Four ways to distinguish between quartz stone and artificial stone

People in nowdays may choose some stone products for home decoration, such as the kitchen countertops,  the countertops of the window sills and etc.

Among the stones used in the residential projects, the most common products are quartz stone and artificial stone. Quartz stone and artificial stone are also very different, but a lot consumers do not know the the differences between the two types of stone.

How do we distinguish these two different decorative materials when we sourcing for a project?

In fact, quartz stone and artificial stone are both synthetic materials in the later stage, that is to say, quartz stone is actually a kind of artificial stone, it is not a natural stone. The same is true of artificial stone.

Only the characteristics of quartz stone and artificial stone's raw materials and processing methods are different. We can start from the following four aspects when distinguishing these two kinds of stones.

1. Differentiate between raw materials and appearance

From the raw materials of quartz stone and artificial stone and the appearance of the finished product to distinguish, this is also the obvious way to distinguish quartz stone and artificial stone.

The raw material of quartz stone is our common quartz crystal, which is a natural material.

Quartz stone is a plate made by pressing or casting by mixing quartz crystal and rubber powder together. Quartz crystals are transparent or translucent particles, which are very beautiful. Therefore, the plate made of quartz stone gives people the feeling that the brightness is higher.

Raw materials of artificial stone

Artificial stone actually corresponds to the use of ordinary natural stone powder or some opaque acrylic material as the main component. It also needs to be added with glue and finally made by pressing. The brightness of its surface is not as beautiful as that of quartz, and it can be said to be close to dull.

2. Distinguish from the feel

Another easiest way to distinguish between quartz stone and artificial stone is to touch it with your hands, and then distinguish these two different stones from the feel. This is also a method most commonly used by many of our friends. The specific identification method is as follows.

The quartz stone plate, when we touch it with our hands, gives people the feeling of being cold. It feels like touching a natural stone. Therefore, quartz stone is closer to natural stone, and the touch of quartz stone is also similar to that of natural stone. From this point of view, the quality of the quartz stone itself will be better, and the hardness will be higher.

Since the material used in artificial stone contains plastic material, we do not feel cold after touching it. The most obvious feeling is that it is soft and delicate. This feeling is basically the same as when we touch other plastic materials.

3. Differentiate by price

The so-called price distinction is that we can compare the prices of several manufacturers when buying quartz stone and artificial stone. Then according to different prices, it is basically possible to judge which kind of stone this stone belongs to. The specific situation is as follows.

The price of quartz stone is slightly higher. That is, it is more expensive than ordinary artificial stone. The quartz price difference is due to the brand, specification, size, quality and other requirements of the plate.

The price of artificial stone is indeed much cheaper than that of quartz stone. The overall price of artificial stone is higher than that of quartz stone.

4. Distinguish from sheet to thickness

For artificial stone and quartz stone plates, their specifications and sizes are basically the same, but the thicknesses are actually very different. In particular, some quartz stones and artificial stones that are common in the market now have very large differences in thickness.

Quartz is thicker. For example, the thickness of our most common kitchen countertops is generally more than 15 mm, and some reach 18 mm. Even the high-end ones reach 20mm. Therefore, the thickness of quartz stone is relatively thick.

The thickness of artificial stone is generally thinner than that of quartz stone. The thickness of the most common artificial stone on the market is generally about 11-12 mm. The overall artificial stone of this quartz stone is a lower grade.

For example, when we buy artificial stone and quartz stone of the same specification, the difference will basically be 2~3 mm, or even more.

Buying suggestions:

  • Artificial stone and quartz stone are actually suitable for use in kitchen countertops, and they all have the characteristics of high hardness, high temperature resistance, acid and alkali resistance.
  • When we buy quartz stone or artificial stone, we can compare more, see more and touch more
  • Consider the overall style and budget of the decoration, and choose the right stone.