In today’s fast-changing home improvement landscape, granite stone is one element that has retained its position and popularity in the industry. The use of granite countertops is nothing new. They are used in both commercial and residential space for years. There are many reasons that make granite an ideal choice for kitchen countertop. They are its color variety, finishes, hardness, durability, and others. However, it is interesting to know how granite countertops are made. In this post, a detailed explanation of granite will be given touching each & every aspect of granite production.

1. Granite: From Rough
Blocks To A Countertop

2. • In today’s fast-changing home improvement
landscape, granite stone is one element that has
retained its position and popularity in the
industry. The use of granite countertops is
nothing new. They are used in both commercial
and residential space for years. There are many
reasons that make granite an ideal choice for
kitchen countertop. They are its color variety,
finishes, hardness, durability, and others.
However, it is interesting to know how granite
countertops are made. In this post, a detailed
explanation of granite will be given touching each
& every aspect of granite production.

3. What is Granite?
• Granite is considered an igneous rock that is
primarily made up of two minerals – quartz and
feldspar. However, other elements can also be
present like mica, amphiboles, and a combination
of several trace objects. It is important to note
that these variations and the abundance of these
minerals give granite a particular color and
texture. Geologically, granite refers to a plutonic
rock that contains nearly 0 to 50% quartz (usually
semi-transparent white) and 65 to 90% feldspar,
which is usually of white or pink color.

4. How Granite is formed?
• According to geologists, granite was formed when the molten rock
cooled down over millions of years.
• The larger the mineral crystals formed in molten rock, the slower it
cooled, with K-Feldspar megacrysts forming in unusual situations
larger than 5cm. Granite is formed beneath kilometers of rock and
sediment. This is to produce enough heat to melt the rock.
• The granite we see now is at the surface, it was uplifted at some
point, forcing overlying sediment to be eroded away. The granite
may somewhat expand and crack when it transitions from high
pressure and temperature to air pressure and temperature. This,
combined with seasonal temperature changes, might result in
weakened and less suitable granite for countertops.

5. Mining of Granite
• Granite stone is found in quarries. These quarries are located in different parts of the world. The
world’s biggest granite quarry is located in Mount Airy, North Carolina, the U.S which has a size of
66 football fields. Similarly, many other quarries are located in the countries like India, Brazil,
Poland, China, Italy, and others. The quality and cost of granite depend on the location of the
quarry that is chosen as the source of granite suppliers.
• Since there are lots of granite varieties available in the market, not all varieties can be found in
these quarries. Some granite variants are specific to a region. Granite is one of the most commonly
imported stones across the world.
• Granite mining is a massive industrial operation. The raw granite elements are mined in massive,
hefty blocks from the earth’s crust. It is the initial step in constructing a granite slab. Granite slabs
are obtained from quarries. Miners typically select quarries that are as close to the earth’s surface
as possible.
• To expose the granite, the layers of dirt above which the stones are produced are first removed.
After that, it is extracted from the earth using an open cast mining method. Drilling holes through
the granite and then using hydraulic hammers to separate the individual chunks of stone from their
surroundings is part of the procedure. Cranes are used to separate the blocks once they have been
identified.

6. Fabrication
• After the granite is mined, granite rough blocks of up to
10 tons of weight are moved to granite processing
units. In these facilities, these blocks are processed into
granite slabs which makes their handling easier.
• These slabs are then polished to give a smoother finish
to their surface. This process also highlights the natural
colors and patterns on them. Different types of
polishing machines are used for this. The most widely
done finishes are polished, brushed, flamed, Lepatora,
bush-hammered, honed, and leathered.

7. How Granite Slabs are Transformed
into Countertops?
• Once the slabs are polished, they are cut and
shaped given the specific specifications of the
countertops. This end-level processing of
granite slabs is done keeping in mind the exact
application of the granite countertops. For
example, if a granite countertop is supposed
to be installed in a commercial place, it would
be dealt with differently than a granite slab
meant for residential use.

8. How Granite Slabs are Transformed
into Countertops?
GRANITE: FROM QUARRIES TO YOUR HOME AND OFFICE-
• STAGE1-Granite blocks are extracted from the granite
quarries.
• STAGE2-These blocks are transported to facilities for further
cutting.
• STAGE 3-Shifted to various parts of the globe.
• STAGE 4-Polishing and additional finish are done to transform
them into usable countertops.
• STAGE 5-Stone handlers install the granite countertops at your
place.

9. • Granite is the most preferred material for
making countertops along with quartz. It is
the hard-wearing nature of this stone that
makes it a stone of choice for various
applications. Moreover, granite comes in a
plethora of colors which means one can
choose a particular granite that can match the
surrounding décor.

10. • THANKS!
• Any questions?
You can find us at www.ugm.co.in