Sandstone
Density of sandstone
2,300 kg/m³ (2,000–2,650)
2.30 g/cm³ · 143.6 lb/ft³
Quartz grains held together by a cement of silica, calcite or clay, and it is the cement rather than the grains that decides how good it is: a silica-cemented sandstone lasts centuries, a clay-cemented one crumbles in a few frosts. It is porous, typically 5-25% void, which is why it holds most of the world's groundwater and oil and why sandstone paving stains so easily. It is laid on its natural bed in walls; set the wrong way up, it delaminates.
Properties
- Density
- 2,300 kg/m³ (2,000–2,650) — 2.30 g/cm³
- Tensile strength
- 2–10 MPa
- Young's modulus
- 20 GPa
- Thermal conductivity
- 2.3 W/(m·K)
- Hardness
- 6 Mohs
- Thermal expansion
- 10 µm/(m·K)
- Floats in water
- No
- Magnetic
- No
What it is used for
- Paving flags and walling stone
- Grindstones and sharpening stones
- Building restoration
- Aquifer and oil reservoir rock
How it compares
Water is 1,000 kg/m³. Anything with a shorter bar than water floats in it.
air 1.2 kg/m³
expanded polystyrene foam 20 kg/m³
rigid polyurethane foam 40 kg/m³
Water — the float line 1,000 kg/m³
sandstone 2,300 kg/m³
tungsten 19,250 kg/m³
gold 19,300 kg/m³
platinum 21,450 kg/m³
| Material | Density | Relative to water |
|---|---|---|
| rigid polyurethane foam | 40 kg/m³ | 0.04× |
| expanded polystyrene foam | 20 kg/m³ | 0.02× |
| air | 1.2 kg/m³ | 0.00× |
| sandstone ← | 2,300 kg/m³ | 2.30× |
| platinum | 21,450 kg/m³ | 21.45× |
| gold | 19,300 kg/m³ | 19.30× |
| tungsten | 19,250 kg/m³ | 19.25× |
Does it rust?
Sandstone contains no iron, so it cannot rust. Whether it degrades depends on the material, not on oxidation.
Is it magnetic?
Sandstone is not a metal and has no ferromagnetic response.
Common questions
- What is the density of sandstone?
- 2,300 kg/m³ (2,000–2,650), or 2.30 g/cm³.
- Does sandstone float?
- No. At 2,300 kg/m³ it is denser than water.
- Is sandstone magnetic?
- Sandstone is not a metal and has no ferromagnetic response.
Related pages
Sources
- United States Geological Survey — USGS (Public domain (US Government))