GRANITE, MARBLE, SOAPSTONE, QUARTZITE AND QUARTZ COUNTERTOPS FOR MOH’S SCALE
Mohs hardness scale measures different materials for their hardness. According to this scale, soapstone is the softest natural stone material for countertops at the hardness rate at two. Limestone is another material which would be very soft. We did not include that in this article as it is not very common.
Marble countertops have different hardness for mohs. Most common is around 4, that is why we took that as the base. Some Brazilian marble would be close to 5 in hardness. Granite is one of the hardest natural stone materials. Granite hardness would be 6 and over. It would not be possible to scratch granite countertops using a knife. It would be possible to scratch granite with another granite, with quartzite, with diamond.
Quartzite countertops are a little bit interesting. Some quartzite countertops are considered as soft quartzite. Soft quartzsite would compare with marble in terms of hardness. On the other hand, hard quartzite would be very hard, even harder than granite. It would not be possible to scratch quartzite countertops with knife razor blades, or glass.
Hardness of the stone is not the only item to be considered in purchasing your next countertops. For example, quartz countertops are not very hard, but they are very durable, and stain resistant. Quartzite countertops are very hard, But they are very absorbent making them more prone to staining. Quartzite countertops would need to be resealed every so often for this reason.