While Turkey is primarily known for its marble and travertine, the country also produces distinctive granite varieties that have gained international recognition for their unique aesthetics and technical performance. Turkish granite, quarried primarily from the northeastern and eastern regions, offers an interesting alternative to more common granite sources from Brazil, India, and China.
Turkish Granite Deposits
Turkey's granite deposits are concentrated in several geological zones. The northeastern provinces of Rize, Artvin, Trabzon, and Giresun contain significant reserves of grey, green, and multicolored granites. Eastern Anatolia, particularly the provinces of Van, Ağrı, and Kars, yields distinctive dark granites and basalts. The Aegean region contributes lighter-toned granites and granodiorites.
Total Turkish granite production is modest compared to the country's marble output, but the unique character of Turkish varieties creates strong demand in niche market segments. Annual production is estimated at 2-3 million tons, with growing quarry investment expanding the available varieties and production capacity.
Key Turkish Granite Varieties
Aksaray Grey (Grey Granite)
One of Turkey's most commercially successful granite varieties, Aksaray Grey features a consistent medium-grey background with subtle darker speckles. Its uniform appearance and technical properties make it ideal for large-scale facade cladding, commercial flooring, and urban landscaping projects. The stone's consistent color across large production volumes — a common challenge with natural granite — is a key selling point.Giresun Green (Verde Butterfly)
Quarried from the Black Sea region, Giresun Green is a striking granite with a deep green base color highlighted by lighter mineral inclusions that create a butterfly-wing pattern. This distinctive stone has found favor in luxury hospitality projects, commercial feature walls, and premium residential kitchens where its dramatic visual impact commands attention.Aksaray Black
A dense, fine-grained black granite from central Anatolia with excellent polishing properties and minimal pattern variation. Aksaray Black competes with well-known varieties like Indian Absolute Black and Zimbabwean Black, offering similar aesthetic properties with pricing advantages for European and Middle Eastern markets.Trabzon Grey-Brown
A multicolored granite featuring warm grey-brown tones with distinctive mineral crystal patterns. This variety's natural warmth makes it popular for exterior paving, wall cladding, and landscape features where a more organic, less industrial granite appearance is desired.Cappadocia Rose
A unique pink-toned granite from the Cappadocia region featuring rose quartz and feldspar crystals that create a warm, inviting appearance. While less commonly exported than grey varieties, Cappadocia Rose has found a dedicated following in residential construction and memorial/monumental applications.Technical Properties
Turkish granites demonstrate the excellent physical properties characteristic of the granite family:
These properties make Turkish granite suitable for demanding exterior applications including ventilated facades, exterior paving, stairways, bridge cladding, and monument construction. The very low water absorption and excellent frost resistance ensure long-term performance in all climate zones.
Processing and Finishes
Turkish granite processing facilities offer a comprehensive range of finishes:
Polished: Mirror-like finish revealing the stone's full color depth and crystal structure. Primarily used for interior flooring, wall cladding, and countertops.
Honed: Smooth matte finish providing a more subtle, contemporary appearance. Popular for both interior and exterior applications.
Flamed (Thermal): High-temperature flame treatment creates a textured, non-slip surface by spalling the stone's surface crystals. Standard finish for exterior paving and steps.
Bush Hammered: Mechanical texturing creates a dimpled surface with moderate roughness. Used for exterior cladding and paving where a traditional worked-stone appearance is desired.
Sandblasted: Compressed air and abrasive create a uniformly textured surface with consistent light roughness. Often used for exterior cladding and monument work.
Split Face: Mechanical splitting creates a natural, rough-hewn surface for rustic wall cladding and landscape features.
Applications
Exterior Cladding
Turkish granite's weather resistance, color stability, and structural strength make it an excellent choice for building facades. Both traditional hand-set cladding and modern ventilated facade systems utilize Turkish granite, with typical thicknesses of 30mm for ventilated systems and 20-30mm for adhered cladding.Countertops
Polished Turkish granite provides durable, heat-resistant, and stain-resistant kitchen and bathroom countertops. Custom fabrication including edge profiling, undermount sink cutouts, and cooktop openings is available from Turkish processing facilities.Paving and Landscaping
Flamed and bush-hammered Turkish granite is widely used for exterior paving, walkways, plazas, and landscape features. Standard paving dimensions include cobblestones (10×10 cm), paving slabs (30×30, 40×40, 60×60 cm), and custom sizes. Granite curbstones, bollards, and street furniture complement paving installations.Monuments and Memorials
The durability and permanence of granite make it the material of choice for monuments, memorials, and cemetery products. Turkish black and grey granites compete effectively in this segment, offering quality engraving surfaces and long-term color stability.Pricing
Turkish granite offers competitive pricing, particularly for European and Middle Eastern markets:
These prices represent FOB Turkish port values and are competitive with Indian and Brazilian granite while offering significant shipping cost advantages for European, Middle Eastern, and North African markets.
Conclusion
Turkish granite, while less well-known than Turkish marble and travertine, offers distinctive varieties with excellent technical properties and competitive pricing. For projects requiring the durability and permanence of granite, Turkish varieties provide attractive options that combine unique aesthetics with the practical advantages of sourcing from Turkey's well-established natural stone export infrastructure.
Contact TurkishBuild to explore our granite catalog and receive samples and pricing for your project requirements.