Marble On The Hardness Scale

The translucence of marble makes it especially attractive for many types of sculptures.

Marble on the hardness scale.

Being composed of calcite marble has a hardness of three on the mohs hardness scale. Granite on the mohs scale. As a result marble is easy to carve and that makes it useful for producing sculptures and ornamental objects. If you check granite hardness on the mohs scale you will find it harder than marble and softer than quartzite.

Marble is limestone that has been compacted and heated over millions of years. An example of the hardness of a granite countertop can be seen in the fact that a knife blade will not scratch the surface. It can also be used for metal. On average it is 6 5.

The mohs scale of mineral hardness m oʊ z is a qualitative ordinal scale characterizing scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of harder material to scratch softer material. In simple words soapstone is the softest material and diamond is the hardest material. Because granite is between a 6 and 7 on the mohs scale it would be able to scratch other types of stone that have lower ratings such as marble. Depending on the limestone and the mineral combination within the marble most marble rates from three to five on the mohs hardness scale.

This means that marble is less scratch resistant than granite. When black granite is measured on the mohs scale it falls somewhere between 6 and 7. As a result marble is less porous and slightly stronger than limestone but still less durable than granite. Hardness is determined by the ability of one mineral to scratch another.