GLOSSARY OF STONE INDUSTRY TERMS

Additional references are listed at the end of this glossary.

A
Abate

repellents, coloring agents or to adjust the curing rate of the concrete or mortar.

In stone carving, to cut away material, Adoquin A volcanic, quartz based stone containing a leaving parts in relief. variety of colored aggregates and pumice Abrasive Finish in a quartz matrix. Quarried in Mexico. A non-reflective surface finish. An abrasive finish may be defined by the grit size of Agate A variegated, translucent, cryptocrystalthe abrasive. line variety of quartz showing colored Abrasive Hardness (Ha) bands or other markings (clouded, mossA measure of the wearing performance like, etc.). of stone for floors, stair treads, and other areas subjected to abrasion by foot traffic. Agglomerated Stone A manmade product composed of crushed Refer to ASTM C241 and C1353. stone combined with resin. See also enAbsorption gineered stone and cultured stone. The amount of water absorbed by a stone, expressed as a percentage by weight. Refer Aggregate A small mass of rock, having occurred to ASTM C97. naturally (as in sand or gravel) or by means Abutment of manufacture (as in a crushed aggregate A solid stone springer at the lowest product), used either in a loose, noncohesive point of an arch or vault. state, or as an ingredient in mortar or concrete products.

Accelerator Acid Wash

In masonry, any ingredient added to mortar or concrete to speed the curing process. A treatment applied to the face of a stone to achieve a texture or finish that is distressed. Most acidic chemical treatments are effective only when applied to calcareous stone varieties.

A fine grained and translucent variety of gypsum, generally white in color. Commonly used in decorative applications as it is can be cut and carved easily with a knife or saw. Term is often incorrectly applied to fine grained marble.

Alabaster

Pertains to a highly basic, as opposed to acidic, substance; for example, hydrogen Used in reference to stone veneer, or carbonate of sodium or potassium. secured and supported by adhesion of an approved bonding material over an Allowable Capacity approved backing. The safe load that can be resisted by a stone anchor, determined by dividing the Admixture ultimate capacity by the factor of safety. A material other than water, aggregates, lime or cement, added to concrete or Ambient Temperature mortar at the time of mixing. Admixtures Temperature of the surrounding environare typically added to function as water ment.

Alkaline

Adhered

Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

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Anchor

A corrosion resistant metal fastener used for securing dimension stone to a structure or adjacent stone units. Anchor types for stonework include those made of flat stock (straps, dovetails)and round stock (rod cramp, rod anchor, eyebolt and dowel).
Angle of Repose

Argillite

A weakly metamorphosed compact rock composed mainly of clay and shale. Used locally as building stone, although rarely produced commercially.

Arkose

Anchorage

The means by which slabs are secured to a self supporting structure.

Angle of Repose

A feldspar-rich sandstone containing 10% or more clastic grains of feldspar. Also called arkosic sandstone and feldspathic sandstone.

Apron

The angle a normal pile of loose material A slight, although measurable, chamfer makes to the horizontal. Used as an indi- where two surfaces meet cator of flowability; the steeper the slope, Artificial Stone the more sluggish the flow. A manmade product attempting to Anisotropic replicate the look of natural stone. This Having properties, either visual or me- term is actually a misnomer, as it includes chanical, that differ based on the direction an obvious contradiction of terms. Stone in which they are measured. All stones are is naturally occurring earth material. See anisotropic to some degree, but the sedi- engineered stone and cultured mentary stones typically have the greatest marble. degree of anisotropy.

Arris

Anorthosite

Arch

A stone faade of generally square or rectangular units having sawed or dressed beds. There are three generally recogANSI nized distinctions: American National Standards Institute 1. random ashlar: ashlar set with Antique Finish stones of varying length and height so A finish that replicates rustic or distressed that neither vertical nor horizontal textures. Produced through mechanical joints are continuous. or chemical means to simulate the naturally 2. coursed ashlar: Ashlar set to form occurring effects of the aging process. continuous horizontal joints. Apex Stone 3. stacked ashlar: Ashlar set to form Uppermost stone in a gable, pediment, continuous vertical joints. vault or dome. A dark-colored igneous rock consisting mostly or entirely of calcic plagioclase.

Ashlar

Apron
Architrave

Arris
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(Allied Stone Industries) A trim piece under a projecting stone top, The Allied Stone Industries is made up of stool, etc. stone quarriers, fabricators, and the supArch pliers of natural building materials and The curved or pointed construction over related machinery and tools. a doorway or opening. Arch shapes range from flat to semicircular or semielliptical ASTM International A consensus standards authoring organito acutely pointed. zation originally founded 1896 as AmeriArchitrave can Society for Testing Materials. The beam or lowest division of the entablature in the classical orders, spanning Axed Work (British) from column to column. The decorated Hand-dressed stone surface showing finesurrounds of a window or door at the to-course, generally linear toolmarks made by axe, pick or bush hammer. head and jamb.
Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

ASI

A dark colored, igneous rock commercially known as granite when fabricated Any of a variety of anchors that extends as dimension stone. The fine-grained and from the back surface of a stone panel, extrusive equivalent of gabbro. as opposed to anchors that penetrate the Base edges of a stone panel. In masonry, the bottom course of a stone wall, or the vertical first member above Backer Rod grade or a finished floor. A flexible and compressible type of closed cell foam polyethylene, butyl rubber, or Basic open-cell or closed-cell polyurethane, In geology, one of four subdivisions used to classify igneous rocks based on silica rounded at surface to contact sealant. content: acidic, intermediate, basic and The backer rod is positioned within the ultra-basic. Said of igneous rock containjoint so as to maintain appropriate depth ing relatively low silica content (approx. and crosssectional shape of the bead. 45 to 50%). Batted Work (British) Back-parging Hand-dressed stone surface scored top The process of slathering the back of an to bottom in narrow parallel strikes, using adhered stone unit with an adhesive maa batting tool. Strokes may be vertical terial to reduce or eliminate voids in ad- (in which case the surface may be called hesive contact. Also used in travertine or tooled) or oblique, and may range from with the application of damp proofing. 8 to 10 per inch. Batting is also called Also referred to as back-buttering. broad tooling, droving, or angle dunting.

Basalt

Back Anchor

Coursed Ashlar

Random Ashlar

Backsplash

Bearing Check

A vertical covering of the wall where a countertop surface meets the wall surface, designed to protect the wall from moisture. Backsplashes range from a few inches in height to full height backsplashes that extend from the countertop surface to the underside of the upper cabinets.

A slot, generally not continuous, cut into the back or bed of dimension stone to allow entry of a supporting angle or clip.

Bed Joint Bed

A horizontal joint between stones, usually filled with mortar or sealant.

Backer Rod

1. The top or bottom of a joint, natural bed; surface of stone parallel to its A structural support wall erected behind stratification. stone or brick facing. 2. In granites and marbles, a layer or sheet of the rock mass that is frequently Baluster horizontal, commonly curved and A short post or vertical member in a lenticular, as developed by fractures. series that supports a railing or coping Sometimes also applied to the surface forming a balustrade. Balusters are tradi of parting between rock sheets. tionally decorative forms that are turned 3. In stratified rocks, the unit layer formed on a lathe. by sedimentation; of variable thickness, and commonly tilted or distorted by Balustrade A railing system with top rail, balusters subsequent deformation.It generally develops a rock cleavage, parting, or and bottom rail. jointing along the planes of stratification.

Back-up Structure

Bearing Check

Band Course Banker

See string course. Bench of timber or stone (may be a single block) on which stone is worked.

Bedding Plane

Plane of sedimentary stone in the position of its original formation. This plane may be horizontal, coincident with mountain slopes, or random.

Bedding Plane
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Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

Bedrock

General term referring to the rock un- See quarry block. derlying other unconsolidated material, Bluestone such as soil. A fine- to medium-grain, quartz based Belt Course stone of the U.S. Appalachian Plateau. A continuous horizontal course, marking The stone is well known for relatively a division in the wall plane. easy cleavage along generally flat planes, Bench making it a common choice for naturally Steps formed in a quarry by removal of cleft products such as flagstone. The term stone. Also, a long seat of cubic stone. bluestone may be used in other parts of bevel. A term describing the intersection the world to describe very dissimilar reof two surfaces meeting at an angle other gional products. than 90 degrees.

Block

Black Granite

Bollard Bond

Book Match Pattern

Rock species known to petrologists as diabase, diorite, gabbro and other varieties quarried as dimension stone. As dimension blocks or slabs, they are valued specifically for their dark grey to black color when polished. Scientifically, they are far removed in composition from true granites though they may be satisfactorily used for some of the purposes to which commercial granites are adapted. They possess an interlocking crystalline texture, but unlike granites, they contain little or no quartz or alkalic feldspar, and are characterized by an abundance of one or more of the common black rock-forming minerals (chiefly pyroxenes, hornblende, and biotite).

A free standing stone post or guard. 1. Pattern of joints in successive courses. 2. To stick or adhere.

Book Match Pattern

A vein matching technique where opposite faces of adjacent slabs are exposed, producing a repeating mirror image of the veining trend of the material. Bookmatched material is most commonly polished to allow the greatest visibility of the veining character of the stone.

Border Stone

Blade Dressing

A maintenance process required periodically to restore optimum performance of diamond abrasive cutting tools. The process consists of cutting or grinding into a softer material which will abrade at the matrix and expose new diamond surfaces. Dressing is frequently done with manufactured dressing sticks, soft brick, and some abrasive sandstones.

Usually a flat stone used as an edging material. A border stone is generally used to retain or define the pattern around the field of paving.

Boss

In masonry, a roughly shaped stone set to project for carving in place. A carved ornamentation to conceal the jointing at the junction of ribs in a Gothic vault.

Boulder

Bleed

Staining caused by corrosive metals, oil based putties, mastics, caulking, or Bowing A warping or curving of a stone unit. sealing compounds.

Naturally rounded rock fragment larger than 256 mm diameter. Used for crude walls and foundation, generally in mortar.

Blending

The random positioning of adjacent veneer panels, floor slabs, or tiles, to prevent large regions of uniform color, contrasted by adjacent large regions of dissimilar uniform color.
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Breccia

Rock characterized by course, angular fragments, either the result of crushing and recementing essentially in place, or deposition of angular pieces that become consolidated. Numerous marbles owe

Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

their distinctive appearance to the BSI brecciation caused by metamorphism. (Building Stone Institute) Italian for, broken stones, rubble. A trade association of quarriers, fabricators, dealers, and others working with Brecciated Marble Any marble composed of angular natural stone. Founded in 1919, sponsor of the Tucker Architectural Awards. fragments.

Bridge Crane

A hoisting system that consists of a hoist, normally using cables, which moves on a beam or bridge spanning an opening between two rails. The hoist moves laterally along the bridge and the bridge moves longitudinally along the rails, allowing the hoist to be over any position within the rectangle contained within the lengths of the two rails.

Bugged Finish

A smooth finish produced in limestone by grinding with power sanders.

Building Stone

Bridge Polisher

Rock material in its natural state of composition and aggregation as it exists in the quarry and is usable in construction as dimension building stone. Also used interchangeably with the term dimension stone.

A single spindle polishing machine that travels along a beam, or bridge, which travels atop two rails. Also known as a gantry polisher.

Bullnose

Convex rounding of a stone edge, such as a stair tread or countertop.

A process which produces textured A saw that travels along a beam, or surfaces with small evenly spaced pits bridge, which travels atop two rails. produced by hand or pneumatic hammer. These saws are typically powerful and The spacing between the pits is often fitted with large diameter blades. A defined as 6-cut, 4-cut, etc. rotating table is positioned below the Butt Joint saw, allowing for skew cuts, and the saw An external corner formed by two stone arbor typically rotates, allowing for panels with one finished edge in a lap angled cuts. joint configuration.

Bush Hammering

Bridge Saw

Bullnose

Broach

1. To drill or cut out material left between closely spaced drill holes. 2. A masons sharp-pointed chisel for dressing stone. 3. An inclined piece of masonry filling the triangular space between the base of an octagonal spire and the top of a square tower. 4. A type of chisel used for working narrow surfaces.

Buttering

Placing mortar on stone units with a trowel before setting them into position.

Butt Joint

C
Calcarenite

Limestone composed predominantly of cemented sand-size grains of the mineral calcite (more rarely aragonite), usually as fragments of shells or other skeletal structures. Some calcarenites contain oolites (small, spherical grains of calcium Brownstone A trade term applied to ferruginous dark carbonate that resemble fish eggs) and brown and reddish-brown arkosic quartz may be termed oolitic limestone. Calbased stone extensively used for construc- careous sandstones, in which the calcium tion in the U.S. during the 19th century. carbonate is present chiefly as bonding material, are not included in this category.

Brushed Finish

A subtly textured surface finish achieved Calcareous by wet brushing a stone with a coarse Refers to substances containing or comrotary-type abrasive brush. posed of calcium carbonate.
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Calcite

A common rock forming mineral. The To shape a solid material such as stone by chief constituent of limestone and precisely cutting it with a tool. most marble.

Carve

Calcite Limestone Calcite Marble

To seal a joint with an elastomeric, adheLimestone containing not more than five sive compound. percent of magnesium carbonate.
Cantilever

Caulk

An opening in joints of stone veneer to alA crystalline variety of limestone containing low the passage of air and moisture from not more than 5% of magnesium carbonate. inside the wall cavity to the exterior. The vents may be weep holes, plastic tubing, Calcite Streaks White or milky streaks occurring in or wicks. stone. It is a joint plane usually wider than Cavity Wall a glass seam which has been recemented A multi-wythe masonry wall built with a by deposition of calcite in the crack. It is continuous cavity between the outer mastructurally sound. sonry, typically brick or stone, and the

Cavity Vent

Calibration
Overhang

Cap or Capital

inner wall, typically concrete block or Within the stone industry, the process in frame construction. The cavity is vented which stone slabs or units are abraded to reduce the amount of condensate that to achieve a more precise thickness will collect in the space, and is wept to tolerance (1mm) than what would provide an evacuation path for any moisnormally be produced by standard sawing ture that collects within the space. techniques. The term is most frequently used in the production of stone tile, which Cement Putty or Butter must have limited thickness variation to See neat cement. allow installation using thinset adhesive. Chamfer The term gauge is essentially synony- A flat treatment, produced by either mous, although is more commonly used grinding or cutting, to eliminate the sharp to describe less precise techniques. edge where two surfaces meet.

Canopy

A sheltering roof, as over a niche or a doorway.

Chat Sawn Finish Chert

Cantera

A rough, gang-sawn finish produced by sawing with coarse abrasives.

Caulk

A volcanic, quartz based stone with qualiHard, dense sedimentary rock composed ties similar to adoquin, but not as dense. of interlocking quartz crystals and posQuarried in Mexico. sibly amorphous silica (opal). SynonyCantilever mous with flint. A structural member supported at only one end. The term is loosely used, although Chiseled Edge not technically correct, to describe an The rustic, aged appearance produced by mechanically chipping the stone edge. overhang.

Cap or Capital

The culminating stone at the top of a col- Exterior veneer stone covering. Non-load bearing stone veneer used as the facing umn or pilaster, often richly carved. material in exterior wall construction. A weak acid with the formula H2CO3. It is also a name sometimes given to solutions of carbon dioxide in water.

Cladding

Carbonic Acid

Clast

Chamfer
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An individual grain or constituent of a sedimentary rock.

Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

Cleavage

The ability of a rock mass to break along natural surfaces; a surface of natural parting.

Column

A vertical support, usually consisting of a base, shaft, and capital.

Cleavage Plane Cleft Finish

Compressive Strength

Plane or planes along which a stone may likely break or delaminate. Rough-surfaced stones such as slates or sandstones that are cleaved or separated along a natural seam are referred to as natural cleft. 1. In equidimensional stone masonry, a stone trimmed to non-uniform length to close a course next to a quoin or other end unit. 2. A stone course running from one window sill to another (a variety of string course).

(ASTM C170) A measure of the resistance of the stone to crushing loads, generally tested per ASTM C170.

Conglomerate

A coarse-grained sedimentary rock, with clast grains larger than 2 mm.

Construction (cold) Joint Contractor, stone Control Joint

Closer (British)

The joint between two separate placements of concrete. Company or person that erects and installs fabricated dimension stone. A partial depth joint that is either formed or sawed in concrete to control the location and frequency of shrinkage cracking.

Column

CNC Machine

A computer numeric controlled, multiaxis, vertical spindle machine designed to use rotating milling and profiling tools to produce shapes, cut outs, holes, finishes, and various other operations in stone that are otherwise accomplished by more labor intensive techniques.

Conveyor

A general term, often used interchangeably with belt conveyor, but applicable to all conveyor types including pans, screws, buckets, pneumatics, radial stackers and others.

Control Joint

Cobblestone

Coping

A dimension stone large enough for use in paving. A term commonly used to describe paving blocks, usually granite, and generally cut or cleft to approximately rectangular prisms.

A stone used as a cap on freestanding walls.

Coquina

Colonnade

A range of columns supporting an entablature or one side of a roof.

Color Enhancer/Sealer

Limestone composed predominantly of shells or fragments of shells loosely cemented by calcite. Coquina is coarse textured and has a high porosity. The term is applied principally to a very porous rock quarried in Florida.

Coping

A product that is designed to enrich, brighten and enhance the color and/or character of the stone. Stone enhancers are more frequently used on honed or textured surfaces where the stone color and/or character are muted by the finish. Enhancers are also used to match the color of an exposed slab edge to that of a resin treated slab face.

Corbel

A projection or bracket extending from the face of a wall to support an element above it.

Core

The cylindrical mass of stone that results from drilling a hole in stone with a hollow core bit, often times is used as a sampling technique in quarries.
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Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

Core bit

A hollow cylindrical drilling tool that bores a hole by abrading only the perimeter of the core, utilizing less abrasive than a bit that would abrade the entire diameter of the hole.
Cornice

Cross-bedding

The arrangement of laminations of strata transverse or oblique to the main planes of stratification.

The process of cutting the initial block of stone parallel to the natural bedding A drilling process by which a section of plane. The effect is a mottled or cloudlike rock is taken for the purposes of testing appearance. Synonymous with fleuri cut, although the term cross cut is most often and evaluation. used when describing travertine materials. Cornerstone

Cross-cut

Core sampling

Coursed Veneer

A ceremonial stone at an exterior corner of a building, generally engraved with pertinent information about the buildings construction, including the date. Also used to describe a masonry stone unit erected at an exterior corner from which lines can be strung to control the linear position of subsequent stone units.

Crowfoot

See stylolite.

Cubic Stone

Dimension units more than 2 inches thick e.g., cubic limestone, cubic marble.

Cultured Marble Cup Wheel

Cornice

An artificial, manmade product somewhat resembling marble. Shop tool used to remove large amounts of material from the edge of a stone. These can be used to aid in the creation of edge profiles and larger radii.

Any projecting ornamental molding that crowns or finishes the top of a building or wall.

Course

A horizontal range of stone units the length of a wall.

Coursed Veneer
Cove Base

Curbing

A veneer achieved by using stones of the same or approximately the same height with stones that achieve that height in multiple courses. Some horizontal joints run the entire length of the veneered area. Vertical joints are constantly broken, so that no two joints will be over one another.

Stone, generally in cubic forms, bordering streets, walks, etc. Sometimes spelled kerbing.

Cure Time

Cove Base

A concave stone molding. See base.

The time required for a chemical reaction (polymerization or hydration) to be completed in a sealant, concrete, mortar, or other construction element until the finished visual and performance attributes are developed.

Cove Molding
Cove Molding

A concave molding, typically found at the sloped or arched junction of a wall and ceiling.

Curtain Wall

A non-bearing exterior stone cladding supported by an anchoring system. Used to protect a building from the elements.

Crack

A man-made break, split, fracture, separation, cleavage, or elongated narrow opening, visible without magnification to the human eye and extending from the surface into the stone, which must extend through the grain or matrix of the stone.

Cushion

A resilient pad placed between adjoining stone units and other materials to absorb or distribute loads.

Cut Stone

Cramp
Cramp
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A U-shaped metal anchor used to hold two adjacent units of stone together.

Currently, stone that has been fabricated to a finished size and configuration and ready to be installed. Historically, the term cut stone was used to describe limestone products.

Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

Cycle Time

Time for a machine to complete one cycle, i.e., load, haul, dump, return.

Digital Layout Application

D
Damp Proofing
One or more coatings of a compound that is impervious to water. Usually applied to the back or face of the stone or the back of the wall at or near grade.

Software designed to allow CAD drawing files to be used with scaled digital photographs to allow a fabricator to preplan the layout of his slab or tile project prior to cutting.

A process for virtual, digital measurement of site conditions which eliminates the need to make physical templates. Digital Dead Load templating information can be interfaced Permanent gravity induced loads, such with various CAD and CNC systems to as those developed by the structure, finallow rapid transfer and utilization of the ishes, and permanently affixed elements. information. See also live load.

Digital Templating

Dentil

Dimension Stone

Block projections on an entablature.

Dentil Course

Mold course immediately below the cornice, comprising of small, uniformly spaced blocks referred to as dentils.

A natural stone product that has been cut, machined, and/or finished to specific size or shape.

Curtain Wall

1. The mineral form of calcium magnesium carbonate. Constituent Derrick A hoisting device, usually made up of a of some building limestones. guyed mast and hinged boom with pulleys 2. A crystalline variety of limestone containing in excess of 40 percent and cables. magnesium carbonate as the Diamond A carbon based mineral, usually man- dolomite molecule. made, used as an abrasive in stone cut- Also called dolostone. ting equipment. Dolomitic Limestone

Dolomite

Diamond Match

Diamond Match

Limestone that contains more than 10 A vein matching technique in which percent but less than 80 percent of the contiguous faces of adjacent slabs are mineral dolomite. unfolded about two perpendicular axes, producing a vein pattern which has Dolostone See entry 2 under dolomite. approximate symmetry about a point.

Die

Diamond Wire Saw

Dovetail Slot Dowel

A machine using cable of various diameters and lengths, impregnated with diamond dust or more commonly fitted with cylindrical diamond coated segments. Diamond wire saws are used in quarrying, slabbing, and contour sawing operations.

A continuous groove with a trapezoid section resembling a doves tail. A short piece of cylindrical nonferous metal used as a stone anchor. Tooled border around the face of a stone. Also called margin draft.

Dovetail Slot

Die

Drafted Margin (British) Dressing

Dowel

A covering layer of interior stone from wainscot to ceiling.

Digital Inventory Management

A software and camera system allowing fabricators and distributors to have a photographic inventory of their materials.

The shaping and squaring of natural stone blocks for storage and shipment. Sometimes called scabbing.

Drafted Margin
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Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

Drill Rigs

Machines used in quarry operations to bore holes in a linear path to facilitate separation of the stone loaf from its insitu position.

Edge Chiseling Tool

Tool with carbide jaws used to create a pitched, quarry, or chiseled edge without using a hammer and chisel.

Drip

Edge Profile

A groove or slot cut beneath and slightly behind the forward edge of a projecting stone member, such as a sill, lintel or coping to cause water to drop at that location and prevent water from running down the face of the wall

The specific contour to which an exposed edge has been shaped, normally for decorative purposes.

Efflorescence

Drip Stone

Drip and Drip Stone

A projecting molding over the heads of doorways, windows and archways to throw Elevation off the rain. Also known as a hoodmold A drawing of the vertical faces and and, when rectangular, as a label. elements of a structure, either interior or Dry Seam exterior. A naturally occurring unhealed fracture Encrinal Marble in stone which may be a plane of weakness. Marble deriving decoration from fossils (encrinites) or shells. Dry Stack In rubble masonry construction, a self- Engineered Stone supporting wall erected without mortar. A manmade product composed of a blend

A salt deposit, in the form of a white powder residue that forms on the surface of stone, brick, or mortar. It is caused by alkalis leached from the masonry or soil and carried to the surface by moisture

Dual Finish
Entablature

of natural minerals (generally quartz) and Multiple contrasting finishes, such as manmade agents (such as polyester, glass, thermal and polished, on one piece of stone. epoxy, and other such ingredients).

Durability

Entablature

The measure of the ability of natural building stone to endure and to maintain its essential and distinctive characteristics of strength, resistance to decay, and appearance, while exposed to the elements encountered in its application environment.

A composite beam member carried by columns and made up of an architrave (bottom), frieze (middle), and cornice (top).

Entasis

Dutchman

1. A small piece of stone inserted as a patch in a larger piece of dimension stone. 2. A small piece of stone inserted in an ashlar wall.

The slight convexity designed in a column shaft for aesthetic purposes. This is done intentionally to offset the perceived illusion of concavity of a perfectly straight shafted column.

Epoxy Resin

E
Eased Edge
A slightly arrised, chamfered, or radiused edge to eliminate the sharpness of the fabricated stone edge.

A flexible, usually exothermic curing resin made by the polymerization of an epoxide; used as an adhesive.

Erection Etched

The process of setting vertical dimension stone into place. A decorative surface pattern created by a variety of methods, produced either by chemical or mechanical methods.

Eaves
Entasis
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The underside of a sloping roof that overhangs a wall.

Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

Exfoliation

Peeling or scaling of stone surfaces caused A naturally occurring, irregularly shaped by chemical or physical weathering. stone, as found in a field, used for various building applications without further Expansion Anchor or Bolt A socket that grips a drilled hole in con- fabrication. Field stone are commonly crete by expanding as a tapered bolt is used in freestanding walls, veneers, walkways, and garden bed linings. drawn into it.

Fieldstone

Expansion/Contraction Joint

A flexible joint between stone units designed See backer rod. to expand or contract to accommodate Filling movements due to temperature change A trade expression used to indicate the or dynamic structural movement. filling of natural voids in stone units with Exposed Face cements or synthetic resins and similar The visible side of any stone element. materials.

Filler Strip

Expansion Anchor or Bolt

The powder, dust, and silt- or sand-sized Used in reference to dimension stone, material resulting from processing, usuit means having undergone cutting, ally crushing, stone. machining, or other processes in order Finish to refine the product for its intended Process applied to the exposed surfaces application manufactured and ready for of dimension stone during fabrication installation. to achieve the desired aesthetic and/or performance characteristics of the stone. Face The exposed surface of stone on a structure. The finish may be applied early or late in the fabrication sequence.

Fines

Fabricated

Expansion/Contraction Joint

Fascia

Any flat horizontal member, generally between moldings, most frequently used when referring to elements of a classical architecture cornice.

An industry term describing any naturally occurring separation along crystalline boundaries visible in exposed surface of the stone. Note that the industry use of Feed Rate The rate of speed with which routing, this term is different than the scientific, cutting, or sawing blades and bits travel as geological use of this term. they are cutting the material. Flagstone Thin slabs of stone with irregular shapes Feldspar A group of crystalline minerals, all silicates and split edges used for paving surfaces of aluminum with potassium, sodium, such as walks, driveways, and patios. The calcium, or barium. An essential constituent term is used to describe any stone used in this pattern, although is most often used of nearly all crystalline rocks. to describe sedimentary stones that have Ferruginous been cleft into their final thickness. Said of limestone or sandstone containing Flamed Finish a high proportion of iron oxide. See Thermal Finish.

Fissure

Fiberglass Backing

A fine grid mesh reinforcement that is adhered to the back surface of stone slabs which have limited stability. The primary intent of this reinforcement is to reduce safety risks in the handling of fragile slabs.

Fleuri

The mottled random effect obtained when slabs of certain stone varieties are sawn parallel to their natural bedding planes. See also Cross Cut.

Fleuri
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Fleuri Cut

To cut slabs of quarried stone parallel to the natural bedding plane.

Gallet (British) A stone chip or spall. Gang Saw

A mechanical device employing a series of parallel reciprocating saw blades to cut stone blocks into slabs of predetermined thickness. The most common variety of gang saw used in the stone industry uses a slurry containing steel shot as the abrasive medium; but diamond segments mounted to steel blades are commonly used in gang sawing softer stone such as marble or limestone.

Flexural Strength

Flute

Frieze

Any process, although most frequently grinding, done to reduce the effects of the tolerances of stone slab thickness. GaugFlooring ing may be done to a precise thickness Stone used as an interior pedestrian with a specific tolerance, or may simply walking surface. be done to two or more stones until the thickness of the lot is uniform. Flute One of series of shallow, concave, parallel See also calibrate. grooves running vertically on the shaft of Glass Seam a column, pilaster, or other surface. A trade term in the limestone industry Fracture for a former fracture or parting that has Any break or separation of fabric within been naturally recemented and annealed the stone as a result of mechanical stress. by deposition of transparent calcite. Similar to calcite streak, but transparent. Freestone A stone that may be cut freely in any Compare with dry seam. direction without fracture or splitting. Gloss Meter Also called universal stone. See isotropic. An instrument designed to measure the reflectivity of a surface. Frieze 1. A decorated band along the upper Gneiss part of an interior wall. Coarse-grained, metamorphic rock with 2. The middle member of the entablature, discontinuous foliation caused by planar located above the architrave and alignment of plate and lath-shaped minerals. below the cornice. When used for building stone, generally classed as trade granite. Most gneiss is Front-end Loader A heavy equipment earth moving ma- dark and composed mainly of quartz, chine with a hydraulically powered bucket feldspar, mica and ferromagnesian minon two booms (or arms) extending in eral (iron-magnesium silicates). front of the tractor portion of the ma- Grain chine. The bucket may be replaced with 1. A quarry term for a plane of parting other devices to accomplish specific tasks in a metamorphic rock, e.g. slate; the in stone quarrying operations. direction along which a stone is more G easily broken, split, or cut. The main direction of the mineral composition Gabbro A group of dark-colored basic intrusive and arrangement in stone. igneous rocks composed chiefly of labra- 2. A very small (less than a few mildorite or bytownite and augite. It is the limeters diameter) particle of rock, approximate intrusive equivalent of basalt. such as a sand grain.
Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

A bending strength test, normally performed per the ASTM C880 test method, in which a sample of stone of the project thickness is supported by two support rods creating a span of at least 10 times the thickness, and loaded to failure by two rods positioned at quarter points of the span.The results are reported as the stress experienced by the stone sample at the time of specimen failure, and expressed as a force per unit area (lbs/in or pascals). See also modulus of rupture.

Gauge

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 3. A general or descriptive term used to describe the relative size of crystal line rock components, as in fine-grained and course-grained. Granite (commercial definition) A term that includes granite (as defined below) plus gneiss, gneissic granite, granite gneiss, and the rock species known to petrologists as syenite, monzonite, and granodiorite, species intermediate between them, the gneissic varieties and gneisses of corresponding mineralogic compositions and the corresponding varieties of porphyritic textures. The term commercial granite shall also include other feldspathic crystalline rocks of similar textures, containing minor amounts of accessory minerals, used for special decorative purposes, and known to petrologists as anorthosite and larvikite. Granite (scientific definition) A visibly granular, crystalline rock of predominantly interlocking texture composed essentially of alkalic feldspars and quartz. Feldspar is generally present in excess of quartz, and accessory minerals (chiefly micas, hornblende, or more rarely pyroxene) are commonly present. The alkalic feldspars may be present (1) as individual mineral species, (2) as isomorphous or mechanical intergrowths with each other, or (3) as chemical intergrowths with the lime feldspar molecule, but 80 + 3% of the feldspar must be composed of the potash or soda feldspar molecules.

Greenstone

A metamorphic rock, typically with poorly defined granularity, ranging in color from medium-green or yellowish-green to black. Refer to greenstone group in ASTM C119.

Grind

To remove portions of stone material by any abrasive method. Grinding may be part of producing a finish, shaping a profile, achieving a specific dimension, creating flatness between adjacently installed pieces, or part of a restorative effort.

Grout

1. A mixture of cementitious material and water, with or without aggregate, proportioned to produce a plastic consistency without segregation of the constituents; also a mixture of other composition but of similar consistency. 2. To place and tool grout in the joints of stonework. 3. In quarrying: a term describing the product of the quarry which is unusable for dimension stone, often piled near the extraction site.

Guillotine

A device used for cutting stone slabs to sizes by means of wedges driven by hydraulic pressure. The resultant fracture is of low precision, with a ragged, chipped appearance.

H
Halite

Rock salt; the mineral form of sodium A very hard, crystalline, igneous rock, chloride (NaCl); a sedimentary rock. gray to pink in color, composed of feldspar, Hardness quartz, and lesser amounts of dark ferro- In stones, hardness most frequently refers magnesium materials. Gneiss and black to stones resistance to abrasion, particugranites are similar to true granites in larly abrasion due to foot traffic, as tested structure and texture, but are composed by either ASTM C241 or C1353. In minof different minerals. Commercial and erals, hardness generally refers to the scientific definitions of the granite group minerals rank within the Mohs Scale of are explained in detail in ASTM C119. Mineral Hardness.

Granite

Granular

Stones having a texture characterized by particles that are apparent to the unaided eye. For sedimentary rocks, particles less than 4 inches in diameter and approximately equal in size.

Head

The exposed surface of the jointed end of any given piece of stone with a gauged dimension not more than the minimum thickness of the material specified. Also known as return head.
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Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

Hearth

1. The floor of a fireplace together with an adjacent area of fire-resistant material that extends into the room. 2. An area permanently floored with fire-resistant material beneath and surrounding a stove.

Incise

To cut inwardly or engrave, especially in a V shaped profile, as in an inscription.

Inscription

Lettering cut in stone.

Isolation joint

Hearth Stone
Hearth

Originally the single large stone or stones used for the hearth, now most commonly used to describe the stone in front of the fire chamber and many times extending on either or both sides of the front of the fire chamber.

A joint separating a concrete slab from another element, such as a column or wall.

Joint

A space between installed stone units or between a dimension stone and the adjoining material.

Honed

Kerf

The intentional pattern created by the direction and position of stone joints as determined by the design professional for Hysteresis, thermal A residual or permanent volume change aesthetic reasons. in stones after the temperature has been K normalized, generally causing the stone Kaolinite panel to bow. Most commonly associated A hydrous aluminum silicate mineral. with fine grained true marbles used in Kerf thin panel applications. 1. A slot, either local or continuous, cut I into the edge of a stone with a saw Igneous blade for insertion of anchors. Any of the various volcanic rocks, 2. The width of a cut when sawing solidified after the molten state, such as through stone blocks or jointing slabs. granite. Igneous is one of the three main rock classifications. Compare with meta- Keystone The central stone of an arch, sometimes morphic and sedimentary. sculpted or otherwise embellished. A satin-smooth surface finish with little or no gloss.

Jointing Scheme

ILIA

Keystone

(Indiana Limestone Institute of America) A trade organization established for the dissemination of information on limestone standards, recommended practices, grades, colors, finishes, and all technical data required for specifying, detailing, fabricating, and erecting Indiana Limestone. Publishers of the Indiana Limestone Handbook and other technical publications, founded in 1928.

Lamination

Two or more thicknesses of stone slab adhered together at an exposed edge, usually in decorative work such as countertops, creating an aesthetic effect that suggests that the stone is thicker than it actually is. Laminated edges may be dressed or profiled to a variety of shapes for additional decorative value.

Impregnators

Lamination
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Any applied repellent that penetrates the stone and resides below the plane of the finished surface. Impregnators may be hydrophobic (water-repellent), oliophobic (oil repellent), or both, and are used in some stone varieties to increase stain resistance.

Laser

An acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, which produces an intense narrow beam of coherent, monochromatic light. Lasers are used in the stone industry for a variety of cutting machine alignment aids, layout aids, and leveling instruments.

Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

Lathe

Any machine that spins a block or multiple blocks of material about a horizontal axis for the purposes of creating shapes that have symmetry about the axis of rotation, such as columns, balusters, and urns.

Lintel

A horizontal stone spanning over the opening of a door, window, or other opening that acts as a beam to carry the weight of the wall above it.

Lippage

Lead Buttons

Although not often used in modern masonry construction, these were small shims made of lead or similar malleable metal alloys used in horizontal joints to support the stones until the mortar has set.

The planar offset of the finished surfaces of two adjacent stone units.

Lewis

Live Load

Lewis

The portion of a load on a structural member that is variable, such as occupants, furniture, traffic, and wind. See also Dead Load.

A lifting device consisting of multiple sections of metal forming a tapered shape which is inserted into a dovetail shaped preparation cut into the stone. Although uncommon in current industry use, lewis lifters were frequently used for hoisting quarry blocks or for heavy, cubic sections of finished stone work. Also known as box lewis.

Load Cell

Lewis Pin

An electronic device (transducer) that emits an electric signal based on the force applied to the device.

Lug Sill

In stone masonry, a sill that projects into the jambs of a window or door opening (compare slip sill).

Lewis Pin

M
Machine Finish
In limestone, the generally recognized standard machine finish produced by the planers. Also known as machine smooth or planar finish.

A pin, usually with an eye at the upper end, used in pairs and fitted to holes drilled at opposing angles in cubic stones for hoisting purposes.

Liner

Limestone

A sedimentary rock composed primarily of calcite or dolomite. The varieties of limestone used as dimension stone are usually well consolidated and exhibit a minimum of graining or bedding direction. See definition of limestone group in ASTM C119.

Maintenance

Cleaning and/or other remedial activity performed on a scheduled basis: daily, weekly, etc. in order to remove dirt, dust and other contaminants that degrade the stones appearance and/or performance.

Lintel

Line (edge) Polisher

Marble

A large production machine which utilizes one or more spindles to achieve a finished edge profile on a piece of stone as it is fed through a conveying line.

Liners

An additional block or strip of stone adhered and doweled to the back face of a stone panel for the purpose of providing a horizontal surface which can be supported by a shelf angle. The liner material may or may not be of the same stone species as the panel. Also known as liner block or cleat.

A metamorphic crystalline rock composed predominantly of crystalline grains of calcite, dolomite, or serpentine, and capable of taking a polish. Commercial and scientific definitions of the marble group are explained in detail in ASTM C119.

Lippage

Marble (commercial definition)

A crystalline rock, capable of taking a polish, and composed of one or more of the minerals calcite, dolomite, and serpentine. Commercial and scientific definitions of the marble group are explained in detail in ASTM C119.

Lug Sill
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Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

Marble Institute of America

(MIA) An international trade association whose membership is composed of producers, fabricators, contractors, exporters, importers, distributors, sales agents, and vendors who provide products and/or services to the dimension stone industry and building owners. MIA traces its roots back to the National Association of Marble Dealers, founded in 1907, which joined with the National Association of Marble Producers in 1944 to form the Marble Institute of America (MIA). The National Association of Marble Builders merged with MIA in 1962.

Mockup

A sample section of stonework that is installed, often including other related construction components, for the purpose of obtaining designer and owner approval prior to commencement of quarrying, fabricating, or installation of stonework. The mockup may be independent of the project or may be part of the project and remain in place as part of the completed work.

Modular

Masonry

Refers to standard patterns used throughout the stone industry that are usually based on multiples of a given height or size.

1. Built up construction, usually individ ual units set in mortar. 2. That branch of construction dealing with plaster, concrete construction, and the laying up of stone, brick, tile and other such units with mortar.

Modulus of Elasticity

Metamorphic Rock

Tested per ASTM C1352, the ratio of stress to corresponding linear strain of a material, expressed as a force per unit area (lbs/in or pascals), and used as a measure of a materials stiffness. Also known as Youngs Modulus.

Rock altered in appearance, density, crystalline structure, and in some cases, mineral composition, by high temperature and intense pressure. Includes slate derived from shale, quartz based stone from quartzitic sand, and true marble from limestone.

A bending strength test, normally performed per the ASTM C99 test method, in which a small sample of stone (8 x 4 x 2) is supported by two support rods, and loaded to failure by a third rod positioned at the center of the span. Metamorphism The results are reported as the stress exThe change or alteration in a rock caused by exterior agencies, such as deep-seated perienced by the stone sample at the time heat and pressure, or intrusion of rock of specimen failure, and expressed as a force per unit area (lbs/in or pascals). materials. See also flexural strength.

Modulus of Rupture

Microcrystalline

Miter
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Said of a stone that consists largely or Mohs Scale wholly of crystals that are so small as to A relative scale of mineral hardness develbe recognizable only under magnification. oped by German Mineralogist Friedrich Milling Mohs in 1822 ranking ten common minIn the stone industries, comprehensive erals by their scratch resistance. term for processing quarry blocks through sawing, planning, turning and Moldings cutting techniques to finished stone. Decorative stone deviating from a plane surface by projections, curved profiles, Miter Any condition of stone veneer, coping, recesses or any combination thereof. paving strips, etc, where a corner condition is accomplished by two stones with Monolithic angular cuts, with the angles of the cuts Shaped from a single block of stone, being equal to the bisection of the total in contrast to a unit that was created by angle. See also quirk miter. using multiple units of stone.
Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

Mortar

A mixture of cement paste and fine aggregate used in setting stone units or filling joints between stone units. Mortar may contain masonry cement, or may contain hydraulic cement with lime (and possibly other admixtures) to afford greater plasticity and workability than are attainable with standard portland cement mortar.

posed of granite producers in the United States. Collectively, these companies provide a major portion of the domestically quarried architectural granite produced in the U.S.

Neat Cement

Mosaic

A decorative installation, usually a graphic or artwork display, made up of an assemblage of small units of different colored stones or glass to create the total image or pattern.

A fluid mixture of portland cement and water, with or without other ingredients; also the hardened equivalent of such mixture. Commonly used in a thick, creamy consistency to parge the stone surfaces and strengthen the bond between a stone and a setting bed. Also called cement butter, cement paste and cement cream. See also back parging and parge.

Movement Joint

Niche

In tile installations, a joint where only the finish material is separated by an elastomeric filler, and the substrate is uninterrupted. Also known as a generic movement joint.

A recess in an interior or exterior wall usually for a statue or an urn, often semicircular in design.

NIOSH

MSDS

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

The abbreviation for Material Safety Data Sheet.The information required by OSHAs Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to convey hazardous information to downstream customers.

Nonstaining Mortar

Mullion

Mortar composed of materials which individually or collectively do not contain material that will stain the adjacent materials to which it comes in contact.

A structural unit that separates two window units

Notch NTCA

A V-shaped cut made on the edge or head of a stone. (National Tile Contractors Association) A trade association whose active membership consists of ceramic and stone tile installation contractors in the United States, with an associate membership of those who supply products and services to the industry. Founded in 1947.

Natural Bed

The horizontal stratification of stone as it was formed in the deposit.

Natural Cleft

Stone that is split (cleaved) parallel to its stratification, yielding a surface that is irregular to a degree that corresponds with the flatness of the materials layering.

Natural Stone

O
Obsidian

A product of nature. A stone such as granite, A glassy phase of lava. marble, limestone, slate, travertine, or sandstone that is formed by nature, and is Off Fall Also fall off. See Remnant. not artificial or manmade.

NBGQA

The abbreviation for the National Building Granite Quarries Association, a trade association whose membership is com-

Ogee

A stone molding roughly resembling an S shape, with a reverse curved edge: concave above, convex below.

Ogee
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Onyx

A frequently translucent and generally layered, cryptocrystalline calcite with colors in pastel shades, particularly off white, yellow, tan, and green. Commercial definitions of onyx are given in ASTM C119 as part of the marble group.

P
Palletize
To stack and secure stone units to a pallet for ease, safety, and efficiency in handling and transport.

Overhang

A term used to describe either a single A calcite-cemented calcareous stone unit of fabricated stone veneer, or a preasformed of shells and shell fragments, sembled panel including multiple stone practically noncrystalline in character. units affixed to a structural panel frameIt is found in massive deposits located work. almost entirely in Lawrence, Monroe, Parapet and Owen Counties, Indiana; and in Ala- A low wall along the edge of a terrace, bama, Kansas, and Texas. This limestone roof, or balcony, which is usually simply is characteristically a freestone, without the extension of the exterior wall below it. cleavage planes, possessing a remarkable Parge uniformity of composition, texture, and To apply a thin coat of mortar, thin-set, neat structure. cement, or other bonding agent to the Open-faced Quarry back of stone units, or to the face of the A quarry with relatively large lateral ex- backup material, normally for the purpanse when compared to its depth, in pose of reducing the voids, increasing contrast to traditional derrick quarries bond strength, or waterproofing. See also which had relatively short lateral dimen- back parging and neat cement. sions and great depths. Patina OSHA The change in color or texture of the The acronym for Occupational Safety and surface of natural stone due to age or exposure to various elements Health Administration.

Panel

Oolitic Limestone

Out-crop

That part of a geologic formation or structure that protrudes above or at ground level.

Paver

A single unit of fabricated stone for use as an exterior paving material.

Outriggers
Pedestal

Paving

A temporary support extending from machinery, such as cranes, to provide greater stance width and improve stability when handling loads with extended boom lengths.

Stone used as an exterior wearing surface, as in patios, walkways, driveways, etc.

Pedestal

Overburden

In classical architecture, the support for a column or statue, consisting of a base, dado, and cap.

Waste stone, earth or other material cov- The gable end of a roof in classical architecering the deposit of stone which must be ture. Located above a horizontal cornice removed to gain access to the desired stone. member, it comprises the raking cornices Overhang and the tympanum. It is typically triangular, The portion of a stone that protrudes past but can also be curved when applied as a decorative element over windows. the surface on which it is set.
Pediment

Pediment

Oxalic Acid

A relatively strong acid that is used, typically as an additive to other polishing compounds, in the polishing of many marbles and limestones.

PEL

Permissible Exposure Limit: PELs are established and enforced by OSHA to protect workers against the health effects of overexposure to hazardous substances.

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Percussion Drilling

Any method of drilling that includes a combination of hammering blows along the longitudinal axis of the bit with rotation of the bit. Also called hammer drilling.

Plutonic

Applies to igneous rocks formed beneath the surface of the earth, typically with large crystals owing to the slowness of cooling.

The final filling and finishing of mortar One which contains a considerable joints that have been raked. number of relatively small openings, Polished Finish often called pierced wall or screen wall. A glossy, highly reflective surface finish that brings out the full color and character Pergola of the stone. Garden structure formed by two rows of posts or pillars with joists and open Polishing framing above, often covered by climbing A process utilizing abrasives in combination with specific polishing powders and/ plants and shading a walkway. or chemicals to produce a glossy, highly Phenocryst reflective surface finish on the stone. One of the relatively large and ordinarily Polishing Compounds conspicuous crystals of the earliest gen- Any of the powders or chemicals used in eration in a porphyritic igneous rock. addition to the abrasive machine heads that are used to achieve a polished finish. Pilaster A shallow, engaged pier or column Polishing Cream projecting from a wall, only decorative in A polishing compound that is supplied in a cream or paste consistency. function.

Pointing

Perforated Wall

Pergola

Pillowed

A tile finish that features softly rounded Small diameter flexible disks with embededges, thus giving the tile a pillowed look. ded abrasives used with handheld tools or small portable machines for polishing of stone. These pads may be used in combiPit Quarry nation with compounds, and may be used Below ground-level quarry. either wet or dry.

Polishing Pads

Pitch Faced

A rustic finish for veneer stone created An igneous rock characterized by diswith a split or chiseled face, and dressed tinct and contrasting sizes of coarse and along the stones perimeter to produce fine-grained crystals. Used as a decorative convex projection. See also rock faced. building and/or paving stone.

Porphyry

Pilaster

Pitched Stone
See pitch faced.

Portico

Plinth

A porch formed by a roof supported with columns, similar to a temple front.

1. The base block at the junction of the stone base and trim around a door or other opening. 2. The bottom stone block of a column or pedestal.

Poultice

Plucked Finish

Any absorbent material (powder, cloth, etc) used in a saturated condition with water or solvent based fluids and applied to a stone surface for the purpose of removing embedded stains.

Plinth

A stone surface produced by setting a planer blade so deep that it removes stone by spalling rather than by shaving.

PPE

The abbreviation for Personal Protective Equipment, such as protective clothing, safety toe shoes, helmets, goggles, etc.,
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Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

designed to protect the wearers body from injury from exposures in the work environment.

Q
Quarried Stone
Stone which has been extracted from the earth by means of man power and machines.

Preassembled Units

A composite unit consisting of a structural backing, usually steel or concrete, multiple panels of stone, and necessary Quarrier anchorage and connection hardware that Company or person that extracts natural is built off-site and transported to the stone from a quarry. construction site for erection.

Precast

Quarry

In stone facades, refers to a bi-material panel consisting of multiple stone face units and a concrete backer panel. The panel is cast off-site, then transported to the construction site for erection.

1. The physical site, open or under ground, where stone is extracted from the earth. 2. The process of extracting stone from open pit or underground mine.

Pressure Relieving Joint

See expansion joint.

Quarry Block

Primer

1. A unit or package of ignition devises used to initiate other explosives or blasting agents in the quarry. 2. A liquid coat applied to increase bond strength of a joint sealant.

Generally, a piece of rough stone as it comes from a quarry, generally dressed or wire sawed to the shape of a rectangular prism (having three pairs of roughly parallel faces) for shipment.

Quarry Run

Privacy Partition Producer

A thin stone panel between urinals. See urinal screen. Company or person that quarries and supplies dimension stone to the commercial market.

A term used by some producers to mean the lot of material has not been culled or otherwise limited for range of color and/ or features, and includes the entire spectrum of material that is yielded by that particular deposit.

Quarry Sap

Profile Wheel

Any grinding wheel that has convex or concave shapes and can be adapted to a router, hand held grinder, or CNC machine for the purpose of producing a desired shape to a stone edge.

A term used by the limestone industry to describe the natural moisture in freshly quarried stone.

Quartz

Projections

Any stone that is installed in a position outward of the balance of the wall for aesthetic or water control purposes.

A silicon dioxide mineral that occurs in colorless and transparent or colored hexagonal crystals or in crystalline masses. One of the hardest minerals of abundance in stones such as sandstone, granite, and quartzite.

A dimension stone group that includes both sedimentary (as in sandstone) or The practice of locating mineral deposits metamorphic (as in quartzite) stones of commercial value. and are characteristically high in free silPumice ica content. Definitions of the classes of Exceptionally cellular, glassy lava resem- stone which form the quartz based stone bling a solid froth. group are explained in ASTM C119.

Quartz Based Stone

Prospecting

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Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

Quartzite

A dense, hard metamorphic quartz based stone typically formed from sandstone. In some deposits, intrusion of minerals during the formation process creates unusual coloration. See ASTM C119.

position of the anchor so that it doesnt occupy any of the joint region, allowing full movement capability of the joint dimension.

Recess

Quartzitic Sandstone

A variety of sandstone including higher content of free silica and siliceous cements than typical quartz-based sandstones.

Any feature cut into a stone that is set back or indented from the balance of the stone surface, either to accommodate another element, such as anchorage, or for aesthetic appeal.

Quirk Miter

Quirk Miter

An external corner formed by two stone panels with beveled (usually 45) edges and blunted, finished noses to reduce the chipping vulnerability of the sharp edges that occur with a common miter.

Recrystallized Limestone

Quoin

A limestone in which a new pattern of crystallinity has pervasively replaced the crystal orientation in the original clastic particles, fossils, or fossil fragments, and interstitial cement.

Rabbet

One of the decorative dressed stones or The process of insitu finishing of existing bricks used at the corner of a building. stonework to return it to its near original Quoins are usually laid so their faces are appearance. alternately large and small.

Refinishing

Reglet

Rabbet

A groove cut into the surface along an edge so as to receive another piece.

A narrow groove cut in stone to receive flashing.

Raked Joint

Reinforcement

Rain Screen

A curtain wall system in which the outer faade shields, or screens, rain from infiltrating the wall cavity, but is not actually sealed. The cavity is pressure equalized with the outside air, avoiding pressure differences that would otherwise draw water into the cavity. Minor amounts of water that penetrate the rain screen are evacuated via weep systems designed into the system.

Any element, metal, fiberglass, stone, etc. that is embedded in or applied to the stone panel for the purpose of increasing strength.

Relief

Carving or embossing raised above a background plane, as in a bas-relief.

Relieving Arch

Rebated Kerf

Raked Joint

One built over a lintel, flat arch or smaller arch to divert loads, thus relieving the lower member from excessive loading.

A mortar joint in which the mortar, while still soft, has been scraped back to a specified dimension with a square-edged tool. It is generally used to accentuate the joint due to the pronounced shadow line produced.

Remnant

A leftover portion of a slab that cannot be utilized in the primary project, but is salvaged for possible use in another project.

Reprise

Reglet

Random Slab

A stone slab of length and width that are not prespecified, but rather determined by the size of the block from which it was cut.

The line formed by the intersection of two like profiles upon meeting at an interior corner.

Resin

Rebated Kerf

A kerf that includes a second cut at 90 to the kerf axis which accommodates

Any of a number of clear or translucent substances, either from plant origin or synthetics, used in producing lacquers, adhesives, plastics, polyesters, epoxies, silicones, etc.

Relieving Arch
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Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

Resin Patching Sticks

A stone patching material supplied as a solid substance and installed in a heated condition to facilitate flowing into surface imperfections to be filled.

Rock Faced

Resin Polishing
Return

A rustic finish for veneer stone created with a split or chiseled face, and dressed along the stones perimeter to produce convex projection. See also pitch faced.

A reference to abrasive pads used for hand tool polishing, in which abrasives are embedded in a resin matrix.

Reveal

1. Geologically, any natural mass of earth material that has appreciable extent. 2. In engineering, solid natural material Resined Slab that requires mechanical or explosive Slabs that have been treated with a cos- techniques for removal. metic improvement process prior to pol- 3. In the quarry industries, the term ishing, in which a resinous adhesive, usu- stone is more common and means ally epoxy, is applied to the face of the firm, coherent, relatively hard slab, filling various voids in the stone sur- earth material. face. The resin is cured at elevated temperature, after which it is polished, allow- Rodding ing the resin to remain in the voids. This A reinforcement technique used principroduces a more cosmetically attractive pally in countertop fabrication wherein surface without the interruptions of the metal or fiberglass rods are embedded into shallow kerfs in the underside of the natural defects. stone slab at narrow regions of the counRestoration Remedial action taken to return an exist- tertop, such as the portion in from of a ing installation of stone to its original or sink. See reinforcement. acceptable near original condition. A semicircular arch. If built of stone, all The right-angle turn of a stone surface, units are wedge shaped. either a molding or flat, as in a window Rough Back jamb condition. The outermost slab produced when slabs are sawn from a block, having one Return Head side sawed and the other rough from the See head. original quarry block face. Also known as Reveal skin. The exposed portion of a stone between its outer face and a window or door set Rough Sawn into an opening. A surface finish resulting from the gang or wire sawing process. Ribbon Narrow bands of rock within the quarry Rubbed Finish deposit of contrasting color and/or tex- A stone finish between smooth machine ture due to varying mineralogical compo- finish and honed, obtained by mechanical sition rubbing to a very smooth surface.

Rock

Roman Arch

Return

Rodding

Rift

Direction in which stone splits most readily.Term is most commonly used for granite or other stone without visible stratification or foliation.

Rubble

Riprap
Roman Arch
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Large, irregular shaped stones randomly placed on an embankment to prevent or minimize soil erosion

A term applied to dimension stone used chiefly for walls and foundations, consisting of stone units that may be highly irregular or partly trimmed or squared, generally with one or more split faces, and selected and specified with a size range. Rubble stone may be installed randomly or coursed.

Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

Rustication

ized by thin foliae that are composed predominately of minerals of thin platy or prismatic habits and whose long dimensions are oriented in approximately parallel positions along the planes of foliation. Because of this foliated structure, S schists split readily along these planes and so have a pronounced rock cleavage. Saddles The more common schists are composed See thresholds. of mica-like minerals (such as chlorite) Sample and generally contain subordinate quartz An actual piece of dimension stone in a and/or feldspar of a comparatively finesmall size used to demonstrate the gen- grained texture; all gradations exist beeral color, markings, and finish of a given tween schist and gneiss (coarsely foliated variety of stone. feldspathic rocks). Any embellishment done to the joints in stonework, either chamfers or grooves, for the purpose of visually accentuating the joint by increasing the shadowline.

Sandblasted

A matte-textured surface finish produced A deep concave molding by small particles (sand) striking the stone surface at high velocities. Screed A flat board or other straight piece used Sandstone Sandstones are sedimentary rocks usu- to level freshly placed concrete, mortar, ally composed of quartz cemented with or sand by sliding it over prepositioned silica, iron oxide or calcium carbonate. guides that determine the height of the Sandstones range from very soft and fri- concrete or mortar. able to very hard and durable, depending on the depth at which it was buried and the nature of the cement. Generally, the most durable sandstones are cemented with silica.Sandstone has a wide range of colors or textures. See quartz based stone.

Scotia

Sculpture Sealant

A three-dimensional art form cut or chiseled from a monolithic block of stone. An elastic adhesive compound used to seal stone veneer joints while still allowing differential movement between the stone units.

Sawed Edge Sawed Face

A clean-cut edge generally achieved by cutting with a diamond blade. A finish obtained from the process used in the cutting of the blocks, slabs, or other units of building stone without further embellishment. It varies in texture from smooth to rough, and is typically named for the type of material used in sawing, e.g. diamond sawn, sand sawn, chat sawn, and shot sawn.

Sealer

A protective coating or treatment which prevents or retards foreign liquid or matter from penetrating the stone by closing the pores in the surface.

Sealing

The process of applying a sealer.

Seam Setter

Sawyer

One who operates a saw.

Scabbing Schist

See dressing. A loose term applying to foliated metamorphic (recrystallized) rock character-

A tool designed to pull two pieces of stone together and make the surfaces flat with each other. The tools are made with suction cups and attached with a set of steel glides. The tool will allow the installer to apply adhesive, pull the stone together, shim if necessary to make flat, while the tool is holding the pieces together until the adhesive dries.
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Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

Sedimentary

Rocks formed by deposition of particles, or sediments laid down in successive strata and cemented together by another agent. The materials of which they are formed are derived from preexisting rocks or the skeletal remains of sea creatures.

Shop Ticket

Serpentine
Setting Space

A document used by a stone fabricator describing the fabrication details of an individual piece of dimension stone, most commonly employing graphics in addition to text, and possibly including production and/or quality control monitoring. Also referred to as a cutting or cut ticket.

A common hydrous magnesium silicate rock-forming mineral; generally dark green in color with markings of white, light green, or black. Rocks composed predominantly of such minerals are correctly called serpentinites, and are commercially sold as a marble because they can be polished. The definition of serpentine is given in ASTM C119 under the marble group.

Shot Sawed

Description of a finish resulting from using steel shot abrasive in the gang sawing process without further embellishment. This surface will normally have random linear markings for a rough surface texture.

Shim

An oxide of silicon with the chemical formula SiO2, found abundantly in nature as sand quarts, or other rock components, Setter The dry cutting or grinding of silica will A field mechanic who specializes in the produce silica dust, which when airborne in particles of respirable size, are a well installation of dimension stone. known health hazard to those exposed to Setting Space The distance from the finished face of it without adequate PPE. a stone unit to the face of the backup Siliceous material. (Note: in some regions, the A rock bearing abundant silica. term is used to describe the distance beSill tween the back of the stone and the face of the backup material. See also cavity) The bottom horizontal part of a window or opening in a structure.

Silica

Setting Shale
Sill

The installation of dimension stone units.

A fine-grained, non-carbonate clastic rock composed of detrital grains of quartz and A fine grained sedimentary stone formed silicate minerals of silt size. Siltstones are by the compaction of clay, silt, or mud. rarely marketed as such but commonly are considered as fine-grained quartz-based Shear A force that causes, or attempts to cause, stones (sandstones). Siltstone is texturinternal adjacent planes of material to ally transitional between quartz-based stones and shales (mudstones). Many slide along one another. bluestones and siliceous flagstones fall Shim within this category. The term is included A piece of plastic or other non-corrosive, in these definitions chiefly to explain the non-staining material used to temporarily relationship of some siliceous flagstones or permanently adjust the position of a to the quartz-based stone category. stone unit.

Siltstone

Shop Drawing

Simulated Stone Slab

A detailed fabrication and installation drawing showing layout, joinery, dimensions, materials, finishes, methods of anchorage, and/or any other information pertinent to the fabrication or installation of the stone material.
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An artificial manmade product that attempts to resemble natural stone. A flat sheet-like section of natural stone sawn to a prescribed thickness, with length and width determined by the size

Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

of the quarry block from which it was sawed. Slabs will generally receive a face finish and further fabrication processes to become usable dimension stone products.

Soundness

Slate

A very fine grained metamorphic rock derived from sedimentary shale rock, with excellent parallel cleavage, and entirely independent of original bedding, slate may be split easily into relatively thin slabs. See definition of slate in ASTM C119.

A property of stone used to describe relative freedom from cracks, faults, voids, and similar imperfections found in untreated stone. One of the characteristics encountered in fabrication.

Spall

A chip or splinter separated from the main mass of a stone. Also known as sprawl.

Slip Joint

Spandrel

Sling

A type of strap, typically in the form of a loop, made of high-density cloth and rated for the intended load, which is wrapped around an object that is being lifted.

1. The often-decorated triangular area between an arch and a wall, or between two arches. 2. In modern high-rise construction, the panel area between the head of one window and the sill of the one above it. Can be clad in stone, metal, or glass.

Slip Sill

Slip Joint

Splay

A connection which permits vertical or horizontal movement of a stone unit relative to the adjacent unit.

A surface that makes an oblique angle with another surface, such as the non-vertical riser face frequently seen on steps.

Slip Sill Slurry

Split

A stone sill set between jambs. (compare lug sill). A suspension of insoluble particles in a liquid.

Division of a rock by cleavage.

Split-faced Stone

Stone on which the face has been broken to an approximate plane.

In building stone, a rough face formed by splitting slabs in a split-face machine. A finish of minimum textural quality, pre- Generally the slabs are sawed parallel to senting the least interruption of surface. bedding in stratified stone, so that the Smooth finish may be applied to any sur- split face exposes the bedding in natuface, flat or molded. It is produced by a ral orientation or overturned, but some stone is sawed perpendicular to bedding variety of machines. and then split with the bedding vertical, Snapped Edge either exposed as a cleft surface or vertical. See Guillotine.

Split-stone Finish

Smooth Finish

Soapstone

The mortar applied to the back of dimenA talc-rich stone with a soapy feel, used sion stone veneer to bridge the space for hearths, tabletops, chemical-resistant between a stone panel and the backup laboratory tops, stove facings, and clad- wall. Often used to describe the plaster ding; known for its heat, chemical, and or mortar spot used with wire tie anchorage. stain resistant properties.

Spot or Spotting

Spandrel

Soffit

Spreader Bar

The underside of any architectural element, such as an arch, beam, lintel, or balcony.

A beam with two lifting slings or cables, one on each end, intended to spread the lifting points while the bar is hoisted from its center.

Splay
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Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

Stacked Bond

Stone that is cut to one dimension and installed with unbroken vertical and horizontal joints running the entire length and height of the veneered area.

Support

An angle, plate or other stones which carry a gravity load.

T
TCNA

Sticking

(Tile Council of North America) An organization of manufacturers serving the ceramic tile industry, with overlapping interest in the stone tile industry, particularly in installation. The TCNA Stone Sometimes synonymous with rock, but publishes the Handbook for Ceramic Tile more properly applied to individual Installation and serves as the Secretariat blocks, masses or fragments taken from for the ANSI accredited A108 and A118 their original formation or considered for committees. Established in 1945 as the commercial use. In commercial use, the Tile Council of America (TCA), it beterm stone is more frequently used, while came the Tile Council of North America scientifically, geologists and petrogra- (TCNA) in 2003 to reflect its memberphers more frequently use the term rock. ship expansion to all of North America Canada, Mexico and the United States. The butt edge repair of a broken piece of stone, now generally done with dowels, cements, or epoxies. The pieces are stuck together; thus sticking.

Stool

The interior sill of a window.

Template

Stratification

Stool

The layered structure in sedimentary stone deposits as a result of the deposition of sediments in beds or layers (also strata or lamina).

A pattern for a repetitive marking or fabricating operation.

Terrazzo

String Course

A horizontal band of masonry, generally narrower that other courses, extending across the faade of a structure and in some structures encircling such decorative features as pillars or engaged columns. May be flush or projected, and flat surfaced or decorated. Also called belt course or band course.
String Course

A flooring surface of marble or granite chips in a cementitious or resinous matrix, which is ground and finished after setting.

Texture

Surface quality of stone independent of color.

Textured Finish

Stripping

To remove coatings that block a stones ability to breathe which may cause spalling (when the stones crack, pop, or shale). Some examples of common coatings are topical acrylic sealers, janitorial waxes, and polyurethanes.

Any of the rough surface finishes used in dimension stone, selected for aesthetic reasons or as friction performance for walking surfaces.

Thermal Finish Thin Stone Threshold

A textured surface treatment applied by brief exposure to intense heat. Dimension stone units that are 2 (50 mm) or less in thickness. A flat or profiled strip of stone projecting above the floor between the jambs of a door, often marks the transition between two different flooring materials. Also known as a saddle.

Stylolite

Threshold
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In limestone and marble, generally a bedding plane, along with differential solution of the material on each side has caused interpenetration of points, cones, or columns, forming a contact surface that is rough when separated. Also known as crowfoot.

Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

Tile

A thin modular stone unit, less than (20 mm) thick, and not exceeding 24 (600 mm) in its greatest dimension.

U
Ultimate Capacity
The load resisted by a stone anchor at failure. This load must be divided by the factor of safety to determine a safe load, or allowable capacity.

Tilt Shop Cart

A device used in stone fabrication areas to move slabs and/or cut-to-size pieces within the shop. The cart has a bed that tilts, allowing it be loaded with a slab in a vertical orientation but unload the same slab in a horizontal orientation.

Undercut Unit

Cut so as to present an overhanging part. A piece of fabricated cubic or thin dimension stone.

Tread

Tin Oxide

A powder used in the polishing of granite with a talc-like appearance and applied with a felt pad and slow speed buffer.

Urinal Screen

A thin stone panel used as a privacy partition between urinals.

Tolerance

V
Vacuum Cups

The permissible limit of variation from the specified dimension.

A device used in the handling of smooth surfaced stone which secures itself to the stone surface using vacuum contained Tooled Finish A finish that customarily has four, six, within an enclosed chamber that is sealed or eight parallel, concave grooves to against the stone via gasketing. the inch. See also bush hammered. Vacuum Lifter Any stone handling device using vacuum Translucence A characteristic of light colored onyxes cups as a means of securing itself to and some light colored marbles allowing the stone. light to diffuse as it passes through.

Vein Cut

Vein Cut

Travertine

A variety of limestone formed by chemical precipitate from hot springs. Some varieties of travertine take a polish and are known commercially as marble. ASTM C119 classifies travertine in both the limestone and the marble groupings.

A cut in quarried stone that is perpendicular to the natural bedding plane, exposing the veining of the material.

Vein

Tread Trim

A layer, seam, or narrow irregular body of mineral material contrasting the surrounding material in either color, texture, or both.

A flat stone used as the top (horizontal) walking surface on steps.

Veneer

A non-structural facing of stone, interior or exterior, serving as ornamentation and a weather barrier.

The framing or edging of openings and Venting other features on the interior or exterior See Cavity Vent. of a building, including baseboards, picVug ture rails, cornices, and casings. A pocket-like natural cavity in stone, Tumbled Finish generally the result of solution or recrysA weathered, aging finish created when tallization. Size not limited, but most are the stone is tumbled with sand, pebbles, between a small fraction of 1 inch and a or steel bearings. few inches in average diameter. May be
Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

Veneer
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lined with crystals or botryoidal layers of mineral materials. Most common in dolomite, limestone and marble. Adj.: vuggy

Water-jet Finish
A surface treatment performed by using water under extreme high pressure.

W
Wainscot Wall Tie
An interior veneer of stone covering the lower portion of an interior wall. In masonry, a type of anchor, generally a metal strip, used to secure facing to backup wall or to connect the wythes of a cavity wall. Ties are mortared into joints during setting, and thus do not require that slots or anchor holes be cut.

Waterproofing
See Damp Proofing.

Waxing
The practice of filling minor surface imperfections such as voids or sand holes with melted shellac, cabinetmakers wax, or certain polyester compounds. In the dimension stone industry, it does not refer to the application of paste wax to make surfaces shinier.

Walls, bearing Walls, cavity

Wainscot

A wall supporting a vertical load in addition to its own weight

Wear
The removal of material or impairment of surface finishing through friction or impact use.

Wash

A wall in which the inner and outer wythes are separated by an air space but tied together with metal ties. Weathering Natural alteration by either chemical or Wash The slope on the top of a stone unit mechanical processes due to the action of intended to shed water. constituents of the atmosphere, soil, surface waters, and other ground waters, or Water Jet A machine which uses extremely high by temperature changes. pressure water and an abrasive to cut stone material in complex and exacting Wedging shapes from slabs or tile. Splitting of stone by driving wedges into planes of weakness or holes in the stone. Water Recycling System Any system that recovers water used in Weep Holes shop fabrication machinery and restores it to a reusable condition by filtering and/ Openings for drainage in veneer joints or or chemical neutralization, after which it in the structural components supporting the veneer. is returned to service.

Water Repellent

Any of several types of liquid-applied formulations used to render masonry walls less absorptive. These treatments are said to maintain a materials ability to breathe away moisture, as distinct from sealers which form impervious, non-breathing coatings.

Wire Sawing
A method of cutting stone by a wire or cable. Traditionally, the term applied to the use of a twisted wire carrying an abrasive slurry as the cutting agent. Currently, the term is more frequently used to describe the use of a cable that is fitted with diamond abrasive segments at regular intervals, cooled with water.

Water Table

A course that projects from the face of a wall, generally near grade and having a beveled top and a drip cut in the projecting underside, to deflect water.
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Wythe
The inner or outer part of a cavity wall.

Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

References
American Concrete Institute (ACI), Farmington Hills, MI. ASTM International. ASTM C119: Standard Terminology Relating to Dimension Stone. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM International. Amrhein, James E., and Michael W. Merrigan. Marble and Stone SlabVeneer. Los Angeles: Masonry Institute of America, 1986. Bates, Robert L. and Jackson, Julia A., ed. Dictionary of Geological Terms. 3rd edition. The American Geological Institute. Carnella, Enrico. The Architects Handbook of Marble, Granite and Stone,Volume I,Technical Guide; New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1990. Chacon, Mark. Architectural Stone: Fabrication, Installation, and Selection. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1999. Donaldson, Barry, ed. New Stone Technology, Design and Construction for Exterior Wall Systems. ASTM Special Technical Publication 996. West Conshohocken: ASTM International, 1988. Indiana Limestone Institute of America, Inc. Indiana Limestone Handbook. 22nd Edition. Bedford: ILIA, 2007. McGraw-Hill Construction. Sweets Catalog.Chicago: McGraw-Hill Construction, 2010. National Building Granite Quarries Association, Inc. Specifications for Architectural Granite. Washington, DC: NBGQA, 2011. National Tile Contractors Association. NTCA Reference Manual. 2011. Jackson: NTCA. Patton, John B. Glossary of Building Stone and Masonry Terms. Geological Survey Occasional Paper 6; Bloomington: Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources, 1974. Pit & Quarry. Glossary of Terms. By: P&Q Staff, 2007. Prestressed Concrete Institute. StoneVeneer-Faced Precast Concrete Panels. Chicago: PSI, 1988. R.E.D. Granti S.p.A. Stone Industry Technical Glossary. Massa: promorama, 2003. Tile Council of America. Tile Council of North America Installation Handbook. Princeton: TCA, 2011. Winkler, Erhard M. Stone in Architecture. 3rd ed. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame, 1994.

Glosssary of Terms | 2011 Marble Institute of America

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