What Decides the Price of Marble and Granite per Metre

The stone: type, origin and grade

The type of stone is the starting point. Egyptian marbles such as Galala and Triesta, and local granites, come from quarries close to home, while imported stone carries shipping and import costs. Rare colours and stones with limited supply are priced differently from stones that are widely available.

Within one stone, the grade (فرز) matters. Blocks vary, and a first selection with a clean background, even colour and attractive veining is priced differently from a selection with more spots, hairline marks or colour changes. Quartz varies by maker and design, and veined designs differ from plain ones.

Thickness, and slabs versus tiles

Thicker pieces use more stone and weigh more, so they cost more to cut, move and fix. Worktops, stairs and floors often call for a different thickness than wall cladding. Some stones are also only available in certain thicknesses, which can change the choice for a particular job.

Ready-cut tiles in standard sizes are produced in volume. Large slabs and free sizes cut to your exact measurements take more handling and leave more offcuts, so they are priced on a different basis.

Finish, edges and cut-outs

Polished, honed, flamed, leathered and brushed finishes each need different processing, and some stones take one finish more easily than another. A leathered or brushed finish on granite, for example, adds steps compared with a standard polish.

Edges add work that is separate from the surface. A simple eased edge takes less time than a full rounded or doubled edge, and edges are usually counted by the running metre. Each cut-out for a sink, hob or tap is extra work, and an undermount sink opening also needs its edge polished.

Waste and vein matching

Every job has offcuts. A plain stone laid in any direction wastes less. A strongly veined stone, book-matched walls, or a floor where the veins must run one way can leave more of each slab unused.

Large single-piece worktops, L-shapes and islands also use slabs less efficiently than small pieces, because the shape has to fit inside a sound, well-matched part of the slab. Planning the layout on the slab before cutting keeps this waste as low as the design allows.

Stairs, special pieces and installation

Stairs are priced differently from flat floor areas because each step is made of separate pieces: the tread, the riser, the landing, and often skirting that follows the steps, with finished edges on each. Thresholds, window sills and wall copings are counted as pieces too.

Installation varies as well. A flat, ready floor is simpler than stairs, curved walls or cladding at height, which may need scaffolding and mechanical fixing. Removing old tiles or levelling a floor adds work.

Transport and access

Delivery depends on distance, the size and weight of the pieces, which floor they are going to, and whether there is a lift large enough for them. Long worktops that do not fit in a lift have to be carried up the stairs by hand, which needs more people and more time.

Heavy pieces such as thick stair treads or large cladding panels may need extra hands or lifting equipment, and narrow streets can limit the size of vehicle that reaches the door. Older buildings with tight stairwells are a common case, and we check access on the visit.

How to get a clear quote

The quickest way to an accurate figure is to send us what you have: measurements or a simple sketch, photos of the space, the floor and whether there is a lift, and the stone or look you like. We reply with a clear itemised quote that lists the stone, quantity, finish, edges, cut-outs and installation separately, so you can see what each part covers.

If you are comparing offers, ask each shop to list the same items. That way you compare like with like, not one total against another.