There is a lot to be said for building with natural stone: Natural stone is ecological and contains no harmful substances. Its original production no longer requires any energy and almost everywhere in the world natural stone can be used for building. Its physical properties are broadly based according to the number of types of stone, and there is a suitable natural stone for almost every building material requirement. It is non-combustible and requires neither waterproofing nor coatings or protective paints. The criticism that natural stone is expensive is also refuted by its long service life, low maintenance costs and a clear tendency on the market to offer more economical products.

But stones are also aesthetically impressive, every single one is unique. There are so many different colors, structures and surfaces that architects often find it difficult to make decisions. Therefore, the basic distinguishing features, the processes of creation, physical properties, examples of use and design variants should be known.

Natural stones are classified into three categories according to their age and the way they were created:

Magmatites (also known as magmatic rocks) such as Granite belong to the solidification rocks, they form the oldest group of natural stones and have been formed, for example, from liquid lava. Magmatic rock is considered particularly hard and dense. The oldest granite stone found to date was found in a meteorite, it was formed 4.53 billion years ago.

Sediments or sedimentary rocks such as Limestone and Sandstone originate from a more recent geological period and have formed from deposits on land or in water. Sedimentary rock is significantly softer than magmatite.

Metamorphic rock such as slate or Marble includes those types of stone that consist of sedimentary rock and have undergone a transformation process afterwards. They are formed, for example, by intense pressure or great heat during the formation of mountain ranges. These rock types belong to the most recent geological epoch. Slate was formed about 350 to 400 million years ago.