The standard quartz slab size is 3200 × 1600 mm (126 × 63 in), which is 5.12 m² or 55.1 ft² of face. At 20 mm thick it weighs about 248 kg (546 lb). Trimmed square, the largest finished piece you can cut from it is 3000 × 1500 mm.
Quartz slab size and weight decide more than people expect. They decide whether your island top has a joint in it, how many tops you get per slab, whether two people can carry it, and how many slabs fit in a container. This is the sheet we press in our own plant, and below are the figures a fabricator actually needs rather than a brochure description.
How big is a slab of quartz?
There are two common formats in the trade. The older one is around 3050 × 1440 mm, still used by plants running older presses. The current standard, and what we press, is 3200 × 1600 mm. The difference sounds small; in practice it is the difference between getting a 3000 mm island top out of one slab and having to joint it.
| Item | Metric | Imperial |
|---|---|---|
| Slab size as pressed | 3200 × 1600 mm | 126 × 63 in |
| Area per slab | 5.12 m² | 55.1 ft² |
| Largest finished piece | 3000 × 1500 mm | 118 × 59 in |
| Thickness | 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 mm | 5/8 / 3/4 / 1 / 1-1/4 in |
The finished piece is smaller than the slab because the edges come off the press slightly irregular and have to be trimmed square. Anyone quoting you a finished piece the same size as the raw slab has not allowed for that.
What you can actually cut from one slab
- One 3000 mm island top in a single piece, no joint. This is the length most kitchen islands are drawn at, and it is the main reason the 3200 mm format exists.
- Two 2400 × 650 mm runs with the offcut left over for a splashback.
- One 1500 mm double-basin vanity top taken across the 1600 mm width, so the top comes out whole rather than seamed in the middle.
- Ten 600 × 600 mm tiles with waste, if the job is floor rather than worktop.
Yield on a normal kitchen is 70 to 80 per cent of the slab. The rest is trim, cutouts and the offcut that never finds a home. Plan the quantity on the yield, not on the area.
How much does a quartz slab weigh?
Weight follows directly from thickness. These figures come from the measured density of the material, 2.42 g/cm³:
| Thickness | Weight per slab | Weight per m² |
|---|---|---|
| 15 mm | 186 kg (410 lb) | 36 kg/m² |
| 20 mm | 248 kg (546 lb) | 48 kg/m² |
| 30 mm | 372 kg (819 lb) | 73 kg/m² |
Two people cannot safely lift a 30 mm slab. Even at 20 mm, a full slab is a four-person carry or a lifter. Slabs travel and are stored standing on edge, never flat — laid flat and unsupported, a slab will crack under its own weight.
For a finished countertop the useful number is the per-square-metre figure. A 3 m × 0.65 m run in 20 mm weighs about 94 kg, which is what your installer is carrying up the stairs.
Jumbo and oversized slabs
Beyond 3200 × 1600 mm the format is usually described as oversized. We do not press slabs larger than that: 3200 × 1600 mm is our jumbo format, so a piece longer than 3000 mm — a long island run, a reception counter, a continuous wall panel — is planned with a joint.
Within the 3200 × 1600 mm jumbo format, we press custom sizes on batch orders. Two things to know before you specify one. It is made to order rather than held in stock, so it has to be scheduled into a press run. And handling matters: a full jumbo slab needs a long A-frame, a big saw bed and clearance in the workshop. Check the fabricator can take it before ordering it. More on custom slab design.
How many slabs fit in a container?
105 slabs of 20 mm quartz fit in a 20 ft container — about 538 m² and 26 tonnes. Container sizes and payload ratings are set internationally by ISO 668, which is why the figure is much the same whichever line carries the order. They ship standing in wooden A-frames, edges foam-wrapped, the frames strapped and braced to the container walls.
At 30 mm the slab count drops but the weight stays close to the payload limit, so the constraint is tonnage rather than floor space. If you are mixing thicknesses in one container, work to the weight.
Quartz slab size compared with other materials
Quartz slab size is only one of the formats a buyer meets. When a project mixes materials, for example quartz in the kitchens and cultured marble in the bathrooms, the slab sizes differ, and the joints fall in different places.
| Material | Typical slab size | Imperial |
|---|---|---|
| Quartz, current standard (ours) | 3200 × 1600 mm | 126 × 63 in |
| Quartz, older format | 3050 × 1440 mm | 120 × 56.7 in |
| Porcelain (sintered stone) | 3200 × 1600 or 2700 × 1600 mm | 126 × 63 or 106 × 63 in |
| Cultured marble (ours) | 2700 × 1800 mm | 106 × 71 in |
| Terrazzo (ours) | 2700 × 1800 mm; 3200 × 1200 mm on batch orders | 106 × 71 in; 126 × 47 in on batch orders |
| Granite and natural marble | Varies with the block | Varies |
Most of the porcelain we supply is 12 mm thick, so a porcelain slab of the same face size weighs a little over half as much as 20 mm quartz. Our cultured marble and terrazzo slabs are deeper than quartz, at 1800 mm, which suits shower walls and full-height panels. Natural stone slabs are sawn from quarried blocks, so each bundle has its own size; always ask for the measured size of the actual slabs.
Planning a kitchen around the slab size
The slab size is a design constraint, and the cheapest time to use it is before the cabinets are fixed. A few rules cover most kitchens.
- Islands. A finished piece of up to 3000 × 1500 mm comes out of one slab. An island deeper than 1500 mm needs a joint, so a 1,200 mm deep island is comfortable and a 1,600 mm one is not.
- Waterfall ends. Each waterfall leg uses the full height of the cabinet in extra material. A 2,400 mm island with two 900 mm legs needs 4,200 mm of matched stone, which means two slabs and a plan for where the vein turns the corner.
- L-shaped runs. Decide which leg runs through and where the corner joint sits before ordering. On a veined design, the joint is less visible when it follows the direction of the veins.
- Full-height splashbacks. They come from the same slabs as the worktop if the pattern is to continue, so count them in the slab quantity from the start.
A cutting plan drawn over the slab outline, even a rough one, shows quickly whether a layout needs four slabs or five. If you send us the drawings, we will return a cutting plan with the order quantity.
Handling and storing quartz slabs safely
The weights above are the reason slab handling has its own rules. Full slabs are stored and moved on edge, leaning slightly in A-frames or racks, with timber or rubber between the slab and the frame. They are lifted with vacuum lifters or slab clamps, never by hand from the face.
Cut pieces need the same care. A worktop with a sink cut-out is weakest across the narrow strips either side of the hole, and it should be carried on edge with the cut-out supported, not flat between two people. On site, check the access before delivery: a 3.2 m slab does not fit in most passenger lifts, and tight stair turns may decide whether the job can be done with whole slabs or needs pieces cut at the factory.
Quartz slab dimensions for US buyers
US buyers usually meet quartz slab dimensions in inches and square feet. Our standard slab is 126 × 63 in, or 55.1 ft² of face, and the largest finished piece is about 118 × 59 in. In weight per square foot, 20 mm quartz is about 9.8 lb/ft², 30 mm about 15 lb/ft² and 15 mm about 7.4 lb/ft².
The terms 2 cm and 3 cm used in North America correspond to our 20 and 30 mm. When a US fabricator asks for a jumbo slab, the 126 × 63 in sheet is usually what they mean; the older 120 × 57 in format is sometimes still quoted as standard.
Ordering the right number of slabs
The slab count for a job comes from the cutting plan, not from dividing the total area by 5.12 m². Area division assumes every square metre of every slab is used, and no kitchen works out that way: the island takes most of one slab, the runs take parts of others, and the offcuts rarely add up to a usable piece.
For a veined design, add the pattern to the plan. Pieces that sit side by side, or turn a corner, should come from consecutive slabs so the veins line up, and that can add a slab to the count. For a solid or speckled colour the plan is simpler, and the offcuts are more likely to become splashbacks or windowsills.
On project orders we also suggest one or two spare slabs per batch, ordered at the same time. A spare from the same batch costs little compared with a repeat production run, and it covers breakage on site and the inevitable late change to a drawing.
Checking slab size and weight on delivery
Before the frames are unloaded, compare the slab count and thickness with the packing list, and measure a few slabs from each frame for length, width and thickness. The gross weight on the shipping documents should agree with the slab count and thickness in the tables above; a large gap is worth asking about before signing for the delivery.
Look along the edges for chips and along the faces for scratches through the protective film, and photograph any damage with the frame number visible. Damage noted on delivery is straightforward to settle; damage found after the slabs have been cut is not. Our quartz slabs for sale page lists the stock slabs we hold, with sizes and thicknesses, if you need to top up an order quickly. Stock is limited and changes often, so check with us first; a slab from a different batch can differ slightly in shade.
Questions we get asked
What size are quartz slabs?
The current standard is 3200 × 1600 mm (126 × 63 in), which gives 5.12 m² or 55.1 ft² of face, and it is the size we press. There is no formal standard, though: an older format of around 3050 × 1440 mm (about 120 × 57 in) is still made on older presses. Ask any supplier for the pressed size, because it decides whether a 3000 mm island top comes out of one slab or needs a joint.
What is the largest quartz slab size?
Our largest is the jumbo slab, 3200 × 1600 mm (126 × 63 in), which is also what a US fabricator usually means by jumbo. The finished piece is smaller, because the pressed edges come off slightly irregular and are trimmed square: the largest piece you can cut is 3000 × 1500 mm (118 × 59 in). An island deeper than 1500 mm therefore needs a joint.
How many square feet are in a quartz slab?
A standard 3200 × 1600 mm slab has 55.1 ft² (5.12 m²) of face. After trimming and normal cutting waste, plan on roughly 39 to 44 ft² of finished countertop per slab, which is a 70 to 80 per cent yield for a typical kitchen. Work out the slab count from a cutting plan rather than by dividing the total area by the slab area; send us drawings and we return one with the order quantity.
Can slabs be cut to size before shipping?
Yes. Send a DXF or a dimensioned drawing and we cut finished pieces at the factory instead of shipping whole slabs. It makes sense for repeat projects, for markets without local fabrication capacity, and for sites where a 3.2 m slab will not fit in the passenger lift or round a tight stair turn. Finished pieces have no minimum order, but freight on a few small pieces is costly, so we explain it first.
Can a quartz slab be stored flat?
We do not recommend it for full slabs. Even a fully supported, perfectly flat surface is a poor substitute, and a slab laid flat and only partly supported can crack under its own weight. Store and move slabs on edge, leaning slightly in A-frames or racks with timber or rubber between slab and frame, and lift them with vacuum lifters or slab clamps, never by hand from the face.
What is the thinnest quartz slab?
We press quartz down to 15 mm, which is the practical minimum for worktops and vanity tops; a full 15 mm slab weighs about 186 kg, or about 7.4 lb per square foot. Thinner panels for wall cladding and furniture are made in porcelain rather than quartz, usually at 12 mm or 6 mm.
Does thickness change the slab size?
No. Our quartz is pressed at 3200 × 1600 mm whether it is 15, 20 or 30 mm thick; only the weight changes. We also press 25 mm, and 20 mm, called 2 cm in North America, is the thickness most export buyers order. Thickness does change how much fits in a container: a 20 ft container takes 105 slabs at 20 mm but 70 at 30 mm.
How much does a quartz slab weigh?
A 3200 × 1600 mm quartz slab weighs about 248 kg (546 lb) at 20 mm, 186 kg (410 lb) at 15 mm and 372 kg (819 lb) at 30 mm, based on a measured density of 2.42 g/cm³. Per square metre that is 48, 36 and 73 kg. Two people cannot safely lift a 30 mm slab, and even at 20 mm a full slab is a four-person carry or a lifter.
See the quartz slabs we press — a wide range of colours; stock slabs from one slab, made-to-order runs from one container; quotation within 24 hours.
