Test data on request
Missing technical documentation is a recurring reason a Turkish stone supplier loses a US commercial job.
- Tell us which standard and which test your project calls for.
- We check whether test data exists for your item and tell you what we find.
- Where it exists and the report names the mill, there are two routes: we commission the test in our own name at an independent laboratory, or we share the existing report under a confidentiality agreement.
- If there is none, we tell you what testing would cost and how long it would take.
A report we send you is either in our name or shared under a confidentiality agreement; it is never an edited copy or an industry-average document. Meydan holds no certificates in its own name. Supplier confidentiality is a condition of how we work, which is why the second route exists.
Material specifications
ASTM publishes a specification per stone type. This is the one a US architect or specifier names for marble.
- ASTM C503
- Standard Specification for Marble Dimension Stone
Test methods
ASTM C503 sets limits on physical properties, and each property has its own test method. When a submittal asks for "ASTM test data", these are the numbers meant.
Test methods. Values depend on the item and the finish.
| Test | Measures | Why it is asked for |
|---|---|---|
| ASTM C97 | Absorption and bulk specific gravity | The first number to read for staining and freeze-thaw risk. |
| ASTM C170 | Compressive strength | Resistance to crushing load. |
| ASTM C99 | Modulus of rupture | Bending strength under a single-point load. |
| ASTM C880 | Flexural strength | Bending strength under quarter-point loading; can be run at the job thickness and finish on request. |
| ASTM C241 or C1353 | Abrasion resistance | Wear under foot traffic. Asked for on commercial floors. |
Absorption under ASTM C97 is the one to watch for exterior work in a cold state. A porous stone that performs well in Florida can fail a freeze-thaw cycle in Illinois. For pavers and pool coping, ask for C97 and the wet DCOF value on the actual selection and finish you are buying.
Slip resistance
US floor specifications reference ANSI A326.3. Interior floors expected to be walked on when wet are specified at a wet dynamic coefficient of friction (DCOF) of 0.42 or greater.
That figure is the interior wet threshold. The 2021 revision of the standard added product use classifications, among them Interior Wet Plus (IW+), Exterior Wet (EW) for outdoor areas such as pool decks, and Oils/Greases (O/G). For these the standard sets no single DCOF number; the manufacturer declares the classification. Name the classification your specification calls for, and we tell you what test data exists for the finish you are buying.
Finish drives this number more than material does. A polished tile and a sandblasted tile cut from the same block behave differently underfoot. If the job has a wet area, tell us at the quotation stage.
Environmental documentation
Environmental Product Declarations and LEED documentation are asked for more often every year on US commercial work, and this is where Turkish mills are weakest. An industry-average declaration issued to a trade association does not describe the stone in your container, and expired documents circulate in this trade.
We check the issue date, the holder and the scope of any document before we tell you whether it can be used for your job, and under what confidentiality terms, since the holder is the mill. If a mill cannot support your requirement, we tell you early enough for you to price another source.
CE marking
Stone sold into the European Union carries a CE mark and a declaration of performance under the harmonized standard for that product. It is a European requirement and does not replace ASTM data on a US job.
If you are buying for both markets, say so, and we tell you before you order whether CE documentation can be provided for your product and on what confidentiality terms; the declaration of performance is issued in the mill's name.
What to send us
The specification section, or a photograph of the submittal page, is enough to start. It tells us the standard, the finish, the slip requirement and the tolerance at once.