Stone Materials

Browse by Material

Natural stone materials supplied from China fall into a small number of families: granite, marble, sandstone, slate, limestone, travertine, and the composite and decorative categories built from them. Buyers choose between families on four things — how the surface behaves in service, which formats and finishes the factory can produce, how consistent the material stays between batches, and what the finished cost is once freight and wastage are counted.

Material names are not specifications. "Granite" is a commercial category that covers stones reported from about 4.5 to about 7 on the Mohs scale, and "marble" covers both dense Chinese material and softer imported blocks. Each page below states which distinctions apply to that family, what we supply, and what to check before a container ships.

If you are starting from an application rather than a material — a driveway, a hotel lobby, a kitchen run — the buying guides further down this page work backwards from use to material.

How to Choose a Stone Material

Selection is usually decided by three questions in sequence: where the stone will be installed, how much wear and moisture it must take, and what finish the design requires. The table below is a starting point, not a substitute for testing the actual batch.

Start from the application

Exterior paving and steps are governed by slip resistance, freeze-thaw performance and thickness. Interior floors are governed by finish, joint width and how the stone reads under artificial light. Vertical surfaces are governed by weight, fixing detail and colour consistency across panels. Buying a material before deciding the application usually ends in a change order.

Then agree the finish

Polished, honed, brushed, sandblasted and flamed surfaces behave differently in service and cost differently to produce. The finish also changes how a colour reads: the same block can look warm polished and grey honed. Approve a sample of the exact stone and the exact finish, not of the colour family.

Then fix the batch rules

Natural stone varies between blocks. What protects the project is not a promise that it will not vary, but an agreed rule for what variation is acceptable: the reference sample, the inspection light, the allowed tonal range and the procedure if a bundle falls outside it. On multi-phase projects, reserve material from one block run for the whole job.

Buying Guides

Long-form guides for buyers purchasing in container volumes — specifications, ordering mechanics, container loading, quality inspection and the documentation that travels with a shipment.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I choose between granite and marble?

Choose by service condition, not by appearance. Granite is the lower-risk choice for floors, paving, steps and kitchen work where abrasion and acids are routine. Marble suits interior walls, vanity tops and low-traffic floors where the veining is the point, provided the finish and maintenance are specified for it.

Is a material name enough for a quotation?

No. A quotation should name the variety or model code, the finish, the thickness, the format, the grade and the packing. Two quotes for the same "granite" can describe different stones with different hardness and different working behaviour.

Can I mix materials in one project?

Yes, and mixing is common on facades and in bathrooms. The risk is colour and finish drift between suppliers, not between stone types. Agree the reference sample for each material and check them together under the same light.

What should I ask for before the container ships?

Photographs of the actual bundles with the batch reference, a packing list that matches the order, and the test reports that apply to the production batch. For exterior or wet-area work, ask for the freeze-thaw and absorption results for that batch rather than a generic data sheet.

What thickness should I specify?

Thickness follows the application and the fixing method: paving and steps must carry load, cladding panels are governed by the fixing system, and countertops by span and support. State the thickness and the tolerance, because a nominal figure and a calibrated one are not the same purchase.

Where do I start if I only know the application?

Start with the buying guides on this page — they work from application back to material, format and quantity. If the application is unusual, send the drawings and the service conditions so the material can be narrowed against the real exposure.