BIANCO CARRARA

Bianco Carrara is a stone of timeless beauty, always recognized as one of the most valuable marbles both nationally and internationally.

Bianco Carrara, Italian marble par excellence: geographical origin and geological origin

The classic Bianco Carrara, known by the ancient Romans as marmor lunensis (marble of Luni), takes its name from the territory of origin: it is in fact extracted from the famous quarries of Carrara, located in the Apuan Alps.

Characterized by a white background and woven by veins ranging from black to gray, Bianco Carrara is a metamorphic rock composed mainly of calcium carbonate crystals of almost microscopic size.

Its formation dates back to about 190 million years ago, when much of today’s northern Tuscany was submerged by a vast sea. In this marine environment calcareous sediments were deposited which formed a carbonatic platform.

When the tectonic movements caused by the collision between the African and the Eurasian plates determined the compression and lifting of the carbonatic platform, which emerged transforming into mountains and giving rise to the Apennines, most areas of the platform retained their original limestone features.

The exception was the Apuan Alps, which experienced strong pressure variations. These processes have altered the crystal structure, turning limestone into marble.

Resistance and elegance: main technical and aesthetic characteristics of Bianco Carrara

Bianco Carrara is an elegant and refined stone, at the same time resistant and unique in its kind. Petrographically it is a holocrystalline lithotype with fine grain of whitish color with dark gray veins. The thin section of the rock is made up of about 98% calcite. The macroscopic colour of the veins characterizing the material suggests that it may be magnetite.

The two main qualities of this material differ on the basis of the background colour: Bianco Carrara C (with a lighter background) and Bianco Carrara CD (with a darker background).

In both cases, we are faced with a compact rock with discrete technical characteristics that make it workable both manually and mechanically, with discrete resistance to mechanical stress and impact.

The main technical characteristics of BIANCO CARRARA C are:

type of test	standard	unit	medium	dev.
flexural strength	UNI EN 12372	MPa	22,1	1,4
Flexural strength after frost-thaw (48 c.)	UNI EN 12371	MPa	17,7	0,7
Resistance to abrasion wear	Appendice C UNI EN 1341	mm	19,7
Water absorption at atmospheric pressure	UNI EN 13755	% massa	0,1
apparent density	UNI EN 1936	Kg/mc.	2691
Thermal shock – mass change (20 cycles)	UNI EN 14066	%	-0,00

The main technical characteristics of BIANCO CARRARA CD are:

type of test	standard	unit	medium	dev.
flexural strength	UNI EN 12372	MPa	6,0	0,8
Flexural strength after frost-thaw (48 c.)	UNI EN 12371	MPa	3,0	0,4
Resistance to abrasion wear	Appendice C UNI EN 1341	mm	21,4
Water absorption at atmospheric pressure	UNI EN 13755	% massa	0,2
apparent density	UNI EN 1936	Kg/mc.	2704
Thermal shock – mass change (20 cycles)	UNI EN 14066	%	-0,03

All the variants of Bianco Carrara

As we have seen, the background color characterizes the two main qualities of Bianco Carrara:

• Bianco Carrara C, with a lighter background;
• Bianco Carrara CD, with a darker background.

Other aesthetic factors (such as the purity of the background, the presence or absence of veins and their appearance) allow us to classify numerous other variants of Bianco Carrara, which is presented in a range of qualities that make it suitable for meeting different needs, both in valuable contexts and in more commercial projects. We can distinguish: 

• Statuario, when the bottom is very light and the marble appears almost completely white, with grey veins or sometimes absent;
• Calacatta, if the bottom tends to ivory and the veins vary from gray to yellow sometimes reaching green shades and forming obvious bands;
• Arabescato, when the veins take on lattice forms;
• Bardiglio, if the background is a dark grey that tends to blue;
• Bianco Carrara Extra, It has a light and uniform background, where the veins are barely mentioned. It is a superior quality, ideal for projects of particular value.

Finishing and processing of Bianco Carrara

The most suitable finishes to fully enhance the aesthetic qualities of this marble are those polished, honed and brushed. Thanks to the technical characteristics of the material, it is also possible to apply processing techniques such as burring or sandblasting, often preferred in slabs intended for outdoor use.

Bianco Carrara, a material protagonist through the centuries uses and known masterpieces

From its earliest extractions, Bianco Carrara has been used to create prestigious sculptural and architectural works, both classical and modern. In the Middle Ages, the masters of Como spread its use in northern central Italy by building cathedrals, while during the Renaissance, Michelangelo went personally to the quarry to choose the blocks that he would use for the realization of his sculptures.

Here are some of the most famous works in Bianco Carrara, used for centuries all over the world by the most prestigious sculptors and architects:

• important sculptures such as  “La Pietà” and “David” of Michelangelo Buonarroti
• the two Carrara marble sphinxes, placed at the entrance of the park of the Santa Croce Monastery, and two statues depicting the seasons (one of which is headless)
• the Arch of Tito and the obelisk of the Foro Italico in Rome
• the Cathedral of Pisa
• the Capitol in Washington DC (USA)

Over time, the fields of application have expanded considerably, and today Bianco Carrara is one of the most demanded materials worldwide in the construction sector, both in urban and private areas.

It is widely used in the realization of:

• floor coverings, stairs and external and internal cladding
• Wall coverings and bathroom tops
• design furniture such as tables and kitchen top
• funerary monuments

Bianco Carrara in Alberti & Alberti

Alberti & Alberti guarantees a wide availability and the highest quality of Bianco Carrara slabs, available in all finishes thanks to the use of its own machinery and the internal processing of the slabs.

In addition, we produce finished products of every thickness and finish to provide the customer with an even more complete service. Alberti & Alberti stores have a wide range of Bianco Carrara and Bianco Carrara C slabs in different sizes, thicknesses and finishes: check the availability of Bianco Carrara in real time or contact us for the creation of slabs on request.