Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Building Stone

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

  • 236 Accesses

Synonyms

Dimension stone; Natural stone

Definition

Building stone is a generic term referring to all naturally occurring rock (natural stone , as defined by BSI 2002) used in the building construction industry, including a wide variety of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. If after quarrying, the rock has been selected and cut to specific sizes and shapes, it is referred as dimension stone (ASTM 2016).

The availability and durability of stones has made them a major contributor to the legacy of human history. Stones were widely used as structural elements , mostly as irregularly shaped large blocks usually closely fitted (without binders), in the construction of temples, monuments, fortifications, aqueducts, bridges, and housing.

Due to the development and technological improvement of tools and machinery, presently, building stones are quarried in large scale as regularly shaped blocks that can be cut into a wide choice of slab thicknesses and...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • American Society for Testing and Material (2012) C1528–12 standard guide for selection of dimension stone. ASTM, West Conshohocken, 7 p

    Google Scholar 

  • American Society for Testing and Material (2016) C119–16 standard terminology relating to dimension stone. ASTM, West Conshohocken, 7 p

    Google Scholar 

  • BSI – British Standard Institution (2002) BS EN 12670: natural stone – terminology. BSI, London, 49p

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingham J (2011) Geomaterials under the microscope: a colour guide, 1st edn. CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group, Boca Raton, 192 p

    Google Scholar 

  • Winkler EM (1997) Stone in architecture: properties, durability, 3rd edn. Springer, Berlin, 313 p

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MHB Geological Services, Rua Monte Alegre, 1347, 05014-002, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Maria Heloisa Barros de Oliveira Frascá

  2. Kistemann & Chiodi – Consultancy and Projects, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

    Cid Chiodi Filho

Authors
  1. Maria Heloisa Barros de Oliveira Frascá
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Cid Chiodi Filho
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria Heloisa Barros de Oliveira Frascá .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Kanata, Ontario, Canada

    Peter T. Bobrowsky

  2. London, United Kingdom

    Brian Marker

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG

About this entry

Cite this entry

Frascá, M.H., Filho, C.C. (2016). Building Stone. In: Bobrowsky, P., Marker, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_37-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_37-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-12127-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation