Marble Slabs from Turkey to Dubai and the Gulf: Prices, Container Capacity, 5% Duty, VAT and Which Stone Where (2026)

Polished silver onyx slab bundle, numbered photo approval before shipment. RVK Mobilya Dekorasyon.

Short answer. RVK Mobilya Dekorasyon supplies polished marble, onyx, travertine and beige stone slabs from Turkey to stone contractors, fit-out companies, villa developers and marble yards in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the Gulf. Prices are EXW Istanbul, 195-650 USD per m² for 2 cm polished slabs; every slab is approved from a numbered photo and loaded in the container on A-frames or in ISPM 15 wooden crates. Sea freight to Jebel Ali takes about 2-4 weeks. In the UAE, customs duty is 5% of the CIF value and import VAT is 5%. Production management and quality control are carried out in Istanbul, Türkiye.

Written by Volkan Kıyan, RVK Mobilya Dekorasyon. Last updated: 20 October 2026.

Who this article is for

• Stone contractors and marble workshops in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah (Al Quoz, Ras Al Khor, Mussafah)
• Villa developers and fit-out companies in Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali, Dubai Hills, Tilal Al Ghaf and Saadiyat
• Hotel and residential projects that need large quantities of stone for lobbies, bathrooms and kitchens
• Marble traders distributing through Jebel Ali to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman

The market: Dubai luxury homes keep breaking records

According to Knight Frank, sales of Dubai homes above 10 million USD reached 9.05 billion USD in 2025, up 27.7% on the previous year; 500 homes changed hands, 68 of them above 25 million USD. In the final quarter the most active areas were Palm Jumeirah (28 transactions), Palm Jebel Ali (22) and Tilal Al Ghaf; Knight Frank expects prime prices to rise a further 3% in 2026. The floors, bathrooms, kitchens and lobbies of these villas are mostly natural stone, and a single villa consumes 300-1,500 m² of slabs.

Turkey is the world's third largest natural stone exporter after China and Italy; natural stone exports reached 2.1 billion USD in 2025, with processed products making up 65% (Turkish Ministry of Trade, April 2026). The advantage for the Gulf: white and beige marbles that compete with Italian stone, Turkish onyx and travertine found nowhere else, and 2-4 weeks by sea to Jebel Ali.

Slab bundles on A-frames in the warehouse; selection is done remotely by photo and video.

Which stone where? Selecting for the Gulf climate

The Gulf has two enemies: surface temperatures above 45°C and salt in the air. Salt crystallisation inside and on the surface of porous stone creates pressure that is the main cause of flaking and crumbling, and the damage accelerates as the evaporation rate rises (Rodriguez-Navarro and Doehne, 1999). A study of Western Anatolian marbles showed that thermal cycling and salt crystallisation gradually reduce the strength of marble, and that porosity and water absorption are the decisive values in stone selection (Yavuz and Topal, 2007). The standard reference on architectural stone, Siegesmund and Snethlage (2014), recommends low-porosity honed or brushed surfaces rather than polished marble for exteriors.

Use	Recommendation	Finish
Villa living room and lobby floors (interior)	White dolomite, Calacatta-type white, beige marble	Polished, 2 cm; 3 cm on request
Kitchen islands and worktops	White dolomite, grey (Deep River Grey type), dark brown (King Perla type)	Polished or honed, 2-3 cm
Bathroom walls, hammam, spa	Beige, cream (Bella Cream type), book-matched white	Polished; honed on wet floors
Backlit walls, bars, reception desks	Silver onyx, honey onyx	Polished, 2 cm, book-matched
Facades, pool surrounds, terraces	Travertine, dense beige limestone	Honed, brushed or sandblasted; polished not recommended

Accredited laboratory test reports (density, water absorption, flexural and abrasion resistance) are available for some of our stones and are sent with the quotation when the project specification requires them.

Cream beige marble slab; the most requested tone for bathrooms and floors in Gulf villas.

Price bands (EXW Istanbul, 2 cm polished)

• Beige and cream marble: 195-280 USD per m²
• Grey and dark brown marble: 220-350 USD per m²
• White dolomite and Calacatta-type white: 280-650 USD per m²
• Onyx (silver, honey): 350-650 USD per m²
• Travertine (honed, filled): 120-220 USD per m², on request

What sets the price: the stone, selection grade (standard or selected), thickness, book-matching and slab size. For an exact price choose from the stones on our marble page or send a reference photo; you receive an itemised proforma with slab photos within 1-2 working days. Quotations are valid for 10 days. For luxury kitchen islands see the marble island and worktop guide; for symmetrical veining the book-match guide.

Container, packing and shipping

• A 20ft container carries about 20-22 tonnes; in 2 cm polished marble that is roughly 300-350 m² of slabs, in 3 cm roughly 200-230 m².
• Slabs are packed on A-frames or in ISPM 15 wooden crates with foam separators and corner protection; every bundle is numbered and photographed.
• Preferred minimum order is one 20ft container. Smaller lots are priced on request as LCL.
• Sea freight from Istanbul or Izmir port to Jebel Ali takes about 2-4 weeks; FOB or CIF Jebel Ali prices on request.
• Loading photos and the bill of lading are shared on the day of shipment. Concealed transport damage is reported in writing with photos within 7 days of delivery; broken slabs are resupplied.

Slabs in ISPM 15 wooden crates on the way to the port.

UAE customs, VAT and documents

• Customs duty: 5% of the CIF value under the GCC common customs tariff. There is no free trade agreement between Turkey and the Gulf states.
• Import VAT: 5% on the customs value plus duty; a VAT-registered importer declares it under the reverse charge mechanism.
• Free zones (JAFZA and others): duty is charged when goods leave the free zone for the mainland; stock kept in the free zone is duty-deferred.
• Documents: commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin certified by a Turkish chamber of commerce, bill of lading. A product conformity certificate is generally not required for natural stone; your importer or customs broker confirms.
• Re-export from Jebel Ali to Saudi Arabia: the Saudi side applies 15% VAT and its own documents; see our Saudi Arabia article.

How we work

1. You send the stone name or a reference photo, thickness, m² and port of delivery.
2. Within 1-2 working days you receive numbered slab photos of available bundles and an itemised proforma.
3. You select slabs by photo or live video; approved numbers are reserved.
4. Packing starts with the 40% deposit; crating and loading photos are sent.
5. The 60% balance is paid before shipment; the bill of lading and documents are sent by courier or digitally. We do not accept letters of credit.

Every slab is checked for veining, cracks and fills before shipment.

Furniture in the same container

For villa and hotel projects, lacquered kitchens, walk-in wardrobes, interior doors and new classic furniture can ship with the marble in the same container. Our packing standard: export packaging and container loading.

Frequently asked questions

Do you send samples?

Slabs are selected from numbered photos and live video; a small sample piece can be sent on request with courier costs paid by the buyer.

Do you have a warehouse in Dubai?

No. Shipments go directly from Turkey to Jebel Ali; storage and distribution are the buyer's.

Do you cut and fabricate?

We sell slabs; cutting to worktop, stair and cladding sizes from drawings is priced on request.

Installation?

We do not install outside Turkey.

Payment?

40% with the order, 60% before shipment, by bank transfer. No letters of credit.

Sources

• Rodriguez-Navarro, C. and Doehne, E. (1999). Salt weathering: Influence of evaporation rate, supersaturation and crystallization pattern. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 24(3), 191-209. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1096-9837(199903)24:3<191::AID-ESP942>3.0.CO;2-G
• Yavuz, A. B. and Topal, T. (2007). Thermal and salt crystallization effects on marble deterioration: Examples from Western Anatolia, Turkey. Engineering Geology, 90(1-2), 30-40. doi:10.1016/j.enggeo.2006.11.005
• Siegesmund, S. and Snethlage, R. (Eds.) (2014). Stone in Architecture: Properties, Durability (5th ed.). Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-45155-3
• Arab News (12 January 2026). Knight Frank: Dubai sales of homes above 10 million USD passed 9 billion USD in 2025
• Alomaliye (14 April 2026). Turkish Minister of Trade: Turkey third largest natural stone exporter, 2025 exports 2.1 billion USD
• Bestax (2026). UAE import tax: 5% duty, 5% VAT, documents