Flooring importers deal in a pile of acronyms: SPC, LVT, EIR, AC4, E1, IXPE, FOB, DoP. This glossary defines the 40 terms you actually meet in quotations, technical data sheets and test reports from a Chinese flooring factory - in English, Spanish and Russian. When every side of a deal uses the same words, specifications stop drifting and disputes shrink. Bookmark it, share it with your team, and quote terms back to your factory exactly as defined here.
This dictionary covers 80 core terms across ten groups: core materials, surface and decor, performance and ratings, installation, trade terms, certification, patterns and formats, quality and tolerances, shipping and documents, and site work and maintenance. Each entry shows the term in all three languages, followed by a plain-English definition.
CORE MATERIALS AND PRODUCT FAMILIES - the seven terms that define what the product actually is.
SPC (Stone Plastic Composite) | ES: SPC, compuesto de piedra y plastico | RU: SPC, каменно-полимерный композит - A rigid vinyl plank whose core is a dense blend of limestone powder and PVC. It is 100% waterproof, dimensionally stable and the dominant core for hybrid flooring; our SPC runs 4-8 mm with 0.3-0.55 mm wear layers.
LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile) | ES: LVT, suelo vinilico de lujo | RU: LVT, люкс-винил - Flexible vinyl flooring in plank or tile format. Softer and quieter underfoot than SPC, but the flexible core moves more with temperature and dents more easily under point loads.
WPC (Wood Plastic Composite) | ES: WPC, compuesto de madera y plastico | RU: WPC, древесно-полимерный композит - A vinyl plank with a foamed core blended from wood flour. Lighter and more cushioned than SPC; the trade-off is lower indentation resistance, which is why WPC suits bedrooms more than shopfronts.
Rigid core | ES: nucleo rigido | RU: жёсткое основание - The umbrella term for vinyl planks with a stiff, non-foamed core. Rigid core resists indentation, tolerates imperfect subfloors and installs floating - the reason the category displaced flexible LVT in most renovation programs.
HDF (High-Density Fiberboard) | ES: HDF, tablero de fibras de alta densidad | RU: HDF, плита высокой плотности - The wood-fiber core of laminate flooring, produced in 8-12 mm. HDF gives laminate its realism and cut-ability but is moisture-sensitive, which is why acclimation and sealed joints matter.
Laminate | ES: laminado | RU: ламинат - A photographic wood-look surface fused to an HDF core under a clear melamine overlay. Click-locked like SPC and usually cheaper per square meter, but not waterproof: standing water swells the joints.
Hybrid flooring | ES: suelo hibrido | RU: гибридный пол - The Australian and New Zealand retail umbrella term for a rigid plank with a waterproof core, typically pre-attached with underlay. When Australian buyers source hybrid flooring from China, they are sourcing rigid-core SPC.
SURFACE AND DECOR - the seven terms that decide how the floor looks and how long it stays looking that way.
Wear layer | ES: capa de desgaste | RU: износостойкий слой - The transparent PVC top film measured in millimetres, and the single spec that decides lifespan: 0.3 mm suits residential, 0.5 mm handles light commercial, 0.55 mm and above is the commercial standard.
Decor paper | ES: papel decorativo | RU: декоративная бумага - The printed wood-look layer beneath the wear layer. Its print resolution, ink depth and grain originality separate convincing floors from flat ones - and it is the layer your customers actually judge.
EIR (Embossed-In-Register) | ES: relieve registrado | RU: EIR, тиснение в регистр - Surface texturing synchronized with the printed grain, so knots and pores sit exactly where the eye expects them. EIR is the strongest realism upgrade available on both SPC and laminate.
UV coating | ES: barniz UV | RU: УФ-лак - A cured ultraviolet lacquer that hardens the surface against scuffs, stains and fading. Steam mops and abrasive pads degrade it - the number-one cause of avoidable wear-layer complaints.
V-groove (painted bevel) | ES: bisel pintado | RU: фаска с окраской - A machined edge painted to match the decor, outlining each plank on the finished floor. Bevels add plank definition; pressed bevels look subtler than cut ones.
Overlay | ES: capa protectora | RU: оверлей, верхний слой - The clear melamine film on laminate that carries the AC abrasion rating. In SPC the wear layer does the same job; in laminate the overlay is the armoured skin.
Texture sync | ES: textura sincronizada | RU: синхронизированная текстура - The general term for embossing matched to the printed design. EIR is its most precise form; loose sync means the grain you see is not the texture you feel.
PERFORMANCE AND RATINGS - the seven terms that quantify how a floor behaves under traffic, water and heat.
AC rating (AC3-AC5) | ES: clase AC | RU: класс AC - The laminate abrasion class scale: AC3 for residential, AC4 for light commercial, AC5 for heavy commercial. An AC4 12 mm laminate can outlast a thin SPC in a busy office - match the class to the traffic, not the thickness.
Class 23 / 32 / 33 | ES: clase de uso 23/32/33 | RU: класс использования 23/32/33 - EN ISO 10874 use classes: 23 = heavy domestic, 32 = general commercial, 33 = heavy commercial. European DoP documents declare the class; tenders usually specify a minimum.
Waterproof vs water-resistant | ES: impermeable vs resistente al agua | RU: водостойкий vs водозащитный - Waterproof means the core is unaffected by standing water (SPC, hybrid). Water-resistant means spills only. The difference shows up at the joints, in bathrooms, and in warranty language.
Dimensional stability | ES: estabilidad dimensional | RU: размерная стабильность - How little a plank grows or shrinks with temperature and humidity. It is the SPC selling point against LVT and the reason large-format 1525x230 mm planks stay flat.
E0 / E1 | ES: clase E0/E1 | RU: класс E0/E1 - Formaldehyde emission classes for wood-based cores: E1 is the EU limit, E0 is tighter. Relevant to laminate and HDF; SPC cores contain no wood fiber, so the topic rarely applies to them.
Slip resistance (R9-R13, P0-P5) | ES: resistencia al deslizamiento | RU: противоскольжение - Ramp and barefoot-slip ratings. Australian commercial tenders usually cite AS 4586 instead; we can arrange slip testing to the standard your market names.
Indentation resistance | ES: resistencia a la huella | RU: стойкость к вдавливанию - The ability to recover from point loads like heels and furniture feet. Rigid cores beat flexible vinyl here; it is why shopfront floors specify SPC over soft LVT.
INSTALLATION - the seven terms your installers and site supervisors use every day.
UNILIN click | ES: sistema clic UNILIN | RU: замок UNILIN - A licensed locking profile family (Uniclic). Licensed factories pay royalties, which is part of what a floor costs - unlicensed copies invite patent trouble at the border.
Valinge click | ES: sistema clic Valinge | RU: замок Valinge - The other major locking licence family, with 2G angle-lock and 5G fold-down variants. The licence logo appears on the carton; ask for it when comparing quotes.
Floating installation | ES: instalacion flotante | RU: плавающий монтаж - The floor laid loose over underlay without adhesive - the standard method for SPC, hybrid and laminate, and the reason click floors refit in days.
Underlay (IXPE / EVA / EPE) | ES: subjacente | RU: подложка - The foam layer under a floating floor: 1.5-2.0 mm IXPE for SPC, 2-3 mm EVA for laminate. It adds sound reduction, minor levelling and a moisture barrier; thicker is not better.
Pre-attached underlay | ES: subjacente preadherido | RU: приклеенная подложка - Underlay factory-bonded to the plank - the Australian hybrid norm. One SKU for the dealer, one installation step, fewer disputes traced to a pad installed wrong.
Expansion gap | ES: junta de dilatacion | RU: деформационный зазор - The 6-10 mm perimeter space that lets a floating floor move with the seasons. Skipping it causes buckling, and buckling voids the warranty.
Transition strip / molding | ES: perfil de transicion | RU: переходный профиль - T-mouldings, reducers, end caps and stair noses that bridge height changes and doorways. Matching them from the same decor line is a detail end customers notice.
TRADE TERMS - the seven terms that appear on every quotation and every document set.
FOB (Free On Board) | ES: FOB, franqueo a bordo | RU: FOB, франко-борт - The price includes delivery onto the vessel at the named port (usually Shanghai). Ocean freight, insurance and destination charges belong to the buyer - always compare quotes on the same term.
CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight) | ES: CIF, costo seguro y flete | RU: CIF, стоимость страхование фрахт - The price includes ocean freight and insurance to the destination port. Customs clearance and inland transport remain the buyer's; CIF makes comparisons easier but hides the freight margin.
MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) | ES: cantidad minima de pedido | RU: минимальный заказ - The smallest order a factory accepts per design - ours is 500 m2 per design, with mixed-design containers accepted so you can spread one container across 4-6 decors.
B/L (Bill of Lading) | ES: conocimiento de embarque | RU: коносамент - The transport document of title for ocean freight. Telex release or original set decides when cargo can be collected - a one-word difference on it can strand a container.
L/C (Letter of Credit) | ES: credito documentario | RU: аккредитив - Bank-guaranteed payment against shipping documents. Slower and banked, but it lowers counterparty risk on first orders with a new supplier.
Sinosure | ES: Sinosure | RU: Sinosure - China's state export-credit insurer. Exporters with Sinosure coverage can offer credit terms such as 30-day payment to qualified buyers; ask for it once your track record is established.
OEM / ODM | ES: OEM / ODM | RU: OEM / ODM - OEM: we produce to your brand and specification. ODM: we adapt our existing designs and tooling to your brand. The difference is who owns the mould and the decor exclusivity.
CERTIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE - the five terms that decide whether your paperwork survives customs and audits.
CE marking | ES: marcado CE | RU: знак CE - The EU conformity mark for flooring, backed by EN 14041 testing: reaction to fire, formaldehyde, PCP content, water-tightness and slip. Mandatory for flooring sold in the EU, and the first document serious European buyers request.
DoP (Declaration of Performance) | ES: declaracion de prestaciones | RU: декларация характеристик - The signed document declaring a product's EN 14041 values. Every CE-marked floor needs one per product family; check that the declared values match the test report, not the brochure.
Notified Body (NANDO) | ES: organismo notificado | RU: уведомлённый орган - An EU-accredited laboratory whose reports give CE testing legal weight under AVCP System 3. Verify the number on the EU NANDO database before paying for a certificate - five minutes that screens out fake NBs.
FloorScore | ES: FloorScore | RU: FloorScore - The North-American indoor-air emissions certification for hard-surface flooring. US retail programs commonly require it; it measures what the floor releases into a room, not what it is made of.
ISO 9001 / ISO 14001 | ES: ISO 9001 / ISO 14001 | RU: ISO 9001 / ISO 14001 - Factory quality-management and environmental-management certifications. They certify the system, not the product - pair them with product test reports for a complete picture.
PATTERNS, FORMATS AND DESIGN - the ten terms that shape how a floor looks once it is laid.
Herringbone | ES: espiga | RU: ёлочка - Planks laid at right angles in a zigzag that resembles a fish skeleton. The classic pattern floor: visually expensive, and available in click versions that install like ordinary planks.
Chevron | ES: chevrón, punta de Hungría | RU: французская ёлочка - Planks cut at an angle (usually 30 or 45 degrees) so the pattern forms continuous straight chevrons. More formal than herringbone and more demanding to lay - the cut must be exact.
Click herringbone | ES: espiga con clic | RU: замковая ёлочка - Herringbone re-engineered for floating installation: a specialized click profile on short planks. It brings the pattern floor to rental and renovation budgets without glue.
Large-format planks | ES: formato grande | RU: крупноформатные планки - Long, wide boards such as 1525x230 mm that show off decor grain with fewer seams. They need a flatter subfloor and room to move: expansion gaps matter more, not less.
Mixed-width layout | ES: ancho mixto | RU: разноширинная укладка - Combining plank widths in one floor, the way real wood floors were laid from mixed batches. Adds authenticity to rustic decors; demands a supplier who can supply several widths in one decor.
Random length | ES: largo aleatorio | RU: случайная длина - Cartons packed with varied plank lengths so end joints stagger naturally instead of marching in a ladder pattern. A packing detail that separates a convincing floor from an obvious one.
Tile format | ES: formato loseta | RU: формат плитки - Square formats (for example 12x24 inch or 600x600 mm) carrying stone and concrete decors. Same SPC core, different retail story: the tile aisle customer.
Pattern repeat | ES: repetición del patrón | RU: повтор рисунка - How often the same decor section recurs across a floor. Low-repeat prints betray themselves on large areas; our decors are engineered with long repeat cycles for exactly this reason.
Warm vs cool tones | ES: tonos cálidos y fríos | RU: тёплые и холодные тона - The colour families buyers actually shop by. Warm (honey, caramel, golden oak) dominates residential refresh programs; cool (grey, Nordic, mist) dominates commercial specification. A wholesale range needs both.
QUALITY AND TOLERANCES - the ten terms that decide whether cartons match the promise on the label.
Batch consistency | ES: uniformidad de lote | RU: постоянство партии - Decor and gauge identical across production runs. Ask your factory how they control batch-to-batch drift; mixing cartons from different runs in one room is how floors get flagged on inspection.
Color variation | ES: variación de color | RU: вариация цвета - Deliberate tone spread within one decor (a feature, within limits) versus uncontrolled drift between cartons (a defect). Good factories print acceptable variation ranges per decor.
Delta E | ES: delta E, diferencia de color | RU: дельта E, отклонение цвета - The measured colour distance between samples. Spec buyers and design chains increasingly write maximum Delta E values into contracts instead of trusting the eye.
Squareness | ES: rectangularidad | RU: прямоугольность - How close each plank is to a true rectangle. Out-of-square planks open wedge-shaped joints that no installation skill can hide; it is a caliper check at incoming inspection.
Warping and cupping | ES: alabeo | RU: коробление - Edge or face distortion of a plank on the flat. Rigid cores resist it, but pallets stored in the rain or over-tall stacks will defeat any core - check the pallet, not just the plank.
Peaking at seams | ES: elevación en juntas | RU: возвышение стыков - A faint ridge where two planks meet, caused by bevel mismatch or thickness tolerance. Visible in raking light; it is the most common reason for site complaints about 'uneven' floors.
Gloss level | ES: nivel de brillo | RU: степень глянца - How much light the surface reflects, from matte to high gloss. Matte hides micro-scratches and dominates current taste; gloss shows every scuff and measures higher slip on wet floors.
Wear-through | ES: desgaste hasta el núcleo | RU: истирание до ядра - The point where the wear layer is penetrated and the core shows. It is the failure mode wear-layer thickness exists to prevent, and the boundary of every wear warranty.
Delamination | ES: delaminación | RU: расслоение - Separation between layers - decor from core, or underlay from plank. Proper lamination pressure and quality adhesives make it rare; it is also the defect a coin-scratch test on samples will expose.
AQL inspection | ES: inspección AQL | RU: инспекция AQL - Acceptable Quality Limit sampling before shipment: draw a statistical sample, count defects, accept or reject the lot. We run AQL 2.5 pre-shipment inspection in-house; third-party inspection is welcome on any order.
SHIPPING AND DOCUMENTS - the ten terms that move a container from our gate to your warehouse.
Proforma invoice | ES: factura proforma | RU: проформа-инвойс - The offer document that precedes payment: products, prices, terms, lead time. Opens letters of credit, deposit transfers and import permits - it is the paperwork your bank and broker meet first.
Sales contract | ES: contrato de compraventa | RU: внешнеторговый контракт - The signed agreement behind the proforma: specifications, inspection standards, delivery terms, payment schedule, claims procedure. For distributors on repeat programs, the contract is the relationship.
Packing list | ES: lista de empaque | RU: упаковочный лист - Carton-by-carton detail of what is in the container: quantities, weights, dimensions. Customs, warehouse teams and insurance surveyors all work from it - errors here stop containers longer than defects do.
Certificate of origin | ES: certificado de origen | RU: сертификат происхождения - The document declaring where goods were made, unlocking preferential duty rates (ChAFTA, Form E, RCEP) or simply satisfying import rules. Issued per shipment; we prepare it with the booking, not after.
Telex release | ES: telex release | RU: телекс-релиз - Electronic surrender of the original bill of lading at origin, letting the consignee collect cargo without couriering paper across the world. Faster and safer than Original B/L - when your bank allows it.
20GP / 40HQ | ES: contenedor de 20 y 40 pies | RU: контейнер 20 и 40 футов - The two workhorse containers: 20GP around 33 m³ / 21 t payload, 40HQ around 76 m³ / 26 t. Flooring usually payloads out before it volumes out - see our container loading calculator.
LCL (less than container load) | ES: carga consolidada | RU: сборный груз - Sharing a container with other shippers for small orders. Lower entry cost, more handling, more damage risk on heavy cartons - sample orders travel LCL, programs travel FCL.
ISPM-15 fumigation | ES: fumigación ISPM-15 | RU: фумигация ISPM-15 - The international standard for treating wood packaging (pallets, crating) with a stamp as proof. Plastic pallets and cardboard slip sheets sidestep it entirely; wooden pallets must carry the mark or face quarantine.
Palletized vs floor-loaded | ES: paletizado vs carga al suelo | RU: паллетная или напольная погрузка - Pallets cost payload (pallet weight plus lost dunnage space) but unload in hours with a forklift; floor-loading squeezes in more cartons and unloads by hand. Big-box programs palletize; project cargoes often floor-load.
Demurrage and detention | ES: demoras y detención | RU: демередж и детеншн - The daily charges that start when a container sits too long at the port (demurrage) or outside it (detention). Clear customs paperwork and a receiver who is ready are worth more than any freight discount.
SITE WORK AND MAINTENANCE - the ten terms your installers and end customers live with after delivery.
Acclimation | ES: aclimatación | RU: акклиматизация - Restoring unopened cartons in the installation room so plank temperature and humidity settle before laying. HDF laminate needs it most; SPC's stability shortens it - but no floor should be laid straight off a cold truck.
Subfloor preparation | ES: preparación del contrapiso | RU: подготовка основания - Levelling, drying and cleaning the base before the floor goes down. Most floating-floor complaints trace back here, which is why our guides spend more words on the subfloor than on the planks.
Self-leveling compound | ES: autonivelante | RU: самовыравнивающаяся смесь - The flow-applied layer that corrects uneven slabs. Rigid cores tolerate more than flexible vinyl, but every floor has a flatness limit - check the level, then decide whether to pour.
Vapor barrier | ES: barrera de vapor | RU: пароизоляция - The moisture-blocking layer between slab and floor - an underlay film or a standalone 6 mil poly sheet. Over concrete in contact with the ground it is not optional; it is what keeps the click joints dry.
Underfloor heating limit | ES: límite de suelo radiante | RU: предел для тёплого пола - The maximum surface temperature a floor tolerates (typically 27-28°C for SPC and laminate). Embedded sensors and slow ramp-up protect both the floor and the warranty.
Tapping block and spacers | ES: bloque de golpeo y separadores | RU: подбивочный брусок и клинья - The installer's basics: a block to close joints without damaging them, spacers to hold the expansion gap while the glue-less floor settles.
Stair nosing | ES: morillo de escalera | RU: лестничный носик - The profile that caps stair edges - flush (rebated into the tread) or overlap (surface-fixed). Our bent stair noses are formed from the same decor film as the floor, so stairs match without aluminum strips.
Door jamb undercut | ES: recorte de marco | RU: подрезка наличника - Sawing the bottom of door frames so planks slide underneath instead of stopping at a visible gap. One flush-cut saw separates an professional finish from an obvious compromise.
Furniture pads | ES: protectores de muebles | RU: накладки на мебель - Felt or PTFE pads under legs and castors. Point loads move a floor's enemies from water to furniture - the cheapest warranty insurance we know of.
pH-neutral cleaner | ES: limpiador pH neutro | RU: нейтральное моющее средство - The only cleaner family we recommend: no steam, no abrasives, no solvent wipes. It preserves the UV coating that preserves the wear layer - the care label in every carton says the same.
Terms only mean something when the numbers behind them are real. Every specification in this glossary - wear layers from 0.3 to 0.55 mm, AC3-AC5 laminate, E0/E1 cores, licensed Unilin and Valinge click - matches what SHUCHAN FLOORING produces and tests in Changzhou. Send your specification and destination market to shuchanflooring.com and we will return a quotation that uses all of these terms correctly.