Can Marble Scratch Glass? (ANSWERED)

Marble will not scratch glass.

Marble is number three on Moh’s scale of hardness, while glass ranks between five and seven.

Thus, marble is softer than glass and will not have an impression on it.

In the article that follows, you’ll learn more about marble and why it is important to know whether your specimen can or cannot scratch glass.

Can Marble Scratch Glass? (EXPLAINED)

Why Is It Important That Marble Scratches Glass?

Fake is a thing.

You can buy fake leather, fake silk or satin, fake precious gems, and even fake food (pseudo crab meat comes to mind.)

Understandably, this is a good thing for those who can’t afford to wear real silk or leather.

However, if you’re going to give her a diamond, it’s better if it’s real.

The idea of Moh’s scale of hardness is that any of the hard substances can scratch any softer substances.

You might not want to use your rose quartz jewelry to scratch glass to see if they’re real, but raw stones work very well as testers. It’s the same with marble.

Not a lot of homeowners would choose glass countertops, but they stampede to get marble countertops.

If they knew just how sturdy glass countertops could be, they’d be impressed.

The Many Shades Of Glass

Stained glass windows in churches and Craftsman homes, the dramatic eyeglasses Elton John wore onstage in the 1970s, and hundred-story glass office buildings all share one thing.

The glass protects us.

Why do we use glass for protection when it breaks so easily?

Well, it actually doesn’t break that easily.

Tempered or laminated glass is treated during heating to increase its strength.

Some glass has wire inserted into it for strength.

This glass is usually used for windows.

Before you take off your eyeglasses and swear off them, know that they aren’t actual glass.

Eyeglass lenses are made of polycarbonate and plastics from the low end of the scale to the high end.

There are glasses made with glass lenses, but they’re heavy, difficult things to produce.

What about those skyscrapers made of what seems like solid glass?

What would happen if a hurricane, tornado, or other frightful force of nature hit those glass columns full force?

When terrible things are thrown through stained-glass church windows, what’s to save people behind soaring towers of glass?

The glass itself will protect those behind it.

Technology has come a long way in the last 30 years.

The glass in high-rise buildings isn’t laminated or heat-strengthened.

It’s layered with an inch of air between the panes which is called double glazed.

Another layer of laminated glass is added, making the pane of glass sturdy enough to resist hurricane-force winds.

The glass is made this way not to let in the light or to prevent heat from getting into the building.

It’s made like that to withstand the force of the winds the higher the building rises.

At street level, the trees and buildings blunt the force of the wind.

The higher the building, the greater the suction of the wind.

So, we have a substance at a five to seven on the Moh’s scale of hardness that is protective but can be scratched by something higher up on the scale.

What about those substances lower on the scale?

Why would you want to know if it scratches glass?

The Timelessness Of Marble

Marble is a metamorphic rock, which means it changes into something else or morphs.

Limestone exposed to pressure and high heat morphs into marble when the calcite re-crystalizes.

This forms a more dense stone studded with calcite crystals.

The myriad colored veins found in marble are there because different minerals were present at the time of the changeover from limestone into marble.

Mica, quartz, clay, iron oxides, limonite, hematite, and other minerals create the stunning pink, red, blue, yellow, green, and brown veins in the snow-white marble.

Marble was used by the ancients, most notably in Egyptian pyramids, both as a decorative overtone as well as a building material.

Since then, marble has been used for statues, flooring, tables and countertops, and as building blocks.

The stone is revered for its beauty and versatility.

Marble in today’s world is used as flooring, fireplace surrounds and hearths, kitchen, and bathroom counters, kitchen backsplashes, occasional table tops, landscaping tiles, and pavers, as well as swimming pool tiles.

Statuary is carved out of marble. Marble dust is used in road construction as a stabilizer.

This Is Why It’s Important For Marble To Scratch Glass

While fake leather or pseudo crab meat is just fine for those who can’t afford the real thing, no homeowner wants a product he thought real in his home, only to find it’s fake.

Today’s technology can turn a simple floor tile into something resembling hardwood or natural stone.

Even rubber or bamboo flooring can be made to look like natural stone or beautiful hardwood.

Laminate has become the go-to material for homeowners renovating their houses.

It’s impervious to pests and mold, it’s a snap to clean, and it is made to look like anything you wish it to look like.

Do you want marble countertops?

Done.

Do you want marble pavers in your garden?

We got this.

So you have a substance at the beginning of the Moh’s hardness scale.

On the other hand, you have a substance that looks like marble but could be an impostor.

How do you test it to make sure?

You scratch it along a piece of glass.

Most people are aware that a diamond cuts through glass (remember The Lucy Show episode in which she used her diamond engagement ring to cut a slice out of the glass shower door to let the water escape.)

The diamond is a gem that’s ten on the scale, whereas marble is a softer natural stone on the scale.

However, lots of people have never heard of the Moh’s hardness scale, nor do they have any use for it.

When people come into contact with marble, such as renovating their homes, they need to know what they’re getting is the real deal.

This is where scratching glass enters the picture.

How To Know It’s Real Marble

Marble is softer than glass.

It won’t scratch glass but will become scratched itself.

Marble is porous, so it stains easily.

Laminate that looks like marble isn’t porous, but still stains if it’s not properly maintained.

If it can be scratched with a knife, it’s real marble.

Final Thoughts

Your genuine marble surface is susceptible to chips and scratches, so a cutting board is vital to retaining the unblemished beauty of your marble surface.

Today’s glass countertops are just as susceptible to scratching, although they’re engineered to be sturdy and not break or shatter easily.

The only reason to consider the question can marble scratch glass is to ascertain if the natural stone is real or if it’s Memorex.