EN 1468:2022

Natural stone - Rough slabs - Requirements

This document specifies requirements for rough slabs of natural stone from which products for use in buildings or commemorative stones and other similar applications are made.
It does not cover artificially agglomerated stony material nor installation.

Naturstein - Rohplatten - Anforderungen

Dieses Dokument legt Anforderungen an Rohplatten aus Naturstein fest, aus denen Erzeugnisse zur Anwendung im Bauwesen oder für Denkmale oder andere ähnliche Anwendungen hergestellt werden.
Es ist weder für künstlich hergestelltes Gesteinsmaterial noch für die Verlegung anzuwenden.

Pierres naturelles - Tranches brutes - Exigences

Le présent document spécifie les exigences relatives aux tranches brutes de pierre naturelle à partir desquelles sont fabriqués des produits destinés à être utilisés dans les bâtiments, les monuments commémoratifs ou d’autres applications similaires.
Il ne couvre pas les pierres artificielles agglomérées ni la mise en œuvre.

Naravni kamen - Surove plošče - Zahteve

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 01-Nov-2022
• ICS: 73.020 - Mining and quarrying
• ICS: 91.100.15 - Mineral materials and products
• Technical Committee: CEN/TC 246 - Natural stones
• Drafting Committee: CEN/TC 246/WG 3 - Product specifications
• Current Stage: 6060 - Definitive text made available (DAV) - Publishing
• Start Date: 02-Nov-2022
• Due Date: 05-Jan-2023
• Completion Date: 02-Nov-2022
• Ref Project: SIST EN 1468:2022 - Natural stone - Rough slabs - Requirements

Relations

• Replaces: EN 1468:2012 - Natural stone - Rough slabs - Requirements
• Effective Date: 09-Sep-2020

Overview

EN 1468:2022 - Natural stone - Rough slabs - Requirements (CEN) specifies the technical and conformity requirements for rough slabs of natural stone intended as semi‑finished material for building products, commemorative stones and similar applications. It supersedes EN 1468:2012 (approved September 2022) and specifically excludes artificially agglomerated stone and installation work.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope & exclusions: Covers geometric, surface and material characteristics of natural stone rough slabs; does not cover agglomerated materials or installation.
• Measurement: Dimensional measurement rules reference EN 13373; lengths and widths reported to two decimal places (m), thickness in mm.
• Geometric characteristics:
  • Thickness tolerances (examples from the standard):
    • up to 15 mm: ±1.5 mm

    • 15 mm up to 30 mm: ±10%

    • 30 mm up to 80 mm: ±3 mm

    • 80 mm: ±5 mm

  • Flatness: deviation ≤ 0.2% of slab length and ≤ 3 mm (split/riven faces may have manufacturer-declared tolerances).
• Surface finish: Requirements for sawn, split, hammer‑type, flamed, sand‑blasted and machine‑tooled finishes; saw grooves limited (≤2 mm, ≤1 mm if slab will be polished). Surface finishing must extend to the commercial size.
• Declared material properties:
  • Denomination (name, petrological family, colour, origin) per EN 12440; petrographic exam per EN 12407.
  • Apparent density and open porosity per EN 1936 (always declared).
  • Flexural strength per EN 12372 or EN 13161 (mean, lower expected value and standard deviation declared).
• Marking & packaging: Each consignment must show stone denomination, mass and quantity, dimensions (gross and commercial at least) and shape. Slabs must be clean; packaging must not contaminate or stain surfaces.
• Conformity & factory production control (FPC): Type testing required (initial, on new stone types or significant material changes); permanent FPC with records retained for at least 2 years. Annex A gives sampling guidance.

Applications and users

• Who uses EN 1468:2022:
  • Natural stone manufacturers and millers
  • Stone suppliers and exporters
  • Architects, specifiers and engineers selecting raw stone for cladding, flooring, memorials
  • Testing laboratories and conformity assessors
  • Procurement officers and regulators requiring harmonised European product data
• Practical value: Ensures consistent dimensional quality, documented material properties (density, porosity, strength) and traceable conformity - critical for downstream production (cutting, polishing, fabrication) and for meeting project performance requirements.

Related standards

• EN 12440, EN 12407, EN 1936, EN 12372, EN 13161, EN 13373
• Related product standards: EN 1467, EN 1469, EN 12057, EN 12058, EN 12059

Keywords: EN 1468:2022, natural stone, rough slabs, CEN, thickness tolerances, surface finish, density, porosity, flexural strength, factory production control.

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-december-2022
Nadomešča:
SIST EN 1468:2012
Naravni kamen - Surove plošče - Zahteve
Natural stone - Rough slabs - Requirements
Naturstein - Rohplatten - Anforderungen
Pierres naturelles - Tranches brutes - Exigences
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 1468:2022
ICS:
91.100.15 Mineralni materiali in izdelki Mineral materials and
products
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EN 1468
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
November 2022
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 73.020; 91.100.15 Supersedes EN 1468:2012
English Version
Natural stone - Rough slabs - Requirements
Pierres naturelles - Tranches brutes - Exigences Naturstein - Rohplatten - Anforderungen
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 19 September 2022.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2022 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN 1468:2022 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
European foreword . 3
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Requirements . 6
4.1 Requirements for geometric characteristics . 6
4.2 Requirements of natural stones for rough slabs . 8
5 Marking, packaging . 9
6 Evaluation of conformity and factory production control . 9
6.1 Evaluation for conformity . 9
6.2 Type testing . 9
6.3 Factory production control . 10
Annex A (informative) Sampling . 12
Bibliography . 16

European foreword
This document (EN 1468:2022) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 246 “Natural
stones”, the secretariat of which is held by UNI.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by May 2023, and conflicting national standards shall be
withdrawn at the latest by May 2023.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This document supersedes EN 1468:2012.
The main technical changes in comparison to EN 1468:2012 are:
— addition of Note 1 to definition 3.4 “commercial size of a rough slab”;
— requirements for the Factory Production Control (FPC), including specimens for testing, are
presented in greater detail in 6.3.1.
This document is one of a series of standards for requirements of natural stone products which includes
the following:
— EN 1467, Natural stone — Rough blocks — Requirements
— EN 1468, Natural stone — Rough slabs — Requirements
— EN 1469, Natural stone products — Slabs for cladding — Requirements
— EN 12057, Natural stone products — Modular tiles — Requirements
— EN 12058, Natural stone products — Slabs for floors and stairs — Requirements
— EN 12059+A1, Natural stone products — Dimensional stone work — Requirements
Other standards on natural stone are produced by:
a) CEN/TC 178
1) EN 1341, Slabs of natural stone for external paving — Requirements and test methods
2) EN 1342, Setts of natural stone for external paving — Requirements and test methods
3) EN 1343, Kerbs of natural stone for external paving — Requirements and test methods
b) CEN/TC 128
1) EN 12326-1, Slate and stone products for discontinuous roofing and cladding — Part 1: Product
specification
2) EN 12326-2, Slate and stone products for discontinuous roofing and cladding — Part 2: Methods
of test for slate and carbonate slate
c) CEN/TC 125
1) EN 771-6, Specification for masonry units — Part 6: Natural stone masonry units
Other standards are relevant to stone aggregates for concrete, roads, railways and armourstone.
Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national standards body.
A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CEN website.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia,
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland,
Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North
Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United
Kingdom.
1 Scope
This document specifies requirements for rough slabs of natural stone from which products for use in
buildings or commemorative stones and other similar applications are made.
It does not cover artificially agglomerated stony material nor installation.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
NOTE Besides the European Standards for test methods mentioned in this clause there exist further standards
which can be used for scientific examinations, but which are not relevant for the application in practice according
to this document.
EN 1936, Natural stone test methods — Determination of real density and apparent density, and of total
and open porosity
EN 12372, Natural stone test methods — Determination of flexural strength under concentrated load
EN 12407, Natural stone test methods — Petrographic examination
EN 12440, Natural stone — Denomination criteria
EN 12670:2019, Natural stone — Terminology
EN 13161, Natural stone test methods — Determination of flexural strength under constant moment
EN 13373, Natural stone test methods — Determination of geometric characteristics on units
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in EN 12670:2019 and the following
apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
dimensions of a rough slab
length, width (height) and thickness of a rough slab
Note 1 to entry: Dimensions are given in metres to two decimal places for length and width, and in millimetres for
thickness.
3.2
gross size of a rough slab
size corresponding to the minimum circumscribed rectangle
3.3
net size of a rough slab
size corresponding to the greatest inscribed rectangle
3.4
commercial size of a rough slab
size obtained by reducing net length and net width by 0,03 m
Note 1 to entry: The determination of the net and commercial dimensions of nonrectangular rough slabs can be
agreed mutually.
3.5
rough slabs
flat surface semi-finished product with unfinished edges obtained by sawing or splitting from a rough
block
3.6
bush hammered finish
finish obtained by using a bush hammer (percussion tool for roughening a surface, with a square head
and with few pyramidal percussion teeth or points) or a bush hammering machine (machine consisting
of feed rolls and an overhanging beam, supporting a pneumatic bush hammer)
[SOURCE: EN 12670:2019, 3.3.12, modified — Notes 1 and 2 to entry added to the definition]
3.7
flamed finish
surface texture obtained by thermal treatment of the stone using a high temperature flame
[SOURCE: EN 12670:2019, 3.3.39]
3.8
sand blasted finish
matt finishing resulting from the impact of the sand or other abrasive grains expelled by a sand jet
[SOURCE: EN 12670:2019, 3.3.70]
3.9
machine tooled finish
a) finish resulting from the mechanical surface treatment with tools;
b) dressed finish clearly showing tool marks
[SOURCE: EN 12670:2019, 3.3.85]
4 Requirements
4.1 Requirements for geometric characteristics
4.1.1 Measurement criteria
All measurements shall be carried out in accordance with EN 13373 and indicated in metres to two
decimal places.
4.1.2 Requirements for thickness
The thickness shall not deviate from the nominal thickness by more than the tolerances given in Table 1.
Table 1 — Tolerances of the nominal thickness
Nominal thickness Tolerance
mm
up to 15 ±1,5 mm
more than 15
±10 %
up to and including 30
more than 30
±3 mm
up to and including 80
more than 80 ±5 mm
Stricter tolerances may be declared by the manufacturer.
For natural stone cleft/riven faces, the tolerances on thickness shall be declared by the manufacturer.
4.1.3 Requirements for flatness
The deviation of the surface from flatness shall not exceed 0,2 % of the slab length and shall not exceed
3 mm. For split rough slabs, the tolerance on flatness shall be declared by the manufacturer.
Stricter tolerances may also be declared by the manufacturer.
4.1.4 Requirements for surface finish
4.1.4.1 General
Surface finishes shall be carried out at least to the edges of the commercial size of rough slabs.
The surface finishing of some types of stones may typically involve the use of patching, fillers or other
similar products for natural holes, faults or cracks, and this is to be considered as part of the normal
processing.
In such cases, the type of treatment, as well as the type and nature of additional materials, shall be
declared.
The surface profile obtained by splitting shall be within declared tolerances.
4.1.4.2 Requirements for surfaces obtained by sawing
Grooves caused by sawing operations shall not have a depth greater than 2 mm. If the rough slab is to be
polished, the grooves’ depth shall not be greater than 1 mm.
Deviation from flatness shall be in accordance with 4.1.3.
4.1.4.3 Requirements for surfaces after surface finishing
Surfaces shall have a regular appearance as a function of the finishing process, and shall be worked to
meet the specified finish (e.g. making reference to samples, see 4.2.2) on all exposed surfaces.
NOTE 1 Surfaces obtained by means of hammer type tools are, for example:
— bush hammered finish (see 3.6);
— trimmed surfaces: finish obtained by using a pointed chisel and mallet or a grooving machine;
— striated surfaces: finish obtained by using a claw chisel (percussion tool for roughening a surface, with the
cutting end covered by several teeth of various sizes) or a ruling machine.
NOTE 2 Surfaces obtained by other finishing operations are, for example:
— flamed finish (see 3.7);
— sand blasted finish (see 3.8);
— water jet streamed finish: a matt textured surface finish, accomplished by exposing the surface to a steady jet
of water under pressure;
— machine tooled finish (see 3.9);
— riven cut finish: rugged surface produced by splitting stone with a guillotine or chisel.
4.2 Requirements of natural stones for rough slabs
4.2.1 General
The following characteristics shall be declared where requested by this document, or with reference to
use conditions.
The declared values shall be representative of the current production. However, due to natural variations
of the stone materials, deviations from the declared values may occur. Expected deviations shall be
indicated by the manufacturer.
Rough slabs of natural stones may be back reinforced and reinforced by artificial resins.
The possibility that stone processing is likely to change the characteristics of the raw material (e.g. in
consequence of strong bush hammering of the surface, of flaming or heating, of back reinforcing the slabs,
or because of the use of artificial patching, fillers or other similar products for natural holes, faults, cracks
and similar) shall be considered when determining the characteristics requested by this document.
4.2.2 Denomination
The denomination (traditional name, petrological family, typical colour and place of origin) shall always
be declared in accordance with EN 12440.
...