TS EN 12440

TS EN 12440 is a standard on the criteria used to designate natural stone from raw material through to finished products. In stone trade and technical documentation, consistent denomination is important because the same material can otherwise appear under different names, creating confusion between quarry source, petrographic identity and product form.

How natural stone is designated

The standard focuses on the naming criteria applied along the product chain. In general technical terms, natural stone is commonly identified by factors such as geological origin, mineral composition, texture, colour, processing state and final product type. A well-structured denomination framework helps keep commercial names aligned with technical meaning and reduces ambiguity when the material is described across markets and specifications.

Why this matters in practice

The scope extends from raw material to finished goods, so it addresses the continuity of naming rather than a single processing stage. For natural stone products, origin, stone type and product configuration are often considered together. That makes the standard useful for specifications, catalogues, purchase descriptions and product labelling, where a shared terminology base helps avoid misunderstandings.

• Covers denomination criteria from raw material to finished products.
• Supports consistency in technical and commercial descriptions of natural stone.
• Helps relate source, material characteristics and product form.
• Reduces ambiguity and naming inconsistencies in the natural stone sector.