Dimension Stone
From Swikipedia
Introduction
A dimension stone is a natural stone or rock that has been selected and fabricated to specific sizes or shapes. The selection criteria include color, texture and pattern, and surface finish of the stone. Besides, the durability, the time measure of the ability of dimension stone to endure and to maintain its essential and distinctive characteristics of strength, resistance to decay, and appearance are other essential selection criteria.
Brief Description
For over hundreds of years, this stone has been the main load bearing material used in construction of major buildings and bridges. Today, it has been largely replaced by steel, reinforced concrete and aluminum sheets leaving dimension stone to be used for decorative purposes.
Most of the rocks are unsuited for dimension stone. They are either too fractured, too weathered, too inconsistent, or are just plain unattractive. The rock types which are most commonly used for dimension stones are Granite, Limestone and Sandstone. Other varieties of dimension stone that are normally considered to be special minor types include alabaster (massive gypsum), soapstone (massive talc), and various products fashioned from natural stone.
Dimension stone is one of the most sustainable of the industrial minerals since it is created by separating it from the natural bedrock underlying all land on every continent. There are no toxic materials used in its processing, there are no direct greenhouse gas emissions during processing, the dust created is controlled, the water used is almost completely recycled, and it is a perpetual resource as it is virtually inexhaustible in a human time scale. Dimension stone in use can last many generations, even centuries, so the dimension stone manufacturers haven't needed a product recycling program.
Uses of various dimension stones:
• Sandstone blocks are used for constructing foundations and stonewalls
• Polished marble slabs are used for cladding building and bathroom vanities
• Polished granite stones are used in constructing headstones and kitchen counters
• Slate is used in roofing shingles, poll table tops and floor tiles
References:
http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/stone_dimension/
