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How to Distinguish between Marble and Sintered Stone?

Marble has always been a popular home building material and has received rave reviews in the field of space decoration. However, in recent years, a trend of sintered stone has been slowly set off in the industry. As the concept of slate has frequently entered the public’s field of vision, it has become a new favorite in the building materials industry. So, what exactly is the difference between marble and sintered stone? Let’s find out today.

If you still want to know the comparison of other stone materials, please refer to our previous articles: Laminate vs Quartz Countertops: Laminate vs Quartz Countertops: 5 Reasons Why You Should Choose Quartz CountertopsMarble vs Granite Countertops: How to Choose in Design? and Marble vs Granite: What Is the Difference between Granite and Marble?

Table of Contents

I. Different origin and appearance

Natural marble is a gift of nature, so each piece of veins is unique. High-quality stone veins are clear, smooth and delicate, with rich and varied colors.

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Sintered stone is industrially processed, so the appearance of the same plate is highly consistent. Although the veins of sintered stone are close to natural marble, the variety of sintered stone plates on the market is relatively simple, with black, white and gray as the main color.

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II. The composition structure is different

Marble is mainly composed of calcite, limestone, serpentine and dolomite, and its main components are calcium carbonate (over 50% in total), magnesium carbonate, calcium oxide, manganese oxide and silicon dioxide.

The sintered stone is made of natural raw materials (silicon dioxide, inorganic clay, feldspar powder) through a special process, pressed by a press, and fired at a high temperature above 1200 °C.

III. The composition structure is different

1. Hardness

The Mohs hardness of marble is 2.5-5, the texture is dense but the hardness is not large, and it is easy to process, carve and polish, polish and so on.

The Mohs hardness of the sintered stone is 6-7, which is wear-resistant, scratch-resistant and impact-resistant, and vegetables can be cut on the sintered stone without damage.

2. Dense

The compactness of marble varies greatly according to different varieties, and in general, it is relatively loose. But marble interior decoration can also be durable with good maintenance.

The sintered stone has higher compactness, strong waterproofing and anti-fouling ability.

3. Stability

Marble has stable physical properties and meticulous organization. The impacted grains fall off, and the surface has no burrs, which does not affect its plane accuracy. Marble material is stable, can ensure long-term non-deformation, small linear expansion coefficient, high mechanical precision, anti-magnetic, insulation, non-magnetization, smooth movement during measurement, no stagnation, not affected by moisture, and good plane stability.

The sintered stone has high stability, is durable, does not change color, and does not deform.

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IV. Recommended marble products and sintered stone products

Marble recommendation

1. Panda White Marble

Panda White Marble is black and white, just like the body color of China’s national treasure panda, hence the name Panda White Marble. Panda White Marble‘s veins are like traditional Chinese ink paintings. The smoked ash and black ink swayed on the white paper are full of exquisite poetry, showing their unique charm among thousands of marbles.

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2. Chinese Carrara White Marble

Chinese Carrara White Marble is produced in China. It has always been the first choice stone for architectural decoration (such as interior and exterior walls, window sills, lines, floors, etc.) with its snow-white surface, cloud-like texture and low price.

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3. Black Ice Dapple Marble

Black Ice Dapple Marble has beautiful colors, patterns, high compressive strength and good physical and chemical properties, and is widely distributed in resources and easy to process. The bigger it is, the bigger it plays an important role in people’s lives. Especially in the past ten years, the large-scale mining, industrial processing and international trade of stone materials have made marble decorative panels enter the building decoration industry in large quantities, not only for luxurious public buildings, but also for home decoration.

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Sintered stone recommendation

1. Arabescato Corchia

Arabescato Corchia is as white as jade and bright as a mirror. It is simple and clean to add a little artistic temperament to the home. Arabescato Corchia‘s unique and distinctive veins show the inspiration and imagination that design brings to home life, and provide infinite possibilities for space extension.

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2. Calacatta Golden

Calacatta Golden is based on white as the main color, with golden mesh texture, which shows more layers and tension. In order to make this pair of white gold more understated and gorgeous, many experiments were done on the color value of white and gold, and the final result was a creamy texture base and looming gold leaf.

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3. Statuari

Statuari is a precious and unique white dolomite with dark grey veins Statuari can elevate any project from ordinary to extraordinary, thanks to Statuari‘s sophisticated and elegant design. It is a spectacular variety that can bring people together on the floor, wall or countertop.

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V. Marble VS Sintered stone

Marble VS Sintered stone, which stone is better? Let’s take a look together.

1. Beautiful: The natural stone marble has a variety of textures, while the slate is slightly single, so the marble is richer than the sintered stone.

2. Physical and chemical properties: Sintered stone is wear-resistant, scratch-resistant, impact-resistant, high-temperature resistant, and has excellent waterproof stability. In this respect, sintered stone is slightly better.

3. Processing: Compared with sintered stone, marble has a higher degree of freedom in processing and modeling, and can be used for the processing and design of carvings, cylinders and other products.