Marble On The Hardness Scale

Hardness is determined by the ability of one mineral to scratch another.

Marble on the hardness scale.

An example of the hardness of a granite countertop can be seen in the fact that a knife blade will not scratch the surface. Being composed of calcite marble has a hardness of three on the mohs hardness scale. Depending on the limestone and the mineral combination within the marble most marble rates from three to five on the mohs hardness scale. Created in 1812 by german geologist and mineralogist friedrich mohs it is one of several definitions of hardness in materials science some of which are more quantitative.

Marble is limestone that has been compacted and heated over millions of years. As a result marble is easy to carve and that makes it useful for producing sculptures and ornamental objects. In simple words soapstone is the softest material and diamond is the hardest material. 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.

As a result marble is less porous and slightly stronger than limestone but still less durable than granite. This means that marble is less scratch resistant than granite. For example a diamond can scratch granite while granite can scratch marble. Because granite is between a 6 and 7 on the mohs scale it would be able to scratch other types of stone that have lower ratings such as marble.

On average it is 6 5. When black granite is measured on the mohs scale it falls somewhere between 6 and 7. Granite on the mohs scale. If you check granite hardness on the mohs scale you will find it harder than marble and softer than quartzite.