--- title: "Promise Only the Tile One Shade and Caliber Lot Can Ship" url: https://www.uncap.com/industry/tile-stone author: "Denis Dyli" published: 2026-10-01 updated: 2026-10-01 summary: "Uncap builds tile and stone B2B ecommerce on Shopify for distributors, importers and manufacturers selling porcelain, ceramic and natural stone to contractors, dealers and fabricators. The trade runs on a condition most storefronts never model: two boxes of the same SKU can be different tile. Every carton carries a shade and a caliber, and a job has to ship from one of each. Lot-level availability, so the storefront only promises a quantity a single lot can fill and the order records which lot it ships from, is built during implementation on inventory synced through Uncap Connect. In practice, the product page shows the largest quantity available in one shade and caliber, with the codes that will ship." --- # Promise Only the Tile One Shade and Caliber Lot Can Ship > Uncap builds tile and stone B2B ecommerce on Shopify for distributors, importers and manufacturers selling porcelain, ceramic and natural stone to contractors, dealers and fabricators. The trade runs on a condition most storefronts never model: two boxes of the same SKU can be different tile. Every carton carries a shade and a caliber, and a job has to ship from one of each. Lot-level availability, so the storefront only promises a quantity a single lot can fill and the order records which lot it ships from, is built during implementation on inventory synced through Uncap Connect. In practice, the product page shows the largest quantity available in one shade and caliber, with the codes that will ship. ## The challenge **Where a generic storefront breaks for tile and stone** Two boxes of the same SKU can be different tile, so inventory stops being one number. | | Factor | Generic storefront setup | What tile and stone need | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Lot availability | The storefront shows the SKU total, which can be a sum of lots where none can fill the job. | Lot-level availability, built during implementation, only promises a quantity a single lot can fill. | | Shade and caliber | A V rating on the product page describes the series and does not make two lots match. | The shade and caliber codes that will ship are shown before checkout. | | Attic stock | Attic stock from a different lot is a spare that does not fit. | An attic stock line, built during implementation, is sized to the owner's specification and allocated from the same lot as the job. | | Mixed units | The order mixes field tile by the carton, trim and mosaics by piece or sheet, and full pallets that may carry their own price break. | Whole carton increments through Shopify B2B quantity rules, with piece, sheet and pallet rounding built during implementation. | | Stone slabs | Each slab is different, and a hold nobody released is a slab sitting in the rack for a month. | Numbered slabs with a photo and dimensions, configured during implementation, on a hold that expires unless it converts. | **Two boxes of the same SKU are not always the same tile.** Clay bodies and glazes shift slightly from one production run to the next, so manufacturers sort what they ship and mark it. One producer's FAQ says it "[indicates on every box the particular shade (dye lot) and caliber](https://www.marazziusa.com/style-and-design/resources/faqs)" so customers get consistency through an installation. The SKU tells you the product. The shade code and the caliber code tell you whether this carton belongs on the same floor as the last one. **The shade rating describes the series. The lot describes the box.** ANSI A137.1 is the American National Standard for ceramic tile, developed and published by the Tile Council of North America (TCNA). It gives tile an aesthetic class from V0 to V4. In [ANSI's summary of the 2022 edition](https://blog.ansi.org/ansi/ansi-a137-1-2022-standard-ceramic-tile/), the V stands for variation and each number "quantifies the degree of variation of overall color and/or texture." Producers assign that class to a tile series. It tells a designer how much movement to expect inside the series. It does not make two lots match, and a storefront that prints V3 on the product page and stops there has answered the wrong question. **Your stock count is a sum of lots, and a job needs one of them.** Say the ERP shows 2,400 square feet of a 24 by 48 porcelain. That can be three lots of 800. A contractor ordering 1,500 square feet for one open floor plan cannot be filled from any of them. A storefront that shows the total has just promised a floor you cannot ship. The split usually surfaces on site, when the setter opens the second pallet and the color steps. **Caliber decides the grout joint.** Caliber is the tile's facial dimension, sorted at the factory into a stated range. Mix two calibers in one field and the joints drift. The same producer advises buying tile with the same shade and caliber "to ensure a pleasing aesthetic appearance as well as consistent grout joints." On large format tile, small size differences add up fast across a long hallway. So caliber is a stock condition, the same as shade, not a footnote on a spec sheet. **The overage and the attic stock have to come from the same lot.** Owners write this into their specifications. Northwestern University's tiling section tells the contractor to "[Furnish extra materials that match and are from same production runs as products installed](https://www.northwestern.edu/facilities/docs/construction/design_guidelines/09_finishes/NU_09%203013%20-%20CERAMIC%20TILING.pdf)." For tile and trim it sets that at "3 percent of amount installed for each type, composition, color, pattern, and size indicated." The boxes that go to the owner's storeroom are part of the same allocation as the floor. Attic stock from a different lot is a spare that does not fit. The order itself mixes units: field tile by the carton, trim and mosaics by the piece or sheet, and full pallets that may carry their own price break. **A stone slab is inventory of one.** The Natural Stone Institute's consumer guide puts it plainly: "[each slab of natural stone is different](https://usenaturalstone.org/a-beginners_guide_stone_selection/)." It tells buyers to "visit stone yards to look at the actual slabs you're going to use, rather than selecting from a sample." So the fabricator walks your yard, picks slabs by number, and asks you to hold them until the homeowner signs. Every hold is stock nobody else can sell. A hold nobody released is a slab sitting in the rack for a month. Special order and import programs add a second clock, because the lot or the container a buyer wants may not be in the building yet. ## The Uncap solution **The ERP holds the lot, the storefront reads it** Lots stay where receiving records them, and lot-level availability is built during implementation on inventory synced through Uncap Connect. Hub: One Shopify store (Reads each lot instead of modeling it as a product variant) ### From the ERP - **Stock by lot**, Your stock count is a sum of lots, and a job needs one of them - **Shade and caliber codes**, Every carton carries a shade and a caliber - **Slab piece records**, A photo and dimensions for each numbered slab - **Incoming lots**, Shown against their purchase orders, built during implementation - **Pricing and customers**, Pricing, inventory, customers and orders kept current on both sides in real time ### On the storefront - **Single-lot quantity**, The largest quantity available in one shade and caliber, with the codes that will ship - **Whole cartons**, Field tile sold in set increments through Shopify B2B quantity rules - **Attic stock line**, Allocated from the same lot as the job, built during implementation - **Slab holds**, A hold that expires unless it converts - **Reserve from incoming stock**, Reserve from a shipment still on the water, built during implementation ### Connectors - **Uncap Connect**, Runs inside Shopify rather than as separate middleware, and the ERP stays the system of record - **Uncap Quotes**, Slab quotes with negotiated account prices, a validity window and one-click conversion to a Shopify order - **Uncap Portal**, Multi-user company accounts where each buyer sees their own assortment and pricing **Availability by lot, not by SKU.** The ERP tracks stock by lot. Lot-level availability, so the storefront only promises a quantity a single lot can fill and the order records which lot it ships from, is built during implementation on inventory synced through [Uncap Connect](https://www.uncap.com/products/connect). In practice, the product page shows the largest quantity available in one shade and caliber, with the codes that will ship. The contractor entering 1,500 square feet against three lots of 800 learns that before checkout, not on the job site. Whether a large job may take a second lot by agreement, and who approves it, are rules you set during scoping. **Lots are not variants, and that settles the platform question.** A tile series can have several lots in the warehouse at once, and they come and go as containers land and jobs ship. Model each lot as a product variant and the catalog churns every week while contract prices chase it. The lot belongs where receiving already records it, in the ERP or warehouse system. The storefront reads it. Uncap Connect runs inside Shopify rather than as separate middleware. It keeps pricing, inventory, customers and orders current on both sides in real time, and the ERP stays the system of record. On any commerce platform, shade and caliber allocation for tile is built against that data. So the useful question is how directly the storefront reads it. **Cartons sold as cartons.** Shopify B2B quantity rules let a product be bought only in set increments, so field tile can be sold in whole cartons. The field notes on [order minimums and case packs on Shopify](https://www.uncap.com/post/wholesale-order-minimums-case-packs-moq-shopify) explain how increments, minimums and case packs differ. Square foot entry and the waste factor come from the building materials calculation layer. Rounding for trim by the piece, mosaics by the sheet and full pallets is built during implementation. **Attic stock on the same allocation as the floor.** An attic stock line, sized to the owner's specification and allocated from the same lot as the job, is built during implementation. It ships labeled as attic stock, so it reaches the storeroom instead of the floor. **Slabs held, then quoted.** Slab-level inventory is configured during implementation against the ERP's piece records: a photo and dimensions for each numbered slab, and a hold that expires unless it converts. The quote for those slabs runs through [Uncap Quotes](https://www.uncap.com/products/quotes), which runs configure, price, quote inside the Shopify admin. Negotiated account prices, tiers and volume breaks apply automatically. Each quote carries a validity window and a full revision history. A fabricator asking to hold slabs past your standard window is an exception, and approval routing sends it to the right approver. When the homeowner signs, the approved quote converts to a Shopify order in one click. **Each dealer sees its own price and its own reorder list.** In [Uncap Portal](https://www.uncap.com/products/portal), dealers and contractors get multi-user company accounts with roles and permissions. Each buyer sees their own assortment and pricing. Setting materials, grout and trim sit on reorder lists a click away, so thinset for the next job does not need a phone call. Net terms, invoices and payments live in the portal too. **Special order with an honest date.** As on the building materials page, lead time comes from the ERP. For tile and stone, the date that matters is when a specific lot or container arrives. Showing incoming lots against their purchase orders, so a buyer can reserve from a shipment still on the water, is built during implementation. ## Key features **What Uncap builds for tile and stone distributors** Account pricing and quotes ship in Uncap Quotes and Uncap Portal, and the lot logic is built during implementation from your ERP data. ### 01 · Availability, Single-lot availability The quantity offered is the largest quantity one shade and caliber lot can fill. - Built during implementation - On inventory synced from the ERP ### 02 · Codes, Shade and caliber on the page The codes that will ship are shown before checkout, so the buyer can match a previous order or a job already on the wall. ### 03 · Traceability, Lot recorded on the order Every order line records the lot it ships from, so a reorder or a warranty question starts from the right box. ### 04 · Split lots, Split-lot jobs routed to a quote A job larger than any single lot goes to a quote with approval routing instead of silently shipping two lots. ### 05 · Attic stock, Attic stock from the same lot The owner's extra materials are allocated with the job and labeled for the storeroom. - Sized to the owner's specification, built during implementation ### 06 · Units, Cartons, pieces and pallets Field tile in whole carton increments through Shopify B2B quantity rules. - Piece, sheet and pallet rounding built during implementation ### 07 · Slabs, Slab holds that expire Numbered slabs with photos and dimensions, held for a fabricator against a quote with a validity window. - Configured during implementation ### 08 · Pricing, Dealer and contractor pricing Negotiated prices, tiers and volume breaks applied automatically through Uncap Quotes. - Each buyer sees their own assortment and pricing in Uncap Portal ### 09 · ERP sync, ERP sync without separate middleware Pricing, inventory, customers and orders kept current between Shopify and the ERP. - Delivered through an owned Uncap Connect app or a managed iPaaS integration **Single-lot availability.** The quantity offered is the largest quantity one shade and caliber lot can fill, built during implementation on inventory synced from the ERP. **Shade and caliber on the page.** The codes that will ship are shown before checkout, so the buyer can match a previous order or a job already on the wall. **Lot recorded on the order.** Every order line records the lot it ships from, so a reorder or a warranty question starts from the right box. **Split-lot jobs routed to a quote.** A job larger than any single lot goes to a quote with approval routing instead of silently shipping two lots. **Attic stock from the same lot.** The owner's extra materials are allocated with the job and labeled for the storeroom. **Cartons, pieces and pallets.** Field tile in whole carton increments through Shopify B2B quantity rules, with piece, sheet and pallet rounding built during implementation. **Slab holds that expire.** Numbered slabs with photos and dimensions, held for a fabricator against a quote with a validity window, configured during implementation. **Dealer and contractor pricing.** Negotiated prices, tiers and volume breaks applied automatically through Uncap Quotes, with each buyer seeing their own assortment and pricing in Uncap Portal. **ERP sync without separate middleware.** Pricing, inventory, customers and orders kept current between Shopify and the ERP, delivered through an owned Uncap Connect app or a managed iPaaS integration. ## Why Uncap **The line between product and build, in writing.** Account pricing, quote approvals, validity windows, one-click order conversion and reorder lists ship in Uncap Quotes and Uncap Portal. Lot-level availability, shade and caliber display, attic stock allocation and slab holds are built during implementation from your ERP data. You see which is which in the scope, before the build starts. **Built on the data you already keep.** Your warehouse already receives tile by lot and stone by piece. The build reads those records rather than asking your team to maintain a second copy in the storefront. **Credentials you can check.** Uncap is a Shopify Platinum Partner, on Shopify since 2013, with 380+ unified storefronts launched on Shopify. **Scoped before it is built.** The [Uncap Blueprint](https://www.uncap.com/blueprint) is a fixed-price, four-week plan written before any build starts. For tile and stone it maps your lot data, shade and caliber codes, slab records, account pricing and ERP integration. You walk with everything you need to brief any agency or your in-house team. ## Related pages This page sits under [building materials ecommerce](https://www.uncap.com/industry/building-materials). That page covers the measure, calculate and order flow, square foot pricing, the waste factor, job quotes and lead time from the ERP. This page goes one level down, into the lot condition that decides whether tile and stone can ship at all. Both sit within [building and construction](https://www.uncap.com/industry/building-construction). If you also sell LVT and LVP, the [resilient and luxury vinyl flooring](https://www.uncap.com/industry/resilient-vinyl-flooring) page covers wear layers, warranty class and private label. If your counter serves general contractors on the same accounts, see [construction supply](https://www.uncap.com/industry/construction-supply). For how building materials businesses move from fax and phone orders to a storefront, see the field notes on [building materials ecommerce from offline to online](https://www.uncap.com/post/building-materials-ecommerce). For the ERP side, see the [Epicor BisTrack integration](https://www.uncap.com/integration/epicor-bistrack), the [Epicor Eagle integration](https://www.uncap.com/integration/epicor-eagle), or the full list of [ERP integrations](https://www.uncap.com/integrations). ## Ready to talk Bring two documents. The first is an inventory report by lot for your ten fastest tile series, with shade and caliber on every line. The second is the current hold list from your slab yard. Between them they show how often a single lot can fill a job, and how much stock is tied up waiting on a signature. Book a strategy session with Uncap, or start with a Blueprint if what you need first is the lot logic and ERP mapping written down and costed. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can Shopify handle shade and caliber lots, or does a tile distributor need a heavier platform? Yes, Shopify can run it, because lot allocation for tile is built against your ERP on any platform. No commerce platform ships shade and caliber allocation for tile as a standard feature. The lot lives where receiving records it, and the storefront has to read it rather than copy it into product variants. On Shopify, carton increments come from native B2B quantity rules. Lot-level availability is built during implementation on inventory synced through Uncap Connect. Connect runs inside Shopify, syncs customer-specific pricing, credit terms and tax rules, and keeps the ERP as the system of record. ### What is a dye lot in tile? A dye lot, or shade lot, is a group of tile from one production run that shares the same color and finish. Lots from different runs of the same product can differ slightly, so manufacturers print a shade code on every box. A job should be supplied from one lot, including its overage and attic stock. For a distributor, that turns the dye lot into a stock condition: the storefront should promise only what one lot can fill. ### What is the difference between shade and caliber? Shade is the color and reflectivity of the tile. Caliber is its facial dimension, its actual size as sorted at the factory. Manufacturers mark both on the carton. Matching shade keeps the floor one color. Matching caliber keeps the grout joints consistent, which matters most on large format and rectified tile. A lot-aware storefront shows both codes and only offers quantities where both match. ### What do V0 to V4 shade variation ratings mean? They are aesthetic classes under ANSI A137.1, the ceramic tile standard published by the Tile Council of North America. The V stands for variation. The number describes how much the overall color and texture vary across the tile series, from V0 at the low end to V4 at the high end. The class describes the series. It does not replace lot matching, because two lots of the same V2 tile can still differ from each other. ### How much attic stock should a tile order include? As much as the owner's specification requires, and it must come from the same production run as the installed tile. Owners set the number in their tiling section. Northwestern University's tiling specification, for example, asks for full-size units equal to 3 percent of the amount installed for each type, color, pattern and size. On the storefront, the attic stock line should be allocated from the same lot as the job. ### Can buyers reserve a specific stone slab online? Yes, when each slab is held as its own inventory record with a photo, dimensions and a slab number. A fabricator picks the slabs, places a hold, and the hold expires on a date unless it converts to an order. Slab-level inventory and holds are configured during implementation against the ERP's piece records. The quote for the held slabs runs through Uncap Quotes, with a validity window, approval routing for extensions and one-click conversion to a Shopify order. ### Which ERPs does this connect to? Uncap publishes twelve ERP family integrations: Acumatica, Cin7, Epicor, Fishbowl, Infor, Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite, Odoo, Oracle, QuickBooks, Sage and SAP. Integration pages for building materials ERPs include Epicor BisTrack and Epicor Eagle. Integrations are delivered through an owned Uncap Connect app or a managed iPaaS integration. For lot-level data in particular, the Uncap team confirms what your ERP exposes during scoping. ### What is the difference between this page and the building materials page? The building materials page covers how every dimensional product is sold: measure, calculate the waste factor, round to sellable units, quote the job and show lead time from the ERP. This page covers what that flow does not: tile and stone stock that differs by shade, caliber and slab, so the right quantity can still be the wrong product. Most tile distributors need both. ### How does a tile and stone build start? With a Blueprint, a fixed-price, four-week plan written before any build starts. It maps your lot data, shade and caliber codes, slab records, account pricing and ERP integration, and you keep the result whoever builds it. Bring an inventory report by lot and your slab hold list to the first session.