The different types of building stones are derived from rock masses that expose the crust of the earth. Each type of rock has its distinctive physical and chemical properties and some of these are suitable for use in the construction industry as a base for buildings or bridges, for houses, for roads, walls and much more.
In this article we show you all the different types of stones used in construction, with their main properties and their typical uses.
The most common construction stones
Granite
Granite is by far the best known building stone, is a rock that is formed by the crystallization of a magma of acid composition within the crust. It is characterized by presenting large mineral crystals in a phaneritic texture.
Its typical colors are light pink to white, both variations are highly coveted, however, pink granite is more used in construction finishes.
It is used in construction due to its beauty and compressive strength, which is approximately 75 to 130 MPa. Its specific gravity is between 2.63 and 2.75. Its density is approximately 26 to 27 KN/m3.
Applications
- Finishes for civil construction (countertops, tiles, wall coverings)
- on steps
- As a base for the construction of houses, buildings and bridges.
- As ballast for roads, additive in pavements
Basalt
Basalt is the most abundant rock that occurs on the surface of the earth, it is also one of the building stones important because it is used above all as an ideal admixture for concrete.
It is a volcanic rock that is formed by the crystallization of lava of mafic composition on the crust very close to volcanic centers and mid-oceanic ridges.
Due to its color and texture it is not widely used in finishes, it has a greenish black color and a very fine mineral texture.
It is a hard rock and very resistant to wear, it is also difficult to process. The specific gravity of basalt and trap ranges from 2.6 to 3.0. They have a high compressive strength of 150 to 190 MPa.
Applications
- road ballast
- railway ballast
- concrete additive
- Pavement Aggregates
- dimension stones for monuments
- Base for buildings, houses and bridges
Limestone
Limestone is one of the most important rocks used in construction, this is due to its chemical composition that exceeds more than 50% of Calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate (calcite) is one of the main components of cement.
The limestone used in the construction is a sedimentary rock of biogenic origin that accumulates in marine environments. Generally, the outcrops on the surface are very restricted, so the exploration of these rocks is very special and detailed.
Limestone is recognized using 10% hydrochloric acid, if this rock shows effervescence it means that it has calcium carbonate and it is limestone, also, it is a very hard rock, but it is reactive to the environment.
Limestone is smooth and easy to work, its compressive strength is approximately 55 MPa, and its specific gravity is between 2.0 and 2.75.
Applications
- As an additive to make portland cement
- to make lime
- To make cement-based roads
- The most impure varieties are used for coatings and walls.
Sandstone
Sandstone is a detrital sedimentary rock that is made up of quartz minerals, feldspars, iron minerals, and fragments of other rocks. The importance of sandstone lies in its hardness and low reactivity, especially when it has a high percentage of quartz.
Its hardness is variable and will depend on its mineralogical and lithological composition, despite this it is easy to process and its advantage is usually that it comes in various colors. The specific gravity of the sandstone is between 2.65 and 2.95. Its resistance to compression is about 65 MPa and with a density of 20 to 22 KN/m3.
Applications
It is used as a road filler, roofing material, as a paving additive, and is an ornamental stone from which monuments are made.
Flagstone
The flagstone is one of the most used building stones even for thousands of years. The term basically refers to rocks that appear as sheets or flat stones with different shapes and colors.
In addition, they are very resistant rocks since they come from basalts, andesites, slates, schists, gneiss and sandstone.
Applications
It is used in floor covering, wall covering and facades.
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock that comes from the metamorphism of limestone and calcareous sandstone, therefore, its main composition is also calcite and dolomite, very similar to limestone.
It comes in various colors and usually has a very striking coarse-grained texture. Its resistance to compression is very good, being approximately 70 MPa, and it is also easy to process, carve and cut.
Applications
Unlike limestone, marble is a rock of dimension, it is used mainly for sculptures, decorative works and as ornamental stone. It is also used to cover floors, walls, steps.
The most impure marbles are also used as additives for cement and to make lime.
Board
Slate is a metamorphic rock that is characterized by being hard and resistant, it also comes in various colors and with a fine texture. The advantage of slate is that it breaks easily like sheets and this quality makes it used in various sectors such as building stone.
Its compressive strength is quite good and varies from 75 to 210 Mpa with a specific gravity of 2.89.
Applications
Its uses are mainly to cover walls, floors and roofs of houses. It is also used to a lesser extent as road ballast.
Quartzite
Quartzite is a metamorphic rock that comes from the metamorphism of quartz-rich sandstone. Therefore, this stone used in construction it is quite hard and resistant due to the fact that it consists of almost 100% silica.
Its texture is coarse grained, where the quartz crystals appear in hexagonal shapes. Its compressive strength is about 115 MPa.
Applications
Quartzite stone is mainly used as aggregate or filler for second-order roads, aggregate for concrete, to build retaining walls, in paving stones and rubble masonry.
Gneiss
gneiss is another stone for construction, basically it is a metamorphic rock that has a foliated structure and therefore in its processing it usually breaks as thin to thick sheets.
It comes from the metamorphism of granite, sandstone and even basalt. It has excellent resistance to wear and environmental factors. Its compressive strength ranges from 206 MPa to 370 MPa
Applications
- paving aggregate
- Ballast and padding for roads
- wall covering
- floor covering
- Retaining walls
Syenite
Syenite is an intrusive igneous rock very similar to granite in appearance appearing with a medium to coarse grained texture. It occurs mainly in pink colors and light pink tones.
It is considered as a stone for very resistant construction and visually striking. Its compressive strength is varies from 90 to 150 MPa.
Applications
- wall covering
- Tile-like floor covering
- on steps
- for facades
- countertop coating
- Road ballast, pavement additive, concrete additive
Whiteboard
Chalk is a sedimentary rock that is composed of pure lime. For this reason, it has a soft and powdery texture, it is easily disintegrable and it is highly porous. Due to these qualities it can be worked or processed very easily.
Applications
- To make lime putty
- As an additive to portland cement
Caliche
EL caliche is an in situ sedimentary rock that is considered a mixture of carbonates and oxides, in many cases it can be said that it is an impure variety of limestone. Its hardness depends on the compaction it has had since it is a very superficial rock.
It is interesting as a rock for construction when it is just as hard and compact as limestone.
Applications
- Aggregate for construction
- Road ballast according to order
Laterite
Laterite is considered to be a hard, nodular-textured soil that is very rich in iron and aluminum oxides, it is very similar to the aluminum-rich sedimentary rock bauxite. However, the laterite presents a characteristic red color.
Applications
- The hard laterites are used to make blocks that are sold as an inexpensive building material in rural areas.
- It can also serve as third-order rural road ballast because it does not have adequate compressive strength to be used on roads with more traffic.
- When the laterite is rich in aluminum and iron, it is used to extract chemical elements that are used to make paint and pigments.
Andesite
Andesite is a volcanic rock that is characterized by having a low quartz content and that comes from an intermediate magma. Naturally it is a building stone very resistant quite similar to basalt. The advantage it has is its abundance and available outcrops in the crust.
This rock is typical of the Andes mountain range and the vast majority of cities in South America, Central America and North America have used this rock for construction.
Applications
- concrete additive
- For the construction of houses, buildings, bridges
- for road base
- pavement additive
- construction
Gabbro
Gabbro is a dark green intrusive igneous rock. In the construction industry, this rock is referred to as black granite. Visually it is quite striking because it is presented with a coarse-grained texture.
Applications
- What stone for construction It is used in luxury finishes to cover countertops, walls, floors of houses and buildings.
- Also used in facades
- The less showy varieties are used as ballast or road fill.
- It is also used as a base for the construction of houses, buildings and bridges.
- Also works for retaining walls