Natural stone profile: Blanco Macael marble

We continue here a series of articles about some of the most important Spanish natural stones that can be found on the international market. We present here the Blanco Macael, a reference white marble from Spain that has conquered markets both in Spain and all over the world.

Background

The Blanco Macael is mostly extracted around the town of Macael, which is located in the southeastern province of Almeria - Spain. The quarries are considered of large dimension, where the blocks extracted are mostly of medium dimension and limited height. It is estimated that there are considerable reserves of this marble.

Description

The Blanco Macael is a white coloured marble, with uniform background, medium grain and compact. It presents some light blue-greyish calcite grains and muscovite flakes.

Its main variations depend on the purity of its white coloured background (with less grey veinage), which is normally classified by types (Type A, Type B, etc). There are also other variations that are extracted at both Macael and el Chive areas, which present a more or less darker grey colour. We present some of these variations on the Other Stones page.

Recommended applications

The Blanco Macael marble is very appreciated in cladding and covering projects, as well as in interior flooring. But the applications that highlight its beautiful appearance are found in interior design, particularly in bathroom design. It is also common to find very interesting uses of Blanco Macael in fireplaces, staircases, kitchen countertops and interior design furniture. Finally, there are several interesting applications of this stone in stonework (fountains, columns, statues) and funerary art.

The Blanco Macael is commonly found on the market in the forms of:
- slabs
- tiles
- blocks
- finished product (decoration, cladding, etc)

Main markets

The Blanco Macael is the reference white marble from Spain, having conquered markets all over the world. Despite this, some of the most important markets for the Blanco Macael are:
- Spain
- United States of America
- United Kingdom
- China

Alternative names

The Blanco Macael marble can present different names on the market. Some of the most common names are:
- Gris Macael
- Blanco Lijar
- Blanco Rio
- Blanco Tranco

- White Macael


For more information about the Blanco Macael marble, visit www.blanco-macael.com