Commercially, the slates are defined as layered stone that can be split into slices of thickness ranging from 8 to 14 mm. Slates/Scihists are generally fine grained and occur in various shades of grey to steel grey, greenish grey, dark grey, purplish grey, brownish, ash and sometimes with other pleasing colours. Slates/Schists have varying degree of hardness. The harder ones are being sometimes used for flooring.

These are low cost decorative stones having wide applications after cutting for use in interior as well as exterior decorations.

Schist and slate stones are argillaceous rocks having different grades of metamorphism. Certain planes of easy split called 'schistosity', are developed in these rocks due to metamorphism, which make these rocks suitable for decorative use. The slates/schists having good and even cleavages are valued much. The planes of cleavage are related solely to the direction of pressure to which the material was subjected and not to the bedding plane.

Micaceous and chlorite slates/schists are generally of good quality.
These are used for roofing, paving, shelves and flooring purposes in the rural areas in and around the places where it is mined. Now a days slates/schists are cut in to tiles and used for wall claddings. Slates are also used for making school slates.

Etching on Slate Stone

Slates, schist and phyllites of dimensional use are found associated with Delhi and Aravalli Supergroup of rocks in parts of Ajmer, Alwar, Jaipur, Sawai Madhopur, Bharatpur, Bundi, Pali, Tonk, Udaipur and Chittaurgarh districts. Slate deposits of Alwar are conspicuous both in regard to quality and quantity.

Besides, Bar conglomerate in Pali district and calc-schists in Ajmer district, mica schist in Bhilwara district etc. are quarried for use as roofing and flooring slabs.

Districtwise distribution of Slates, schist and phyllites is shown below:

Ajmer: Sheopura, Lulawa, Nai Khurd (Beawar).

Alwar: Basai, Kayasa, Kund (Behrod).

Tonk: Devli, Dhuni, Anwa, Uncha.

Pali: Bar.

Bhilwara: Badnor, Tikar.

Dungarpur: Balwara.

Chittaurgarh: Gosunda.

Udaipur: Godan, Gogunda.

Panther Jhalawar
Deoli Tonk
Copper Tonk
Silver Grey Bhilwara

Technical Information of Slate
Technical Details	Water Absorption, % by weight	Modulus of rupture, N/mm2	Acid Resistance (Whether Resistence) Depth of softening mm	Abrassion resistance to wear
ASTM/ Indian Standard	C-121	C-120	C-217	IS 1237 Guidelines
Area				Avg. Wear mm	Mxm. Wear mm
Panther Jhalawar	2.0	2.9	0.04	1.7	1.9
Deoli Tonk	2.1	1.9	0.06	5.7	5.9
Copper Tonks	1.2	14	0.09	11.7	11.7
Silver Grey Bhilwara	0.3	46	0.05	26	2.8

Sandstone may be defined as a stone made up of grains of quartz and other minerals of fairly uniform size and often smooth and rounded. These grains are held together by a cementing material which may be siliceous or ferruginous. The toughness of sandstone depends mostly on the nature of this cementing material

Rajasthan being the largest producer is an important sandstone producing state of India. It is an excellent building stone. This can be chiseled and dressed to a smooth surface in various attractive shapes. The sandstone has a verity of uses such as roofing, flooring, paving, paneling, beams, pillars, arches, doors and window sills, wall facing, fence posts, mile stones etc. It is especially useful for exterior cladding in sea shore buildings due to acid & thermal resistant properties. As such the effect of saline winds is negligible on sandstone. It is also suitable for use in chemical industries as flooring, wall fixing & lining due to its acid and alkali resistant properties. It is also suitable for carving and making windows and jallis. The sandstone is being quarried and used from centuries and a number of historical buildings and monuments such as Budhist Stupas of Sarnath, Red Fort, Sansad Bhawan, Rashtrapati Bhawan, and National Museum , Delhi; Chhitar Palace, Jodhpur etc. are made of sandstone.

Rajasthan Sandstone because of its regular bedding, uniform grain size, suitable nature and durability, has been used extensively not only in Rajasthan but also in Northern India and even exported to Canada, Japan, and Middle East countries.

Recently some entrepreneurs have tried for cutting and polishing of sandstone. Due to the straight/curved lines of bedding/current bedding & attractive figures developed due to iron solutions, the cut sandstone after polishing, looks very attractive. It has resulted in its use in place of granite/marble.

Rajasthan sandstone is mainly found in the main Vindhyan and Trans-Aravalli- Vidhyan sequence exposed in an area of about 34,000 sq. km. covering parts of Dholpur, Bharatpur, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur, Bundi, Jhalawar, Kota, Bhilwara, Chittaurgarh Jaisalmer and Baran districts in eastern Rajasthan and in scattered form in Jodhpur, Nagaur and Bikaner districts of western desert plain

The Lower Bhander sandstone is usually medium to fine grained, purple, reddish-brown in colour with pale white bands and is compact, massive and having quadrangular joints. The Upper Bhander sandstone is reddish-brown in colour with cream spots. Jhalarapatan sandstone is fine-grained, hard, compact and of different colours such as white to buff-grey, red, cream and is acid proof. Jodhpur sandstone is coarse to medium grained, red and buff white in colour. Khatu sandstone is fine grained, creamish-white in colour and is specially famous for carving and used for making fine, perforated windows and jallies. The physical & chemical properties of Rajasthan sandstone are given in following table.

Artifacts made of Granite
Hollow Ball	Ball Fountain
Ring	Cigar Stand	Flower Vase		Lamp	Table Leg
Artifacts made of Marble
Shivling	Fire Place	Garden Fountain	Table Fountain	Tableware
Artifacts made of Sandstone
Garden Fountain		Table Leg	Baluster	Pillar	Sprial Pillar
Lobby Fountain	Garden Bench		Fire Place		Vase

Jodhpur Pink Jodhpur Red Modak Ramganjmandi Dholpur Beige Karoli Rainbow Nagaur Teak Wood Nagaur

Properties Jodhpur Karauli Dholpur Bijoliyan Density (Kg/m3) 2.42 2.38 2.40 2.44 Water Absorption (%) 1.25 1.20 1.20 1.20 Modulus of Rupture (Kg/cm3) 220 210 208 204 Compressive Strenght (Kg/cm3) 390 358 460 750 Color Red, Pink, Buff, Brown

Properties Area Percentage Jodhpur Karauli >Dholpur Bijoliyan Sio2 96.60 96.20 98.20 97.24 Fe2o3 1.20 0.80 0.84 0.96 Al2o3 1.00 1.20 0.32 0.84 CaO 0.28 0.40 0.28 0.28 MgO 0.20 0.20 Nil Nil L.O.I. 0.50 0.60 0.20 0.20

Bansi Pink Bharatpur Jodhpur Pink Jodhpur Red Dholpur Beige Karoli Rainbow Nagaur

Agra Red Karauli Jodhpur Pink Jodhpur Red Dholpur Beige Karoli Rainbow Nagaur	Properties Jodhpur Karauli Dholpur Bijoliyan Density (Kg/m3) 2.42 2.38 2.40 2.44 Water Absorption (%) 1.25 1.20 1.20 1.20 Modulus of Rupture (Kg/cm3) 220 210 208 204 Compressive Strenght (Kg/cm3) 390 358 460 750 Color Red, Pink, Buff, Brown