What is a Stone Block?

In the realm of building materials, stone blocks are the fundamental units used to create a variety of stone products. Oxygen Stone Company plays a key role in supplying the construction and decoration industries with a range of high-quality blocks. Their offerings include marble blocks (like Macchia Black), crystal limestone blocks, and travertine blocks. Each type of block has unique characteristics and uses, which we will delve into in this article. Let’s explore the interesting world of stone blocks together!

What is a Stone Block?

The process of obtaining building stones typically starts with extracting them from mountains and quarries in the shape of square or rectangular cubes, known as stone blocks. After removing any waste, these blocks are cut using mining equipment and wire saws or other cutting tools before being sent to stone processing factories.

Types of Stone Blocks

In general, all building stones extracted from quarries are in the form of blocks. Blocks are categorized into various types based on the type of stone, dimensions, and quality. The most common classification based on the type of stone includes the following:

• Marble (Marmarite)
• Onyx or Marble
• Travertine
• Crystal or Porcelain
• Granite
• Basalt

In addition to classification based on the type of stone, blocks are also categorized based on quality and dimensions. Accordingly, blocks can be divided into single blocks, double blocks, and triple blocks, which will be explained below:

• Single Block:Single blocks are usually hexagonal cuts from high-quality stone blocks, weighing between 20 to 28 tons, and they hold the highest value among various stone blocks. These stones are highly valuable for stone processing factories because a greater number of large slabs and solid sheets can be produced from single blocks.
• Double Block:Double blocks are typically rectangular but may not have a specific shape. Double blocks are smaller than single blocks, such that two double blocks are equivalent to one single block. In this type, two blocks can be loaded onto a single truck.
• Triple Block:Triple blocks are smaller than double blocks, such that three triple blocks combine to form one single block. Therefore, the volume and weight of triple blocks are one-third of single blocks. These stones, which have the smallest dimensions among the various types of blocks, are used to create stone tiles in different sizes.

 

Dimensions of Stone Blocks or Slabs

As mentioned, the dimensions of stone blocks depend on whether they are single blocks, double blocks, or triple blocks. Assuming the stone in question is a single block, the dimensions of marble and travertine blocks are approximately 2*3*2 meters, while granite blocks vary from 2*1*1 meters to 3*1.5*1.5 meters. Considering the specific weight of each type of stone, each single block will weigh around 24 to 27 tons, adhering to the mentioned dimensions.

Application of Slab Stone in Construction

After extracting raw stones in the form of blocks from the quarry and transporting them to stone processing factories, cuts are made on the stone blocks using specialized machines such as saws and wire cutters, which is referred to as slabs. After cutting the stone into slabs, further processing operations such as polishing, epoxy application, veining, and edging are performed on the stone. The dimensions of slab stones, depending on the size of the raw block, are typically standardized to sizes larger than 220×120 centimeters.

Today, the use of larger stones instead of smaller-sized stones has become more common; this is because, in addition to creating a luxurious and beautiful appearance, it showcases a wider surface area of building stones. Additionally, due to light reflection, using stone in small spaces helps make them appear larger and more spacious. Some important applications of slab stone include:

1. In Outdoor Spaces:Using durable building stones like travertine, porcelain, and granite slabs for outdoor flooring can be a practical and unique idea for your home's exterior.
2. In Indoor Spaces:This includes flooring for living rooms, walls of homes and commercial complexes, conference halls, hotels, and luxurious restaurants. Using slab stones, especially book-matched and form-matched slabs, can beautify and enhance areas like the wall behind the television or your living or reception room.
3. In Bathrooms and Restrooms:Due to the high strength and durability of slabs, they can be used in design, especially for bathroom and restroom walls. Porcelain wall coverings, particularly crystal Laibed with natural veining, along with golden fixtures, give an extraordinary beauty to the bathroom and restroom environment, making it incomparable to traditional tiling.
4. In Lobby Designs:Used as flooring or part of the lobby walls.
5. In Kitchen Décor:For designing kitchen flooring, countertops, dining tables, kitchen islands, or as walls between cabinets.
6. In Low-Light Environments:Using light-colored slabs with dark veining in low-light areas is a very unique design idea. This not only makes the space appear larger but also makes cleaning easier, as fingerprints are less visible.
7. In Bright Environments:If your kitchen space is large with adequate lighting and you want to create a luxurious and different atmosphere, the best option is to use dark slabs with light veining, such as gold or white. We recommend using Macchia Black or Macchia Gold marble with a black background and white and gold veining.

In addition to the aforementioned applications for slab stone, various types of this stone can also be used to decorate elevator walls, fireplace walls, pool walls, or even terraces and balconies of homes.

Conclusion

In this article, we became familiar with the definitions, types, and applications of block and slab stones. The high durability and longevity, excellent quality, beauty, and unparalleled clarity of slab stones have led to their use in many residential, commercial, administrative, hotel, and luxury center projects. Dear buyers, you can contact the experts at Oxygen Stone Company for consultation and to order various types of Macchia Gold and Macchia Black marble slabs, Crystal Laibed, and Cream Travertine.