Is Quartz Scratch Resistant?

Quartz crystals are very strong and highly resistant to scratching or damage, this is because they are formed as a result of high-pressure bonding of elements.

Quartz slabs are formed of approximately 93% Quartz crystals, ground into dust. Therefore, as you can imagine, Quartz Worktops and surfaces are extremely durable and do not scratch easily. Moreover, because the crystals are ground into Quartz dust, each dust particle does not have much of a surface area exposed, so it is extremely hard to scratch them.

Even though Granite also consists of Quartz crystals and also results from magma cooling down, it contains many other minerals such as feldspar, mica, amphiboles and many more. These other minerals have much less strength and they make Granite a little more prone to scratching compared to Quartz. In addition, Granite is formed from whole minerals and crystals rather than dust particles, therefore, due to their large exposed surface area, they are more prone to scratching.

Knowing all of this, it would seem that Quartz is completely scratch resistant, unfortunately, that is not the case, it is not completely scratch resistant. This is because Quartz contains around 7% resin, pigments, adhesives and other materials, which are not as strong as Quartz dust particles. Consequently, it is these parts of Quartz (7%) that can scratch if they are scraped at very high strengths with a sharp object.

Generally speaking, Quartz is still amongst the most scratch resistant stones surfaces that can be used as a worktop. It is becoming more common across the market due to its strength, durability, attractiveness and of course price. All of these factors make Quartz Worktops an ideal choice for many bespoke kitchens across the UK.