I am not familiar with TCE particulrarly, but most quartz brands are made in china these days. The big brands like Caesarstone (Israel), Silestone (Spain) and Cambria (US) use a machine called the Breton that is patented. The Chinese brands use a different but extremely similar machine. I would say focus on if the brand comes with a warranty and see what the technical specifications are like NSF licensing. :)

We know that Chinese quartz is less expensive because they use a poorer quality resin than other manufacturers. Often the resin will yellow and is very sensitive to heat.

We would recommend using other brands such as Cambria, Silestone, LG, Zodiaq, Wilsonart, etc.

http://info.nsf.org/Certified/Food/Listings.asp?Company=C0125432&Standard=051

This is what i found on the licensing.....looks like some quartz are certified while others are not :(

While some may be poorer quality, this is not a blanket statement for all quartz that comes from china, I feel that this information is slightly misleading... Looks like TCE however may not be the best route. Ask your local stone yard or fabricator for more recommendations and options... they will have all the licensing/warranty information on them.

While of course not all, but some. Generally it is less expensive for a reason.

In the region that I work, I personally have experienced better pricing on some Chinese brands because the store I buy from stocks in bulk and therefore the cost becomes much lower. I only buy certified/licensed brands with a warranty though for the reason you mentioned (quality issues). :)

I can't comment on Chinese Quartz other than I chose Cambria because I wanted an American company. Now, three months later, I have cracks in it (and this is without any use as they're not in my primary home.)

Can't imagine they're worse than what I got.

Ellie that is most likely linked to an installation problem, have you contacted the company who installed your countertops?

Quartz is combination of the quartz mineral and several other additives and their makeup is about 93% quartz, with the remainder made up by a resin binder and color additives. No matter where the quartz is produced/brand, etc. I would be asking if it is NSF-certified; meaning they're safe and won't harbor harmful bacteria (NSF is a non-governmental, non-profit organization advocating healthy standards for foods, water and associated products).I would do some research on TCE to ensure they meet the standards.

I purchased through Pro-build and that's who I contacted.
They contacted Cambria as they've never had an issue like this before. Or so they say.

It's a nationwide company, and the fabricator they use did a great job. Or at least it looked like they did when it was installed.

@Fabricators Unlimited

I have a thread going on with pics of the cracks in the kitchen forum. Don't want to hijack this thread.

@Amala Raj Design and Interior Styling who are other Chinese players in the quartz field?

Color Quartz, Titan Quartz, Q Quartz, and Spectrum Quartz,, are brands that I've personally used that are chinese and all have the NSF certification. All three of these also provide residential and commercial warranties! Caesarstone from Israel, Silestone from Spain, and Cambria from the US are also great (a higher price point though usually) .

We are using Quartzmaster and MSI along with the big name brands... research is really the best way to go!

@triya June I just took another look at TCE, they are NSF certified. The website just isn't showing the temperature/food information.

@amala yes they are on the NSF site and yes you are correct that they are not showing temp/food information. Also they state the counter names and have either no number or [1], or [2] next to it. Does this mean the ones with no number are not certified?

http://info.nsf.org/Certified/Food/Listings.asp?Company=C0125432&Standard=051

That's my understanding. At the bottom of the page it says this, "
[1] Product bearing the NSF Mark after 08/01/2013 shall be considered Certified.
[2] Product bearing the NSF Mark after 08/27/2012 shall be considered Certified."

I've been warned to stay away from quartz from China-that they crumble and chip easily. Is this true.

@Sheila F this is misinformation, it just really depends on the brand and the certifications as mentioned above in the thread. It's not something that can be a blanket statement just because it comes from a certain country.

That's good to know. Thank you.

MSI Quartz - trying to find reviews, so is this a good brand? Where does their quartz come from? It is originally from China but they use that Breton machinery? And how does it compare to Cambria in terms of quality and price?

Totally agree but we would add Technistone, smartstone and quantra to that mix.

ll

Cambria is the only manufacturer that produces their slabs in the US. They're based in Minnesota and experts have informed me that their quality control is top notch. I've read about quality control issues with Chinese made quartz (MSI specifically). The resin and quartz mixture is not necessarily uniform throughout the slab which causes 2 issues- 1) more likely to crack if heat or cold is applied 2) visually displeasing. For such an expensive and permanent fixture, I think it's worth it to spend a little more for long lasting quality.

Ann Marie not true, Caesarstone has a plant in the USA at Richmond Hill. Most of the major manufacturers around the world, get their marble look made out of china expect for one or two.

So quality is not the issue on a lot of the china manufacturers, but yes, you get what you pay for as well.

As for your comment on cracking etc, that is far from correct. All stone cracks from either heat or pressure. With engineered stone it is at less temperature than granite. Cambria will chip, crack, burn and etch like any of the other brands. As it is made the same way.

you should check manufacturers production ability and check test report. Indeed, there with a lots of good quartz manufacturer in China. Like as BCT STONE, KKR QUARTZ FROM KUNGFUSTONE, KANGLI STONE, AND WANLI STONE

Yong Li is correct and not necessarily spamming. The Chinese make some fine engineered stone.

They are all similar if they are honest with you. ( %^&&^%%^&^&) whom sold me Spectrum however told me they were made in the USA and come to find out after a warranty issue they were not and I had zero recourse other than taking it up with the manufacturer ( Spectrum ) and they didn't honor any of it. Cost me 35k just to have it removed.

@HU-887085309 WOW. What color was it? I'm seriously considering Spectrum Pristine.

Kungfustone is large-scale Calacatta Quartz Slabs manufacturer, we also produce many high quality quartz slabs with OEM service for many famous quartz brands too.