How to distinguish between Engineered stone and quartz stone?

What is artificial stone?

Artificial stone is a mineral-filled polymer composite material made from natural mineral powder, high-performance resins, and natural pigments through vacuum casting or molding. It can be divided into artificial calcium carbonate panels, aluminum hydroxide panels, acrylic, composite acrylic, artificial granite, and quartz stone. Among these, Engineered stone(artificial granite) and quartz stone have hardness and appearance comparable to natural stone. Today, we will mainly discuss the differences between Engineered stone(artificial granite) and quartz stone and how to distinguish them!

 

Engineered stone, also known as synthetic stone or reconstituted stone, uses natural marble chips and powder as its main raw materials. Mosaic, shells, and glass can also be added as decorative elements. Using organic resin as a binder, the material is processed through vacuum mixing and high-pressure vibration to form blocks. These blocks are then cured at room temperature (for more than 7 days), sawed, ground, and polished to produce slabs.

 

Quartz stone is composed of over 90% quartz sand and 10% resin. It is named quartz stone because its raw materials contain up to 93% quartz sand. Both are manufactured into slabs through processes such as vacuuming, high-pressure treatment, kiln heating and curing, sawing, grinding, and polishing.

 

 

Compared to quartz stone, engineered stone (or agglomerated stone) has lower hardness and less wear resistance. However, it has a finer texture, is cheaper, and can be used for more complex designs.

 

Methods for distinguishing between engineered Stone and natural quartz:
Some people say to scratch it with a knife, others suggest using acid...
These methods work, but is there a simpler way for someone who doesn't know much about stones or chemistry to easily distinguish between genuine and fake?
Yes! Just look at the back! The back of genuine quartz stone is polished with a rotating disc, resulting in curved scratches that are clearly visible.
The back of engineered stone is relatively smooth. It's cut horizontally, resulting in faint straight lines or no scratches at all. Therefore, if the back has curved scratches, it's genuine quartz; if the back has straight lines or no scratches, it's engineered stone.