The mystery surrounding the pricing of marble, granite, quartzite and other natural stone finishes can be frustrating for buyers. Prices are rarely listed. If they are listed, they’re incomplete or different than published. WHY!
While it is not possible to provide all the pricing here, I will share insight into what drives the cost, from an importer/fabricator/installer’s point of view.
1. Stone
The square foot price of raw material is only one of many components of a complete quote for any project.
It helps to think of stone as a commodity on the open market. Gold, Silver, US Dollars, Brazilian Reals, Euros, Rupees, Yuan, wheat, corn, and potatoes… These commodities fluctuate in price minute to minute, day by day, year over year, based on supply and demand. The same goes for stone.
There are thousands of natural stone quarries scattered throughout the world. Most of the stones our customers prefer, come from Italy, Brazil, India, Sweden, Botswana, Canada, Greece, Turkey and Nimibia. All of these countries determine their own pricing, customs/duties, that fluctuate based on supply and demand.
Currently Saudi Arabia and other wealthy foreign countries, corporations and people, are buying Calacatta Gold, Calacatta Borghini and many of the same colors that are also in high demand in the USA.
While these materials are not traded at the CBOT or the New York Stock Exchange, they are traded in our tiny industry. Honesty and respect, haggling, finesse, language skills, international experience and knowledge of who is who, is valuable.
Currency markets also affect prices. The Euro goes up, prices go up. The Dollar goes up, prices go down.
War, strife, geopolitics and human flow. – These things all have bearing on international trade. – We are all connected and pay for each other’s challenges, and successes, via pricing for raw materials.
2. Quarries
There are thousands of stones suitable for countertops and other interior finishes. Each one has a variable price, a unique story and a colorful history.
a. Condition of the quarry – Some quarries are high up on the peak of a mountain.
b. Some are underground beneath meters of dirt and gravel.
c. Others are in remote areas, far from civilization.
d. Some have snow cover for half the year and are only open for a few months at a time.
e. Many are in caves that fill with water and shut down for periods of time.
f. Quarries are often hit or miss. Geographers are paid to interpret the land and locate stone beneath the earth by studying maps, flying over potential sites or walking ground that looks promising.
Sometimes quarries have up to 95% waste and limited successful production. Others are bonanzas like bUa tuba, Absolute black and Carrara White
g. Still others change from a stunning color that everyone wants, to another color that might take time to be appreciated, or just fades away.
h. And others start solid and perfect for counters, and then change to cracked and impossible to use – and so disappear forever.
Quarries are a risky business.
3. Transport - From All reaches of Earth to your Home
– During Covid, transportation costs sextupled. Why? Lack of workers, Oil prices, Price gouging. At this time, prices are still at 2 to 3 times what they were in 2019. Other transport factors include:
a. Trucking blocks from quarry to slabbing facilities. Distance/Road quality/ Traffic
b. Trucking from slabbing facilities to shipping ports . “
c. Transport from port to inland locations either by train or truck – usually both
d. The prices of oil affects these modes of transport
e. Crating must be designed to prevent damage over long distances over water and land. This is usually done with wood, an expensive commodity in some countries like Italy, where trees are scarce.
f. Most shipments arrive intact, but some damage and loss is inevitable over the long run.
g. The USA requires all wood entering the country be treated for parasites and sometimes fumigates crates at the owner’s expense.
h. Payment of USA Customs and duties are required for all stones entering the country before release to the importer. Each type of stone carries a different customs percentage cost that must be factored into the total cost. Governments change. Duties change. Prices change.
4. Fabrication
a. Stone is cut with diamonds and water and expensive heavy machinery. While we recycle our water, diamonds are our best friend – but they cost. The harder the stone the more diamonds and time are needed to cut it. Quartzite is harder than granite. Granite is harder than quartz. Marble is harder than limestone. It takes three passes to cut quartzite=3 times the amount of time, diamonds and water.
b. Fabrication entails knowing the inherent flaws of every stone. The more decorative the stone, generally, the more flaws. Heavily veined stones usually require some level of work, especially reinforcement either on the surface, inside, or both. Recoloring vein fill is also an art that cannot be rushed. Touch ups are inevitable.
c. Stone is purchased by the slab, that comes from a block. Slabs of natural stone are all different sizes. So when determining how many slabs a project requires the slab sizes must be taken into consideration.
d. Aesthetics – Full slabs that catch a customer’s eye look beautiful. But consideration must be given to the aesthetics of the final installment after the slabs are cut up. Sometimes another slab is required to achieve a cohesive look, even though there is enough square footage from one slab, in theory. Other times finding the right vein connections takes time and struggle to achieve the beauty the customer expects. You can’t cut randomly. Aesthetics are key.
e. Waste – sometimes a customer has to buy two slabs when they only need 1-1/2 This drives the price up. At Blue Pearl we only charge for the part of the slab that is cut. But keep in mind, if we have to source from a local supplier we charge for the number of slabs that we have to purchase. If we have another use for the leftover we discount outsourced materials. Sometimes customers find a use for their remainders. On the other hand, costs of labor to fabricate and install, are based on delivered square footage only, not full slabs.
f. Other items that add to the cost include: special edging, radiuses, miters, back polishing, anchoring, changing the finish, cutouts for sinks, outlets, and time intensive labor items like fireplaces, integrated sinks, and trim work.
g. Bottom line – Every stone and every project is an individual in and unto itself.
5. Installation
a. When calculating cost of labor we have to know how many people will be required to lift 100, 200, 800, 1000 lbs and put a piece into place. Sometimes that can mean up to 8 or 10 people, + any special equipment or added time for parking, distance, and elevator usage.
b. How many trips will it take to transport all of the pieces? Will everything be ready for us to measure on the same day? When a project includes a kitchen, multiple bathrooms, a fireplace and other work, we normally assume not everything will be ready for installation on the same day. How many stairs up or down? Can we turn a tight corner or do we have to add a seam or lift through a window. All important considerations.
c. Stone is one of the last materials to be installed in construction. Stone follows cabinetry , drywall and sometimes paint and wallpaper – don’t scratch any walls! By the time projects are ready for us to measure, workers may have gotten raises, price of oil may change, material prices might change. Delays are inevitable. Larger projects can take many months or even more than year before they are ready for stone. And stone companies are expected to perform immediately to help make up for lost time. Overtime is a given.
The stone industry is a unique luxury niche of the construction industry. It is constantly affected by world forces, local design aesthetics, and tight building schedules. The best companies in the industry know how to navigate international markets, to hire and keep expert employees, to find and deliver the best materials, how to communicate in various languages, as well as how to be creative, savvy, and efficient with time. These are just a few of the things that affect cost and price. There are many more. Every stone has a unique story, a beauty, a flaw, as do all of us who work in the industry.
Question: What is the square foot price of a stone, you ask? Answer: It depends. But I hope this helps you appreciate that a good answer requires more information, in order to get the best price, and insure the best outcome for your project.
Respectfully,
T. Fister – Owner- Blue Pearl Stone
