Is Granite The Hardest Stone

Granite is one of the most beautiful types of natural stone you can find.

Is granite the hardest stone.

Granite brings a striking beauty that cannot be replicated by marble or quartz. When properly sealed it will last for decades. For reference your fingernail is a 3 and a steel knife is a 7 on the hardness scale. That is an old classification and i am not sure the classification still exists.

But in the 1960s when i began learning rock classification a quartzite was a sandstone that was composed predominantly of quartz and cemented with sili. So we strive for the hardest most attainable and attractive option in stones which happens to be granite and quartz. It is a very hard igneous rock containing quartz mica and feldspar as its main mineral makeup. A key breakthrough was the invention of steam powered cutting and dressing tools by alexander macdonald of aberdeen inspired by seeing ancient egyptian granite.

Until the early 18th century in the western world granite could be carved only by hand tools with generally poor results. Granite is a natural stone. Provided to youtube by cdbaby granite is the hardest stone dalla k5 2013 dalla released on. Where do stone countertop materials rank on the mohs scale.

Among the harder natural stone countertop materials on the mohs scale are granite and gemstone which each rank at an 8 on the scale. According to moh s scale of mineral hardness granite is typically a 6 8 on the scale 1 is the softest and 10 is the hardest. In the northern climates where snow melting chemicals are used heavily granite has resisted the attack of these caustic agents. Granite is highly resistant to chips and scratches it is the hardest stone next to the diamond.

The granite hardness helps buyers make a balanced decision. Granite countertops are one of the hardest natural stone surfaces that you can have in your home. It is quite durable and highly heat resistant. Among various natural stone products granite enjoys a better hardness over other materials.

2013 05 10 auto generated by youtube. These two stones have a mohs hardness rating of 6 or 7. Ask us about our 25 year sealer protection. Different stones are made up of different minerals which impacts their overall hardness.

Granite is a hard stone and requires skill to carve by hand. But beyond beauty granite is also a very tough and durable material which is why it is so commonly found in countertops.