Countertops fabricated from granite and quartz are famous for their beauty and durability. The ability of natural and man made stone to resist scuffs and scratches comes from on it's mineral composition. In 1812, the German mineralogist, Friedrich Mohs, devised a system to classify the relative hardness of natural minerals.
On what we now call the Mohs scale a rating of 1 refers to an extremely soft mineral while a rating of 10 refers to
the hardest of all minerals. A mineral
of unknown hardness can be tested against one of the standard minerals listed
below. Whichever one scratches the other is harder and if both scratch each
other they are both the same hardness.
Granite is rated 6 on the Mohs scale.
Engineered Stone because it is composed primarily of quartz is rated 7.
1. Talc: a white, gray, or pale green soft
mineral with a slippery feel.
2. Gypsum: a soft white or gray mineral
consisting of hydrated calcium sulfate
and is used to make plaster of Paris and drywall.
3. Calcite: a white or colorless mineral
consisting of calcium carbonate. It is a major constituent of sedimentary rocks
such as limestone, marble, and chalk.
4. Fluorite: a mineral consisting of calcium
fluoride.
5. Apatite: a widely occurring pale green to
purple mineral, consisting of calcium phosphate with some fluorine, chlorine,
and other elements.
6. Feldspar: an abundant rock-forming mineral
consisting of aluminosilicates of potassium, sodium, and calcium.
7. Quartz: a hard white or colorless mineral
consisting of silicon dioxide, found widely in igneous, metamorphic, and
sedimentary rocks.
8. Topaz: a precious stone, typically colorless,
yellow, or pale blue, consisting of a fluorine-containing aluminum silicate.
9. Corundum: extremely hard aluminum oxide, used
as an abrasive. Ruby and sapphire are varieties of corundum.
10. Diamond: a
precious stone consisting of a clear and typically colorless crystalline form
of pure carbon, the hardest, naturally occurring substance.
If you need help with an estimate, give us a call at (417) 258-2787 and ask for Doug, Holly, Mitchell or Sarah.