Stone Carving Material Calculator
Calculate stone block size, weight, cost, and waste for carving a sculpture from marble, limestone, alabaster, or granite.
Inputs
Results
Block weight (lbs)
933
Block weight (kg)423
Block height (in)30
Block width (in)20
Block depth (in)16
Finished weight (lbs)114
Waste stone (lbs)819
Waste (%)88
Block cost$1,400.00
Tool wear cost$233.33
Est. carving hours126
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter finished dimensions (height, width, depth in inches).
- Select stone type (marble, limestone, granite, soapstone, alabaster) for density and carving factors.
- Set clearance per side (in) -- the extra material needed around the finished form.
- Review block weight in lbs and kg, block dimensions, and estimated material cost.
- Purchase 30-50% more stone by weight than the finished piece -- carving removes significant material.
How the result changes with Clearance per side (in)
| Clearance per side (in) | Block weight (lbs) |
|---|---|
| 2.1 | 709 |
| 4.85 | 1,530 |
| 8.15 | 3,122 |
| 11 | 5,152 |
What each input means
- Finished height (in)
- Desired height of the finished carved sculpture.
- Finished width (in)
- Desired maximum width of the finished sculpture.
- Finished depth (in)
- Desired maximum depth of the finished sculpture.
- Stone type
- 0 = Marble, 1 = Limestone, 2 = Alabaster, 3 = Soapstone, 4 = Granite.
- Clearance per side (in)
- Extra stone beyond finished dimensions on each side for carving margin.
What each result means
- Block weight (lbs)
- Total weight of the stone block to purchase.
- Block weight (kg)
- Block weight in kilograms.
- Block height (in)
- Required block height including clearance.
- Block width (in)
- Required block width including clearance.
- Block depth (in)
- Required block depth including clearance.
- Finished weight (lbs)
- Estimated weight of the finished sculpture.
- Waste stone (lbs)
- Weight of stone removed during carving.
- Waste (%)
- Percentage of the block that becomes waste.
- Block cost
- Estimated cost of the raw stone block.
- Tool wear cost
- Estimated tool replacement cost (chisels, diamond bits).
- Est. carving hours
- Rough estimate of carving time.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersFinished height (in) = 24, Finished width (in) = 14, Finished depth (in) = 10, Stone type = 0 = 5 input(s) provided
- Calculate Block weightBlock weight = blockVolumeIn3 * density933 = 933
- Calculate Block weightBlock weight = blockWeightLbs * 0.4536423 = 423
- Calculate Block heightBlock height = finishedHeightIn + 2 * clearanceIn30 = 30
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