---
title: "Sandstone — density, melting point and properties"
description: "Sandstone has a density of 2,300 kg/m³ (2,000–2,650). Melting point, strength, conductivity, what it is used for, and whether it floats, rusts or is magnetic."
url: https://atoneplace.net/material/sandstone/
site: "At One Place"
---

# 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

*Water is 1,000 kg/m³. Anything below that floats.*

| 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

- [Does sandstone float?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-float/sandstone/)
- [Diamond](https://atoneplace.net/material/diamond/)
- [Granite](https://atoneplace.net/material/granite/)
- [Marble](https://atoneplace.net/material/marble/)
- [Quartz](https://atoneplace.net/material/quartz/)
- [Limestone](https://atoneplace.net/material/limestone/)
- [Slate](https://atoneplace.net/material/slate/)

## Sources

- United States Geological Survey — USGS (https://www.usgs.gov/) [Public domain (US Government)]