Family quarry, Miriyan village, Chincholi taluk, Kalaburagi district, Karnataka
Shahabad Grey Limestone
A fine-grained grey limestone from the Kalaburagi belt of north Karnataka, quarried and finished by our own family operation. Riven for external paving, honed for interiors, and cut, honed and polished in India so it lands in the UK ready to lay.
- Colour family
- Cool mid-grey
- Geology
- Fine-grained limestone, Kalaburagi belt, north Karnataka
- Primary application
- External paving and internal flooring
- Water absorption
- 0.6%
- Flexural strength
- 11.5 N/mm²
- Wet slip
- No visible deterioration after 48 freeze-thaw cycles
The bed and how it behaves
Shahabad limestone has been used for flooring and paving across India for generations. It is fine-grained, splits cleanly along its natural bedding, and takes both a riven face straight off the bed and a smooth honed or polished face in the yard. Shahabad Grey is the volume bed: a cool mid-grey that reads close to the grey limestone paving already familiar to UK merchants, at a colour that suits both contemporary and traditional schemes.
The stone is far less known in the UK than Indian sandstone. That is the commercial opening rather than a drawback — it is a well-proven Indian flooring stone that the UK market has simply not been offered direct before.
Two faces cover most work. Riven is the natural cleft face, used dry-laid or mortared for external paving and terraces. Honed gives an even matt surface for internal floors, hallways and commercial circulation. Cutting, honing and polishing all happen at our own yard in Karnataka, so what arrives has already been sized and finished.
Full technical data for this bed is set out below, tested against the relevant BS EN natural stone standards. The figures are consistent across production and are the ones we quote to specifiers.
Macro detail — cool mid-grey
Installed context
Recommended applications
- External paving, pedestrian areas and terraces
- Internal flooring in honed finish
- Steps, treads and risers
- Wall linings
Not recommended for continuous vehicular trafficking without a design check on bedding and joint specification; polished finish not recommended for external or wet-area use.
Finish variants
Available faces
Finish changes the slip figure, the colour reading and the maintenance regime. The finishes page carries the full comparison.
Riven (natural cleft)
Natural split face for external paving and terraces.
Honed
Even matt face for internal flooring and stairs.
Polished
Internal use. Deepens the grey noticeably.
Sawn
Bedding and rear faces, edge detailing.
Dimensions
Available sizes and thicknesses
| Format | Dimensions | Thickness | Tolerance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paving slab | 600×600mm, 600×400mm, 600×300mm, random-width strip paving | 20mm / 25mm / 30mm / 40mm | Length/width ±2mm, thickness ±2mm to BS EN 1341 |
| Flooring tile | 600×600mm, 600×300mm, 400×400mm, 300×300mm | 15mm / 18mm / 20mm | Length/width ±1mm, thickness ±1mm to BS EN 1341 |
| Cut to size | Up to 1200×600mm on standard blocks, larger on request | 15mm / 20mm / 25mm / 30mm / 40mm / 50mm / 60mm | Length/width ±1mm, thickness ±1.5mm to drawing |
Cut-to-size production is quoted per drawing. Confirm achievable tolerance in writing before raising an order.
Technical data
Independently tested and declared
This bed has been through independent laboratory testing for strength, absorption, abrasion and slip resistance. Full test certificates are available on request.
| Property | Value | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Compressive strength | 92 N/mm² | BS EN 1926 |
| Flexural strength | 11.5 N/mm² | BS EN 12372 |
| Water absorption | 0.6% | BS EN 13755 |
| Apparent density | 2,560 kg/m³ | BS EN 1936 |
| Abrasion resistance | 18mm wear depth (wide wheel, 250 revolutions) | BS EN 14157 |
| Slip resistance (wet, riven) | PTV 62 wet (riven) / PTV 41 wet (honed) | EN 16165 Annex C (pendulum) |
| Frost resistance | No visible deterioration after 48 freeze-thaw cycles | BS EN 12371 |
| Petrographic description | Micritic limestone, fine even grain, occasional shell fragments | BS EN 12407 |
Packing specification
How it arrives
Crate detail and quantities. Quotations available to your nearest port or delivered to your yard, on request.
- Crate type
- Open timber crate, fumigated to ISPM-15
- Internal protection
- Interleaved with foam sheet, edge-protected with timber battens
- Pieces per crate
- 38–46 pieces per crate (600×600×20mm equivalent)
- Crate gross weight
- Approx. 950–1,100 kg gross per crate
- 20ft container
- 18–20 crates per 20ft container
- 40ft container
- 36–40 crates per 40ft container
- Marking
- Crate numbered, stone name, size, finish and net/gross weight stencilled on two sides
Approve Shahabad Grey Limestone on a sample before you commit to an order
We do not expect a first order without an approved sample. Ask, and we will arrange one, dispatched within a week of your request.
Shahabad Grey Limestone · Cool mid-grey