Stone

Indian marble and granite — varieties, origins and where each belongs

Stone is sold by quarry and origin rather than by brand. What the main Indian varieties are, and which surface each actually suits.

There are no brands here, only quarries

Marble and granite are named for where they come out of the ground. "Makrana" is a town in Nagaur district, Rajasthan; "Black Galaxy" is a granite from Andhra Pradesh. Nobody manufactures them, so there is no product line to compare — the variety, the block it was cut from, and the finish are the whole specification.

The main Indian marbles

Rajasthan produces Makrana — dense, fine-grained, the marble of the Taj Mahal, and one of the few that ages rather than dulls — along with Rajnagar White, Banswara and Wonder Beige. Gujarat produces Ambaji White, a creamy white with a fine grain. Madhya Pradesh produces Katni and Morwad White. Andhra Pradesh produces the green marbles and onyx.

The main Indian granites

Blacks include Absolute Black, Black Galaxy, Black Forest and Jet Black. Whites include Kashmir White, Imperial White, River White and Viscon White. Browns run Tan Brown, Coffee Brown, Desert Brown and Ivory Brown; greens include Hassan, Kuppam and Apple Green.

Marble or granite is mostly a question of what you spill

Granite is harder and does not react to acid. Marble is calcium carbonate, so lemon, vinegar and many cleaners etch it — the mark is a dulled patch, not a stain, and it cannot be wiped off. That single fact decides most kitchen countertops in favour of granite, whatever the showroom sample looks like.

What to actually do

Kitchen countertop: granite, or an engineered quartz. Marble in an Indian kitchen meets lemon and tamarind within a week and etches.
Flooring: marble is softer and warmer underfoot and takes a mirror polish, which is why it belongs in living rooms rather than entrances. Granite handles the traffic at the door.
Buy from the same block, not just the same variety name. "Ambaji White" from two blocks can differ visibly, and the mismatch only appears once the floor is laid.
Ask the thickness. 16 mm and 18 mm slabs are both sold as standard; the thinner one costs less and needs more support under a countertop overhang.
Get it sealed. Both stones are porous — granite less so — and an unsealed slab under a kitchen tap darkens in patches within a year.

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