Quartzite is one of the hardest natural stones available, making it one of the most challenging materials to cut cleanly. Using the correct diamond blade, machine setup and cutting technique is essential to reduce chipping and achieve a professional finish.
In this guide, we’ve put together our best practice advice on how to cut quartzite, including preparation tips, recommended cutting techniques and the best diamond blades and CNC tooling for the job.
Why is quartzite difficult to cut?
Quartzite, although extremely hard, can also be surprisingly fragile. This is mainly due to the pronounced natural veining that gives quartzite its unique appearance and makes it such a popular choice for worktops and architectural stone. Because of this combination of hardness and brittleness, it’s important to take extra precautions during cutting, handling and installation to minimise the risk of chipping or cracking.
Preparing quartzite before cutting
Most quartzite slabs arrive from manufacturers with a protective mesh backing to improve strength during handling and fabrication. If the slab you’re intending to cut doesn’t have this, it is highly advisable to apply reinforcement mesh before machining. You can find this mesh here, and our Glaciex or Resiliex adhesives work well for this application. You’ll also want to ensure that the saw bed is perfectly flat. We recommend using our Black Nest Rubber Matting to provide even support across the slab, helping reduce vibration and minimise stress fractures during cutting.
Best diamond blade for cutting quartzite
For bridge saw cutting, we’ve had excellent customer feedback on the Fury Blade. The Fury has been specifically developed for natural quartzite, using a specially formulated bond that maintains cutting performance on extremely hard materials while helping to reduce blade glazing.
How to cut quartzite
When cutting quartzite, we always advise avoiding plunge cutting wherever possible, as this significantly increases the chance of edge chipping. Instead, enter the stone from one side, cut approximately halfway through, then complete the cut from the opposite side so both cuts meet in the middle. This helps reduce breakout on the finished edge. When mitring quartzite, the material can be particularly unforgiving.
We recommend:
Keeping your blade sharp
After cutting, use our Blue Sharpening Block to restore blade performance.
Quartzite is extremely abrasive, meaning blades can glaze over more quickly than when cutting softer natural stones. Regular dressing helps maintain cutting speed, reduces heat build-up and extends blade life.
Recommended CNC Tooling for Quartzite
For CNC work, our Fury Core Drill is designed with a soft bond, making it ideal for drilling natural quartzite. For routing, we recommend the Fury Router, engineered with diamond technology for maximum cutting performance and an impressive tool life. It also features an end segment. When edge profiling, avoid removing excessive stock using position tools alone. Instead, use a breaker tool first to remove larger amounts of material, helping reduce wear on finishing tools and increasing overall tooling life. The Fury Stubbing Wheel is a great tool for milling down extremely hard natural quartzites such as Taj Mahal, and has been developed with a special bond to assist with the stock removal.
Stonegate Red Profile Tooling perform very well on quartzite, and are available in all different profile shapes. You can even opt to have our technical experts set the tools up on your machine.
Common mistakes when cutting quartzite
Even experienced fabricators can encounter problems when machining quartzite. Some of the most common mistakes include:
Avoiding these issues will significantly improve cut quality and reduce the risk of costly slab damage.
Hard quartzite vs soft quartzite
It’s worth noting that quartzite is often sold as “soft” or “hard” quartzite. In reality, quartzite is naturally hard. If you’re looking at a product described as “soft quartzite”, there’s a good chance it’s actually a marble rather than quartzite – this is much softer and will require a different cutting process to hard quartzites. Materials such as Taj Mahal and Macaubas are genuine quartzites and require tooling designed specifically for cutting extremely hard natural stone.
Choosing the Right Quartzite Cutting Tools
Cutting quartzite successfully comes down to using the correct tooling, proper machine setup and proven cutting techniques. By supporting the slab correctly, avoiding plunge cuts, maintaining sharp blades and selecting tooling specifically designed for natural quartzite, you can achieve cleaner cuts, longer tool life and reduce the risk of costly breakages.
If you’re unsure which blade or CNC tooling is best for your application, our technical team is always happy to help you choose the right solution. Book a visit to our Innovation Hub, where you can test any products and processes to discover the best solution for cutting quartzite. Alternatively, contact us on +44 (0) 1482 620400 or [email protected] for further information.
While some general-purpose diamond blades will cut quartzite, a blade specifically designed for natural quartzite will provide faster cutting, reduced chipping and longer blade life.
Wet cutting is recommended as it helps cool the blade, suppress dust and reduce the likelihood of chipping.
Quartzite combines extreme hardness with natural brittleness. Incorrect feed rates, plunge cutting, poor slab support or using the wrong blade can all contribute to chipping.
For bridge saw applications we recommend the Fury Blade, part of our wider Fury tooling range. For Fury blade running parameters on your specific saw, please get in touch with one of our technical team who will be able to advice you on the optimum feed and speeds.”
