3 Production Sites in Guangdong, China · 10,000+ m² Slabs in Ready Stock · Factory-Direct Export
A reception counter is a one-off. There is no standard size, the piece is usually longer than a slab, and it is the first thing anyone sees when they walk into the building. We cut the stone to the architect’s drawing, joint the oversized pieces so the vein runs straight through, and ship it with the rest of your order.
A reception counter is not one surface, it is usually three, and each has a different height. Get these wrong on the drawing and the counter is unusable, so this is the first thing we check when a drawing arrives. The accessible part follows section 904 of the ADA Standards for Accessible Design, which sets the height and length of the lowered counter.
The staff side sits at desk height so somebody can work at it all day. The transaction top faces the visitor and is higher, which also hides the work surface and whatever is on it. The accessible section is the one with a legal limit.
Staff side, 720–760 mm. Normal desk height. Below 720 mm a chair will not fit under it comfortably.
Transaction top, 1050–1150 mm. Comfortable to stand at and sign something on. 1065 mm (42 inches) is the figure most US drawings use.
Accessible section, 915 mm maximum. This is not a preference, it is ADA 904.4. On a parallel approach the accessible run has to be at least 915 mm long; on a forward approach at least 760 mm, with knee and toe space underneath. If your project is in the United States, the drawing has to show this section, and we cut it as a separate lower piece.
| Surface | Height | Depth | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff working surface | 720–760 mm (28–30") | 600–750 mm | Deep enough for a monitor and a keyboard |
| Transaction top | 1050–1150 mm (41–45") | 250–400 mm | 300 mm is enough to sign on; 400 mm if a visitor sets down a bag |
| Accessible section | 915 mm max (36") | Min 760 mm long forward, 915 mm parallel | ADA 904.4, with knee and toe space below |
| Overall counter length | — | Any | Over 3200 mm the top is jointed; see below |
This is the part of a reception counter that actually decides whether it looks expensive or cheap. Almost every reception counter is longer than a single slab, so there will be a joint. What matters is where it falls and whether you can see it.
Both pieces are cut side by side from the same slab, in sequence, so the vein carries straight across the joint instead of stopping at it. The pieces are dry-assembled in our workshop and checked before anything is packed, and the joint faces are cut to butt tight rather than relying on filler.
Not in the middle, and not where somebody leans. We put it behind a return, at a change of direction, or under where a monitor or a sign will sit. Tell us on the drawing where people stand and we will place the joint away from it.
On a strongly veined stone, a joint in the wrong place is obvious from across the lobby. On a solid colour it is almost invisible anywhere. That difference is worth knowing before you choose the material for a 6-metre counter.
Drawings are signed by both sides. A reception counter is a one-off with no second chance — there is no standard piece to fall back on if a dimension is wrong. Nothing is cut until the shop drawing has been signed by you and by us. It is the document we both work from.
Straight and L-shaped counters are the bulk of the work. Curved fronts are cut as segments and jointed — the tighter the radius, the more segments, and the more the material costs, because each segment is cut from a rectangle and most of that rectangle becomes offcut.
A waterfall end turns the top down to the floor in the same stone. The side panel is mitred at 45° and cut from the piece next to it on the slab, so the vein carries around the corner instead of restarting. On a reception counter this is the detail people photograph.
A reception counter has a different problem from a kitchen or a bathroom. Nothing hot goes on it and nobody cuts on it, so durability is rarely the deciding factor. What matters is how it reads from ten metres away, and whether the piece you approve is the piece that arrives.
| Material | Reads well at distance | Joint visibility | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quartz | Consistent — the design file is fixed, so a 6 m counter looks the same end to end | Low on solid colours, manageable on veined designs | The safe choice for a multi-site rollout, because branch two looks like branch one when both are cut from the same batch |
| Porcelain | Large-format, so fewer joints on a long counter | Lowest — the thinnest visible joint of the five | Also the only one that takes a hot-pressed integral form. Handles well in 12 mm for cladding the front panel |
| Marble | Highest impact. Nothing imitates a real book-matched marble front | Visible if placed badly, invisible if we sequence the slabs | We cut whole projects from one block so the veins follow on. Say so at enquiry — it changes which block we buy |
| Granite | Even, granular, forgiving. Dark granites hide everything | Low | A practical natural stone for a large counter |
| Cultured marble | Even chip and colour across every piece | Low | A good fit when a hotel group needs the same counter in forty properties |
Book-matching is decided before we buy the block. If you want a mirrored vein across the front of the counter, tell us at enquiry rather than at order. It determines which block we buy and how it is sawn, and it cannot be added later from slabs already cut.
Installation is not part of our standard supply, and we cannot install on regular orders. The counter arrives as finished, numbered pieces with a drawing showing how they go together, and your contractor assembles it on site. This is how the whole industry ships counters internationally, but it does mean you need somebody local who can do the work.
Numbered pieces, an assembly drawing showing the sequence and the joint positions, and the substructure dimensions the pieces were cut to. Photographs of the dry assembly in our workshop, so your installer can see what it should look like.
A level substructure built to the dimensions on the signed drawing, and an installer who has fitted stone before. The substructure is the part that goes wrong — stone will not correct a frame that is out of level.
We answer your installer's questions during the fit. On a large project we can discuss arranging installation to help the job get done, but it has to be agreed before the order rather than after a problem.
A reception counter is the least forgiving thing we ship. The pieces are long, some are thin, and there is no spare.
The whole counter is assembled in our workshop before packing — every joint, every height, every return. This is the check that matters most on a one-off.
Joint faces checked for a tight butt and the vein match photographed, so you see the actual joint before it ships.
All three heights measured against the signed drawing, including the accessible section where the project needs one.
Every piece marked with its position on the assembly drawing, so nothing has to be worked out on site.
Long pieces stood on edge in a purpose-built crate with timber bracing, never laid flat where they can flex.
One counter rarely fills a container. We crate it with the rest of your goods, which is how most of these ship.
An architect's elevation and plan is ideal. If you only have a sketch with dimensions, that is enough to start — we draw it up properly and send it back.
Showing piece sizes, joint positions, all three heights, the accessible section, and how the pieces sit on your substructure.
You sign, we sign. Nothing is cut before that, and changes after it restart the schedule.
Assembled and photographed in our workshop, then crated. Thirty days from the signed drawing.
| Terms | What we offer |
|---|---|
| Minimum order | One counter. Most projects need one or two, and we ship them with the rest of your order; a counter shipped on its own carries high freight, and we will tell you so first |
| Lead time | 30 days from the signed drawing to shipment |
| Price basis | FOB Shenzhen or Guangzhou |
| Installation | Not part of our standard supply, and not available on regular orders. Assembly drawing and remote support provided; on large projects, on-site fitting can be discussed |
| Documents | Dry-assembly photographs and an inspection report before loading |
There is no single height, because a reception counter does three jobs. The staff working surface sits at 720–760 mm, the transaction top facing the visitor at 1050–1150 mm, with 1065 mm (42 inches) the figure most US drawings use, and on US projects an accessible section is 915 mm (36 inches) at most. We measure all three against the signed drawing before the counter is packed.
ADA 904.4 requires an accessible portion of the counter no higher than 915 mm (36 inches) above the finished floor. On a parallel approach that portion must be at least 915 mm long; on a forward approach at least 760 mm (30 inches) long, with knee and toe space underneath. We cut the accessible portion as a separate lower piece and show it on the shop drawing.
The staff side needs 600–750 mm, deep enough for a monitor and a keyboard. The transaction top needs 250–400 mm: 300 mm is enough to sign a document on, and 400 mm suits visitors who set down a bag. Go deeper than that and the receptionist cannot reach across it, so we set both depths on the shop drawing before anything is cut.
Yes, and most reception counters are. Above roughly 3200 mm the top is made in two or more pieces, cut side by side in sequence from the same slab so the vein runs straight through the joint. We dry-assemble the whole counter in our workshop and photograph the joint before packing, and we place the joint behind a return or under a monitor, never where people lean.
Yes, but say so at enquiry rather than at order. Book-matching decides which block we buy and how it is sawn, and it cannot be added afterwards from slabs that are already cut. For marble we cut the whole project from one block so the veins follow on. A waterfall end is mitred at 45° from the neighbouring piece, so the vein turns the corner instead of restarting.
Not overseas. The counter ships as numbered pieces with an assembly drawing and photographs of the dry assembly, and your contractor fits it. Your side needs a level substructure built to the signed drawing and an installer who has handled stone before. We answer your installer's questions during the fit, and on large projects we can quote sending a fitter at cost, agreed before the order.
Yes. There is no minimum on a reception counter, and a project normally needs one or two. One counter rarely fills a container and freight on its own is high, so we tell you that first; it is economical when we crate it with the rest of your order. Loose slabs for your own fabricator start from one slab if in stock, or one container of up to five colours when made to order.
A reception counter is the desk visitors meet first when they walk into a building, and in stone it is usually a one-off with no standard size. It is rarely one surface: there is a staff working side at desk height, a higher transaction top facing the visitor that also hides the work surface, and on US projects a lower accessible section. Most are longer than a single slab, so the top is jointed.
The same jointing work, with a drinks surface to survive.
Worktops, islands and peninsulas cut to your drawings.
A wide range of designs, photographed slab by slab.
Send an elevation and get a shop drawing back.
Stock availability, factory pricing, lead time and container loading advice, straight from our export team.
Samples are free. For serious buyers, we can also cover the courier cost, subject to G-Stone’s approval. Tell us where to send it — we reply within 24 hours.