Glossary of stone and materials terms
Stones and materials
Dimension stone حجر البناء الطبيعي
Natural stone quarried and then cut or split to specific sizes and shapes, such as blocks, slabs or cut-to-size pieces, for building and design.
Limestone الحجر الجيري
A sedimentary rock made mainly of calcium carbonate; many limestones formed from the shells and skeletal fragments of marine organisms.
Travertine الترافرتين
A form of limestone deposited by mineral springs; its natural cavities can be left open (unfilled) or filled for a closed surface.
Marble الرخام
Geologically, a metamorphic rock of recrystallised carbonate minerals. In the stone trade the word is also used for some limestones that take a polish, so the trade name alone does not define the rock type.
Basalt البازلت
A dark, fine-grained volcanic rock formed from cooled lava.
Shell stone الحجر الصدفي
A limestone rich in visible shell forms and fossil fragments; the size and density of the shell forms give each shell stone its character.
Fossil limestone الحجر الجيري الأحفوري
Limestone in which fossils remain visible in the cut surface, from fine fragments to large, expressive fossil forms.
Coquina الكوكينا
A sedimentary rock made mostly of shell fragments that are only loosely cemented together.
Aleppo stone (Halabi stone) الحجر الحلبي
A heritage and trade name for the pale limestone quarried around Aleppo and used across the city’s historic buildings. As a name it does not specify a single quarry or grade.
Hauran basalt البازلت الحوراني
Basalt from the volcanic Hauran region of southern Syria, the dark building stone of historic towns such as Bosra.
Finishes
Raw finish تشطيب خام
Left as cut, without further finishing: the most natural, slightly rough surface.
Honed finish تشطيب مطفي
Ground flat to a smooth matte or satin surface, without gloss.
Polished finish تشطيب مصقول
Ground and buffed to a reflective gloss that deepens the colour; more slippery when wet than a matte surface.
Antique finish تشطيب معتّق
A softly worn, textured surface with an aged look, typically produced by brushing or tumbling.
Flamed finish تشطيب محروق
The surface is roughened with intense heat, giving a textured, grippy finish often chosen for outdoor paving and steps.
Filled (travertine) معبّأ المسام (ترافرتين)
The natural cavities are filled, usually with resin or cement, for a closed and even surface.
Unfilled (travertine) غير معبّأ المسام (ترافرتين)
The natural cavities are left open, showing the stone’s full texture.
Colour-treated surface سطح معالَج لونياً
A surface treatment that presents or deepens the stone’s colour. Phoenician Stone Group uses it on naturally black basalt to emphasise its black appearance; ask our team about the treatment for your project.
Formats
Block كتلة
A large, roughly squared piece of stone as extracted from the quarry, from which slabs and cut-to-size pieces are sawn.
Slab لوح
A large, flat piece sawn from a block, used for cladding, worktops or cutting into smaller pieces.
Cut to size حسب المقاس
Stone cut to the exact dimensions specified for a project.
Specification and trade
Reference sample العيّنة المرجعية
A sample agreed by buyer and supplier as the benchmark for colour, texture and finish, kept by both sides so production can be judged against it.
Water absorption امتصاص الماء
The amount of water a stone takes up, measured with a standard test such as EN 13755; it helps compare how porous stones are.
Apparent density الكثافة الظاهرية
The mass of a stone per unit of volume including its pores, determined with a standard test such as EN 1936.
Slip resistance مقاومة الانزلاق
How well a surface resists slipping. It depends strongly on the finish: flamed and textured finishes give more grip than polished ones.
Pre-shipment inspection الفحص قبل الشحن
Checking quantity, dimensions, finish and packing against the order and the reference sample before the goods leave.
Quarry المقلع
A site where stone is extracted from the ground, usually in large blocks.
Minerals and masterbatch
Calcium carbonate كربونات الكالسيوم
The chemical compound CaCO3, the main component of limestone and marble; ground calcium carbonate is widely used as a filler in plastics, paints and construction materials.
Silica السيليكا
Silicon dioxide (SiO2), found in nature mainly as quartz sand; an industrial raw material for glass, construction and many other uses.
Kaolin الكاولين
A white clay rich in the mineral kaolinite, used in ceramics, paper, paints and plastics.
Natural rock asphalt الأسفلت الصخري الطبيعي
A carbonate rock naturally impregnated with bitumen, used without refining as a natural asphalt modifier for paving, waterproofing and construction materials.
Masterbatch الماستر باتش
A concentrated mixture of pigments or additives in a carrier resin, added to plastic during processing to colour it or give it other properties.
Colour masterbatch ماستر باتش ملوّن
Masterbatch that carries pigments to colour a plastic part.
Additive masterbatch ماستر باتش الإضافات
Masterbatch that carries functional additives, for example UV stabilisers, to change how a plastic behaves.