Counterfeiting in Tiles and Sanitaryware: How to Protect Your Brand and Dealers

The tiles and sanitaryware industry sits at an interesting intersection of aesthetics, infrastructure and trust. Unlike fast-moving consumer goods, tiles, faucets, basins and sanitary fittings are long-term investments. They are chosen after careful comparison, installed with effort, and expected to last for years. Yet, this very expectation of durability and perceived low-risk has made the sector increasingly vulnerable to counterfeiting, grey-market diversion and dealer-level fraud.

Over the last decade, counterfeiting in home décor has moved from crude lookalikes to near-perfect replicas. Logos are copied, packaging is imitated, and even warranty cards are forged. For brands, the damage goes far beyond lost revenue. It strikes at product safety, customer satisfaction, dealer trust and long-term brand equity.

This article examines how counterfeiting affects tiles and sanitaryware brands, why dealer fraud has become a growing concern, and what structured brand protection, product authentication and verification strategies can do to address the problem at scale.

Why Tiles and Sanitaryware Are Increasingly Targeted

Tiles and sanitaryware are particularly attractive to counterfeiters for several reasons.

First, visual similarity is easy to achieve. Surface finishes, colours, textures and shapes can be replicated with reasonable accuracy, especially in ceramic and vitrified tiles. Most end customers cannot distinguish between an authentic tile and a fake once it is laid.

Second, the supply chain is fragmented. Manufacturing clusters, distributors, sub-dealers, transporters and project contractors form a long and complex network. This makes supply chain management and product traceability difficult if systems are not designed for it.

Third, demand is steady and price-sensitive. In housing projects, hospitality developments and institutional procurement, cost pressures often override brand loyalty. Counterfeit products enter this gap, offered as “original surplus stock” or “factory seconds”.

Finally, regulatory oversight is limited compared to sectors like pharma. While product safety standards exist, enforcement at the last mile is inconsistent, giving counterfeit networks room to operate.

The Hidden Cost of Counterfeits in Home Décor

Counterfeiting in tiles and sanitaryware does not always announce itself loudly. Often, the damage surfaces months or years later.

Tiles crack under load, glaze fades, water absorption exceeds permissible limits, or sanitaryware fittings develop hairline fractures. When failures occur, customers rarely blame the dealer. They blame the brand whose name was on the box.

According to industry estimates, counterfeit and grey-market products account for 10 to 15 per cent of the organised tiles market in India alone. In sanitaryware and fittings, the figure can be higher in unorganised regions. Globally, the OECD estimates that counterfeit goods contribute to over USD 500 billion in trade losses annually, with construction materials being a fast-growing category.

The reputational impact is severe. One poor installation can undo years of brand-building, advertising and dealer development.

Five Real Incidents That Highlight the Risk

1. Cracked Tiles in a Government Housing Project

A reputed tile brand received complaints from a state housing board about large-scale tile cracking within six months of installation. Investigation revealed that counterfeit tiles, packed in near-identical cartons, had been supplied through an unauthorised dealer. The brand was publicly named before the truth emerged.

2. Fake Sanitaryware in a Hospital Renovation

In a tier-two city, low-quality counterfeit sanitaryware bearing a premium brand logo was installed in a private hospital. Multiple basins developed leaks, posing hygiene and safety risks. The brand faced legal notices before tracing the source to a diverted, unauthorised supplier.

3. Dealer Substitution Without Customer Knowledge

A dealer accepted orders for a premium tile brand but supplied a cheaper local imitation, pocketing the margin difference. Customers realised the fraud only after the colour inconsistency appeared across batches. The brand lost both customer trust and a long-standing dealership.

4. Export Consignment Rejected Due to Trademark Issues

A Middle East distributor rejected an entire container of tiles after discovering trademark discrepancies. The products were counterfeit, shipped using forged documentation. The incident led to tighter scrutiny of the original brand’s export consignments.

5. Counterfeit Faucets Causing Property Damage

Fake faucets sold under a well-known brand failed due to internal component defects, causing water leakage and property damage in residential apartments. Insurance claims and social media backlash followed, despite the brand having no role in the transaction.

These incidents underline a critical truth. Counterfeiting is not only a commercial issue. It is a product safety and brand survival issue.

Dealer Fraud and the Erosion of Channel Trust

While external counterfeiters pose a clear threat, dealer-level fraud is often more damaging because it operates from within the ecosystem.

Common dealer fraud practices include product substitution, mixing genuine and fake stock, selling diverted or rejected goods as originals, and reusing genuine packaging for counterfeit products.

For brands, this creates a dilemma. Dealers are growth partners, yet unchecked behaviour can erode brand authentication at the last mile. When customers lose trust in dealers, they lose trust in the brand itself.

This is where dealer awareness becomes as important as enforcement. Many dealers unknowingly engage with grey-market suppliers, assuming surplus stock is harmless. Others underestimate the legal and reputational risks associated with trademark and IP protection violations.

The Importance of Brand Protection in Tiles and Sanitaryware

Brand protection in home décor is no longer optional. It is a strategic necessity.

At its core, brand protection ensures that what reaches the customer is exactly what the brand intended in terms of quality, safety and performance. It safeguards trademarks, IP and brand identity while enabling accountability across the supply chain.

Effective brand protection solutions typically address four pillars:

• Product authentication, ensuring each product can be identified as genuine
• Product verification, enabling dealers and customers to check authenticity
• Track and trace, offering visibility across distribution and logistics
• Dealer governance, creating transparency without disrupting relationships

Without these elements, brands remain reactive, responding to issues only after damage is done.

Authentication and Verification: From Packaging to Proof

Traditional methods such as holograms, printed serial numbers or invoices are no longer sufficient. Counterfeiters replicate them with alarming ease.

Modern product authentication focuses on creating a unique, non-replicable identity for each product unit or batch. This identity travels with the product through manufacturing, distribution and installation.

Product verification then allows stakeholders to validate this identity at any point. Dealers can confirm stock authenticity at receipt. Customers can verify products at purchase or installation. Brands receive real-time data on where and when verification occurs.

This shift from visual trust to data-backed trust is critical in high-value, long-life products like tiles and sanitaryware.

Track and Trace and Product Traceability in Home Décor Supply Chains

Track and trace is often associated with pharma or food, but its relevance to tiles and sanitaryware is growing rapidly.

With large batch sizes, multiple SKUs and long distribution cycles, product traceability helps brands answer essential questions. Where was this tile manufactured? Which batch did it belong to? Which dealer received it? Was it diverted or resold?

In export markets, traceability is also becoming linked to compliance requirements and sustainability disclosures. While regulations like EUDR are sector-specific today, the broader push towards transparent supply chains is unmistakable.

Brands that invest early in traceability systems gain not just control, but credibility.

Dealer Awareness as a Strategic Defence

Technology alone cannot solve counterfeiting unless dealers are part of the solution.

Dealer awareness programmes should focus on educating partners about the risks of counterfeit and grey-market products, the legal implications of trademark and IP protection violations, and the long-term commercial impact of eroding customer satisfaction.

Equally important is making compliance easy. When dealers have access to simple product verification tools, they are less likely to rely on informal suppliers. When brands share insights and data transparently, trust flows both ways.

Forward-looking brands are increasingly positioning authentication not as surveillance, but as shared protection.

Where Non-Cloneable Authentication Fits In

In this context, advanced non-cloneable technology plays a meaningful role. Unlike traditional labels or codes, non-cloneable identifiers cannot be copied or reused without detection. Each product carries a unique identity that resists duplication.

When integrated as a plug-in solution such as Certify, non-cloneable authentication enables brands to add verification capabilities without overhauling existing packaging or operations. Dealers and customers can verify products through simple workflows, while brands gain actionable intelligence across the supply chain.

The value lies not in the label itself, but in the system of trust it enables across product authentication, verification and brand protection.

The Broader Impact on Customer Engagement and Satisfaction

Authentication is often viewed as a defensive measure, but it also opens new avenues for customer engagement.

When customers verify a product, brands gain a direct touchpoint at the moment of trust. This can be used to share installation guidelines, warranty information, or care instructions, enhancing product safety and long-term satisfaction.

In an industry where repeat purchases and referrals matter, verified trust becomes a differentiator.

From Reactive Policing to Proactive Protection

Counterfeiting in tiles and sanitaryware is no longer a peripheral issue. It is a systemic challenge that affects brands, dealers and customers alike. Visual similarity, fragmented supply chains and price pressures have created fertile ground for fake products and dealer fraud.

The solution lies in moving from reactive enforcement to proactive brand protection. This means embedding product authentication, verification, track and trace and dealer awareness into everyday operations.

Brands that act early protect not just their trademarks and IP, but their reputation, customer satisfaction and long-term market position.

Interested in learning more about how structured brand protection and product authentication can help safeguard your tiles and sanitaryware business? Get in touch with us to explore how the right approach can turn trust into a measurable advantage.