country and change. Do not rely on directory phone numbers or on trading-company sites that resell Nabel product under the brand name.
Standard pre-deposit checks are in our supplier verification guide; for the tile-specific acceptance criteria — absorption, calibre, tone, and the tests that matter — see the ceramic tile buying guide.