www.pierrebleuebelge.be
Located in the region of Soignies (Province of Hainaut  Belgium), Les Carrières
de la Pierre Bleue Belge SA are among the leaders in quarrying, sawing and crafting blue stone in Europe.
Our two operating sites, the quarry of Clypot in Neufvilles and the quarry of Gauthier & Wincqz in Soignies, produce more than 50,000 m3 of Petit Granit-Belgian Blue Limestone per year. A third site, the quarry of Tellier des Prés, is opening at the crossroads of the towns of Braine-leComte, Ecaussinnes and Soignies. For more than 300 years, our knowledge in the production of blocks, slabs, tiles and cutto-size products in blue stone is
internationally approved.
With an annual turnover approaching 24,000,000a including 30 % of exports, we employ almost 250 people.
Indeed Belgian Blue Stone, used as a building stone and as an ornamental rock, has
enhanced the beauty of countless projects in Belgium and abroad:
Galeries royales in Brussels (Belgium), Place Saint-Lambert in Liège (Belgium), Belgian Embassy in Berlin (Germany), Leipzig Airport (Germany), City Hall in The Hague (Netherlands), Strasbourg Station (France), Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (France), Chartres town centre (France)...
www.pierrebleuebelge.be
Technical characTerisTics of Belgian Blue sTone
(from ATG-Technical agreement) CHARACTERISTIC AppARENT VOlUmE mASS pOROSITy WATER AbSORpTION COmpRESSIVE STRENGTH bENDING TENSIlE STRENGTH WEAR RESISTANCE
(capon method)
REFERENCE nBn en 1936 (1999) nBn en 1936 (1999) nBn en 13755 (2002) nBn en 1926 (1999) nBn en 12372 (1999) nBn en 14157 (2004) nBn en 14581 (2005) nBn en 14146 (2004) nBn en 14579 (2004) nBn en 12371 (2002) nBn en 14066 (2003) nBn en 13919 (2003)
UNIT kg/m3 % vol % mass n/mm (MPa)
2
AVERAGE 2,687 0.36 0.11 158 16.70 18.80 0.0046 76.50 4.98 nc=240 cycles satisfied satisfied
STANDARD DEVIATION 15 0.17 0.02 19 2.50 0.70 0.0010 4.30 0.17
n/mm2 (MPa) mm mm/mK gPa km/s
THERmAl ExpANSION DyNAmIC mODUlUS OF ElASTICITy SpEED OF SOUND IN THE plANE (thickness) FROST RESISTANCE
(identification)
RESISTANCE TO AGEING by THERmAl SHOCk RESISTANCE TO AGEING by SO2 ACTION
note: radioactivity measurements have been carried out on Belgian Blue stone. Total radon emissions were estimated at 1.1·107 Bq/kg, which means that 1.1·107 atoms of radon are emitted per kilogram of stone per second, i.e. around one atom every 100 days. compared with a typical figure of 60 Bq/kg representing the total radioactivity of natural stone, such a low emission value is attributed to the very low porosity of Belgian Blue stone. for comparison, average radon emissions from a fired clay brick are twice as high. however, in both cases, these values are far below the levels considered hazardous by the authorities.
Defini T ion
The "Petit Granit  Belgian Blue Limestone" is a compact limestone of sedimentary origin, resulting from the accumulation of innumerable crinoid items cemented into a mass of microcrystalline calcite. This is a packstone, sometimes grainstone (DUNHAM classification) or biomicrite (FOLK classification). The average composition is 96 to 99 % carbonates (mainly calcite), from 0 to 1 % quartz, 0.2 to 0.5 % iron oxides and 0.2 to 0.4 % organic carbon. The colour is grey, from blue-grey to blue-black, due to organic matter present in the calcite crystals. The stone takes a light grey patina.
Pro D uc Ts
Les Carrières de la Pierre Bleue Belge produce and sell Belgian Blue Stone as : ,, slabs (standard thicknesses: 2-3-4-5-6-8-10-12-15-18-20-22-25 cm) ,, tiles (standard dimensions: 20x20 cm, 30x30 cm, 40x40 cm, 50x50cm, 60x30 cm) ,, cut-to-size products These products are available in different finishes. Depending on the application of Belgian Blue Stone, minimum thicknesses are required.
SUMMAry TABLE:
FINISHES blACk HONED blUE HONED bUSH HAmmERED CONCEpTION FlAmED NATURA blUE NATURA lIGHT SAWN VIEUx SOIGNIES pRODUCT Slabs Tiles Slabs Tiles Slabs Tiles Slabs Slabs Tiles Tiles Tiles Slabs Tiles Tiles mINImUm THICkNESSES REQUIRED 2 cm 1 cm 2 cm 1 cm 3 cm 2 cm 2 cm 2 cm 2 cm 2 cm 1 cm OUTDOOR ApplICATION NO NO yES NO yES yES yES yES yES
CErTIFICATIONS GUArANTEEING ITS qUALITy
