Natural Stone – A naturally occurring material that can only be formed by three types of geologic processes, igneous or solidification from a molten state, sedimentation and metamorphism. Natural stone created through these processes are known as igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks or metamorphic rocks.

Natural stone is harvested from its original place of deposition in the earth, then cut and machined into final products without alteration to the internal fabric of the material. Common types of natural stone are granite, marble, limestone, travertine, slate, sandstone, onyx, soapstone, etc.

Natural stone can be processed for construction applications, and is often available in various formats, including slabs, tile, flagstone, rubble stone, ashlar veneer, gravel, etc.

Materials can be applied to natural stone to enhance or preserve naturally occurring distinctiveness within the stone; however the natural stone material as created by nature remains identifiable.

This does NOT include: engineered quartz surfaces, manufactured stone veneer, or other artificial building materials.

Cambria, Lapitec, Silestone, Caesarstone, Dekton, Neolith and other brand names may contain natural materials, but they do not fit our definition of Genuine Stone®.

The well-established Dictionary of Architecture & Construction, Second Edition, defines “natural stone“ as:  “True stone, as distinguished from imitations.  The term is redundancy, as stone is, by definition, natural in its occurrence.”   To the contrary the very same source defines “artificial stone” as: “A mixture of stone chips or fragments, usually embedded in a matrix of mortar, cement, or plaster; the surface may be ground, polished, molded, or otherwise treated to simulate stone; variously called art marble, artificial marble, cast stone, marezzo, patent stone, and reconstructed stone.”

The key distinction regarding, is that natural stone is natural in its occurrence, whereas, artificial stone is man-made (not naturally occurring) and consists of stone chips or fragment mixed together with other substances to look like stone.