The European execution layer for Chinese specialty inputs — one counterparty for the full China-to-Europe lane.
The price gap is real. We manage the compliance, QC and delivery complexity that stops European buyers from crossing it.
The price gap is real. Capturing it safely is the hard part.
A 30–60% price gap exists across hundreds of industrial commodity categories between Chinese-origin materials and what European manufacturers currently pay through domestic distributors. Most procurement teams know it exists. Most cannot capture it safely.
The blocker is not supplier discovery. It is accountability: REACH Only Representative obligation, importer-of-record liability, language and documentation complexity, MOQ mismatches, DG logistics classification, pre-shipment QC, and payment terms that assume a China trading desk. For an SME below €50M revenue, these barriers are structural — not temporary.
// The gap is not the producer's margin. It is the stack between the producer and the buyer — domestic distribution, compliance carry, and SME-scale frictions. Range observed across categories Serica actively monitors; quoted per buyer on request.
Execution accountability across the full China–EU trade lane.
Portfolio Match
Tell us the material, grade, annual volume and delivery country. We confirm grade equivalence against pre-qualified producers already held in our European portfolio. A written portfolio confirmation lands without protracted upstream discovery.
Compliance Gate
Before you commit, the full compliance picture lands in writing: TARIC position, REACH posture, documentation package and QC plan. Nothing advances until the gate is clear. Full gate criteria are published in the service ladder below this section.
European Coordination
We coordinate customs documentation, DG logistics where applicable, and claims accountability through one European point of contact. You receive a documentation pack, a coordinated handover and one counterparty for the lifetime of the lane.
"Chinese commodity pricing. European coordination. No China expertise required from the buyer."
We operate on both sides of the trade lane.
Supplier qualification and scoring. Factory audits and pre-shipment inspection. REACH-mapped sourcing documentation issued in advance of every shipment.
Customs documentation, DG logistics coordination where applicable, claims accountability, and a single European point of contact across the engagement.
China-side operations handle producer qualification and pre-shipment QC. Europe-side operations handle documentation, logistics coordination, and claims. One European point of contact across the lane.
Five clusters where the China–Europe spread is structural, not cyclical.
We do not carry every category. We carry the categories where qualified supply, REACH posture and structural price spread line up — and we publish where every SKU sits in the qualification programme.
Construction Chemicals
Highest depth of supplier coverage in the live portfolio.
- ·HPMC
- ·RDP / VAE Powder
- ·Calcium Formate
- ·PCE Superplasticiser
- ·Sodium Lignosulfonate
Food & Feed Ingredients
Regulated-grade preservatives and additives with FSSC-compatible documentation.
- ·Potassium Sorbate
- ·Sodium Metabisulfite
- ·Sorbic Acid
- ·L-Threonine
- ·Xanthan Gum
- + 2 more
Plastics Additives
Volume additives where masterbatch loading economics dominate.
- ·CaCO₃ Masterbatch
- ·PE Wax
- ·CMC / HEC
- ·Zinc Oxide
Silanes & Specialty
Highest value-density category in the portfolio.
- ·Aminosilanes
- ·Epoxy Silanes
- ·Vinyl Silanes
- ·Alkyl Silanes
- ·Wollastonite
Desiccants & Filtration
Adsorbents and filtration media with stable, repeat-purchase demand.
- ·Molecular Sieves
- ·Silica Gel
- ·Activated Alumina
Your material not listed? We assess new categories within 5 business days. → Request assessment
Three stages. One European counterparty.
Match, qualify, execute. Each stage is a documented set of deliverables — published so you can audit what the counterparty actually does before you ever sign a contract.
A continuous sweep across TARIC, REACH and the supplier network — published live.
SWEEP CADENCE · 24H ROLLINGMaterial enters Wave 1 only after its gate clears. The console below shows the kind of events that pass through every cycle — not a marketing visual, the operating rhythm.
Two incumbent options. One gap neither fills.
European Distributors
Azelis · IMCD · Univar · Brenntag
- ✓Regulatory compliance and documentation
- ✓Established domestic inventory and logistics
- ✓Established buyer relationships
- ✗No China pricing pass-through — full domestic markup
- ✗No China-native supplier intelligence
- ✗Operating costs baked into every price
Marketplaces
Alibaba · Made-in-China · Chemondis
- ✓Supplier discovery at volume
- ✓Price transparency on catalogue items
- ✗No REACH posture mapping or documentation coordination
- ✗No pre-shipment QC or claims accountability
- ✗No DG logistics or landed-cost coordination
- ✗Structurally inadequate for regulated SME procurement
Serica
Compliance-led China-EU execution
- ✓Distributor-grade accountability and documentation
- ✓China-level cost base, quoted per buyer on request
- ✓Pre-qualified producers, pre-shipment QC, European coordination — included
- ✓SME-scale operations — no FCL commitment required for a first order
Serica is not competing with distributors on breadth or marketplaces on volume. It fills the intersection — trust, price, and accountability — that neither currently offers for the European industrial SME.
One Inquiry. Two Business Days.
Tell us what you buy, the grade, and your annual volume. We respond with availability, pricing indication, TARIC status, and the documentation package we will provide. No commitment required.
contact@sericamaterials.com