Cut Stone Selection
Guide:
The following table summarise the quality of
and grading criteria applied by the Irish Limestone Producers and should be read in
conjunction with the detailed description of the various features. The presence of any of the following flaws will automatically reject
the Irish Blue Limestone for use as building material unless written instructions to the
contrary are received from the customer. Some of the features that would
automatically reject the 'blue' and 'black' beds on aesthetic grounds are unavoidable in
the 'shell' limestones and will not detract from its performance. The bracketed
symbol (*) indicates the features that may occasionally be found in the latter
| Automatic
Rejection Criteria |
Irish Blue
Limestone |
Unconsolidated patches, shear zones, non-homogenous grain
structure. (*)
Argillaceous bands or inclusions.
Cracks due to extraction.
Fine or coarse calcite veins that are not completely crystallised.
Stylolites that show evidence of poor bonding.
White masses with a surface area greater than 0.1 square meters (*).
White masses covering more than one fifth of the syrface area of panels or slabs with a
surface area less than or equal to 0.5 square metres (*). * Not applicable to 'shell' limestone |
| Continental
Europe Only |
| Limestone Cladding |
Larger well-bonded stylolites that isolate pockets that
fully penetrate thin panels. |
| Limestone Ashlar |
Stylolites that do not retain water but are:
- Situated less than 20 millimetres from the upper or lower
internal joint edge.
- Situated less than 40 millimetres from an exposed upper or
lower face.
|
|
