Buying stone and benchtops from China

What to spec

• Material and slab code: natural marble, granite or quartzite, porcelain or sintered stone.
• Thickness, edge profile and mitred returns.
• Every cut-out from the real sink, tap and cooktop spec sheets.
• Integrated basins or sinks carved from the same stone, if wanted.
• Offcuts sent with the delivery, for repairs and small items.

Which stone, where

Every stone that can ship from a Foshan or Yunfu factory, rated for the places it goes. Good: built for it. Careful: it works if you accept the trade-off (etching, staining, chipping or upkeep). Avoid: wrong stone for the job. Engineered stone is not on the list: it cannot be imported.

Each stone, plainly

• Porcelain slab: Fired clay pressed into large thin slabs, usually 6 to 12 mm, with the pattern printed on the face. Good: Shrugs off heat, UV, stains and scratches. Works inside and out, on benches, walls and floors. Watch: The pattern is on the surface, so edges and sink cut-outs show the plain body unless they are mitred. Edges chip under a hard knock; it needs an experienced fabricator. Care: Wipe down. No sealing.
• Sintered stone: Natural minerals compressed and fired at very high heat into a dense slab. Good: Very hard, heat-proof, UV-stable and non-porous. Good indoors and out, including outdoor kitchens. Watch: Like porcelain: brittle edges, and the pattern can be surface-deep. Costs more than most engineered stone. Care: Wipe down. No sealing.
• Marble: Natural calcium-based stone with soft movement and veining. Soft: about 3 on the Mohs scale. Good: Nothing else looks like it. Ages into a patina. Stays cool. Can be carved into integrated sinks and basins. Watch: Lemon, vinegar, wine and some cleaners etch dull marks into it, and it scratches. Stains if not sealed. Honed hides etching better than polished. Care: Seal every 1 to 2 years, wipe up acids quickly, pH-neutral cleaner only.
• Quartzite: Sandstone turned to rock under heat and pressure. Harder than granite. Good: Has the look of marble with far more toughness: resists heat, scratching and etching. Watch: Some stones sold as "soft quartzite" are really dolomite or marble. Test a sample with lemon juice and try to scratch it with glass before you buy. Still slightly porous. Care: Seal every 1 to 2 years.
• Granite: Natural igneous stone, speckled or flecked rather than veined. Good: Hard, heat-resistant and hard-wearing, inside and out. Low maintenance once sealed. Watch: The look is busier and more traditional than marble or quartzite. Care: Seal every few years.
• Dolomite: A natural stone between marble and quartzite in hardness. Good: Marble looks with a little more resistance to etching and scratching. Watch: Still etches and scratches, just more slowly than marble. Care: Seal every 1 to 2 years.
• Travertine: A natural limestone formed around hot springs, with its trademark holes. Sold filled or unfilled, honed or tumbled. Good: Warm, textured and timeless. Tumbled and unfilled finishes grip well underfoot, so it suits floors and pool surrounds. Watch: Porous and soft: etches with acids, and the holes collect grime on a bench. Care: Seal, and fill or re-fill holes on wet floors.
• Limestone: Soft, fine-grained natural stone with quiet movement. Good: Calm, matt and natural. Beautiful on walls, floors and fireplaces. Watch: Soft and porous: etches, stains and scratches. Some limestones weather outdoors. Care: Seal, pH-neutral cleaner only.
• Onyx: A translucent banded stone that glows when light passes through it. Good: Dramatic: backlit bar fronts, feature walls, a powder-room vanity. Watch: Soft and brittle, etches easily, and costs a lot. A feature, never a workhorse. Care: Seal, handle with care.
• Terrazzo: Chips of stone or glass set in cement or resin, ground smooth. Good: Playful, hard-wearing on floors, and endlessly varied. Watch: Cement terrazzo is porous; resin terrazzo is not heat-proof. Care: Seal cement terrazzo.

What it costs landed

On the house we fitted out, all honed marble, with integrated basins, came to $26,739 at the factory gate across 24 lines. The kitchen's long-wall benchtop was $4,493 and the island $3,838.

Elje estimate, October 2026. Not yet from a delivered job; replaced with real landed numbers as jobs land.

What to check

• No engineered stone. The ban on its use, supply and manufacture took effect on 1 July 2024. Porcelain and sintered stone with under 1 percent crystalline silica are outside it.
• Crates: ISPM 15, with every slab blocked and strapped.
• Inspection: chips on edges, colour match across slabs, cut-out positions against the drawings.

Mistakes we have seen

• Cutting to the architect's drawings instead of the built joinery. Measure after the carcasses are in, or accept the risk in writing.
• Natural stone sold as one colour when the slabs vary. Approve the actual slabs by photo.
• Forgetting that a local fabricator still has to fit, join and seal on site.

Questions