Dimension stone is a natural rock material being queried for the purpose of obtaining blocks or slabs of different shape and size. It is a traditional building material and is mostly used for the construction of either for structural or decorative uses.
In past, for hundreds of years or even more, 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 in a decorative.
Most of the rocks are unsuited for dimension stone. They are either too fractured, too weathered, too inconsistent or just plain unattractive. The rock types which are most commonly used for dimension stones are Granite, Limestone and Sandstone.
Granite, gabbro and other such coarse grained igneous rocks are very durable for outside decoration of buildings. All these rocks have low porosity and permeability and they are relatively slowly reactive minerals.
Limestone and sandstone, in the last century were very popular as building stones. But, unfortunately they are susceptible to the acidic rainfalls chemical attack and also to the mechanical wear when used as steps and floor tiles. They are also considered more porous and permeable than igneous rocks.
The susceptibility characteristic of limestone together with the susceptibility of calcite to dissolution by acids in rainfall make the two cemented sandstone strongly subject to weathering. Building limestone, sandstone and other porousrocks are mostly used on interior walls of buildings where the natural colors and texture of the two can be used to great advantage.
Uses of Dimension Stones
| PRODUCT | USES |
| Sandstone blocks | Foundations, stonewall |
| Polished marble slabs | Cladding building, bathroom vanities |
| Polished granite slabs | Headstones, kitchen counters |
| Slate | Roofing shingles, pool table tops, floor tiles |