Quartz is one of the hardest components of natural granite. Quartz rates seven out of 10 on Mohs Scale of Hardness. The only material harder are diamonds, sapphires and topaz. The quartz crystals are used to create a beautiful and strong surface that is highly scratch and impact resistant.
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The website of a major quartz manufacturer makes this statement about the durability of its product:
“[Company name] is much harder than granite or marble making it more durable. That means [company brand] is less likely to scratch, chip, or stain for years of worry-free service.”
Before we jump into a fact-check on hardness, it’s worth pausing to point out that hardness only relates to a surface’s resistance to being scratched. Hardness has little to do with chipping and nothing to do with staining.
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Is quartz surfacing much harder than granite? This is straightforward to verify using metal picks calibrated to different hardness on Mohs scale. In test cases where the sample contained large particles of mineral quartz, the individual quartz grains yielded a hardness of 7. The “matrix” material around the larger particles were generally 6 to 7, with some areas between 5 and 6. Larger pools of resin were between 5 and 6. On colors where the particles are uniform and fine-grained, the hardness fell in the range of 6 to 7.
How does that compare to granite? Mineral quartz has a hardness of 7. Feldspar has a hardness of 6 to 6.5. These two minerals make up somewhere between 100% and 90% of a standard commercial granite. Other typical minerals in granite could include hornblende (hardness 5-6), pyroxene (hardness 5-6), biotite (hardness 2.5-3), and garnet (hardness 6.5-8.5).
I analyzed samples from several different quartz manufacturers. The Cambria samples I tested were similar to, or slightly softer than granite. Are they “much harder?” No.
Looking at other brands yielded similar findings. The fine-grained matrix on Caesarstone colors such as Buttermilk, Lagos Blue, and Pebble had a hardness of between 5 and 6, while larger, individual quartz particles in coarse-grained varieties were 7. Pental samples were largely between 6 and 7, with a few spots in the 5-6 range. LG Viatera samples came in right around 6 or slightly less. Silestone Nebula colors were also between 5 and 6.
These results make sense. Particles of quartz are a hardness of 7, regardless of whether they are in a natural stone or a manmade composite. Polyester filler and binder materials are softer than quartz, which is reflected in the softer values in those areas of the slab.
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