Marble Mohs Scale

Marble is limestone that has been compacted and heated over millions of years.

Marble mohs scale.

Mohs hardness rough measure of the resistance of a smooth surface to scratching or abrasion expressed in terms of a scale devised 1812 by the german mineralogist friedrich mohs. Some of the marbles that we use are carrara boticcino thassos and calacatta. If you check granite hardness on the mohs scale you will find it harder than marble and softer than quartzite. Granite is a blend of different minerals fused together by the tectonics of the earth making it difficult to determine the hardness of the material.

Granite crystals are listed between 7 9 on mohs scale of hardness while other minerals that may be included such as mica may show as a 5. What is the hardness of granite. A ranking of 1 means the mineral is very soft while a ranking of 10 means it is very hard. The mohs hardness scale only takes into consideration the strength of a single mass element or the purest form of each mineral.

Powdered marble is used as an inert filler in other pills. As a result marble is less porous and slightly stronger than limestone but still less durable than granite. Granite comes in at a 6 to 7 on the mohs scale meaning it is relatively hard. Granite on the mohs scale.

As a result marble is easy to carve and that makes it useful for producing sculptures and ornamental objects. Depending on the limestone and the mineral combination within the marble most marble rates from three to five on the mohs hardness scale. One of the most important tests for identifying mineral specimens is the mohs hardness test. Granites like the black granite that we work with rate between 6 and 7 on the mohs scale.

The test is useful because most specimens of a given mineral are very close to the same hardness. To give numerical values to this physical property minerals are ranked along. The mohs hardness of a mineral is determined by observing whether its surface is scratched by a substance of known or defined hardness. The mohs scale of mineral hardness m oʊ z is a qualitative ordinal scale characterizing scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of harder material to scratch softer material.

When black granite is measured on the mohs scale it falls somewhere between 6 and 7. On average it is 6 5. This test compares the resistance of a mineral to being scratched by ten reference minerals known as the mohs hardness scale see table at left. In simple words soapstone is the softest material and diamond is the hardest material.

Being composed of calcite marble has a hardness of three on the mohs hardness scale. While the mohs hardness scale is certainly a worthwhile resource to provide a general guideline it does not provide all of the information for a natural stone slab.