Technical
Forty-two kilos a square metre, and where it goes.
Weight is the number that decides the bracket, the anchor and sometimes the structure. At 2.1 g/cm³ and 20 mm, the panel is about a fifth lighter than the natural stone it replaces.
A 20 mm NKSTONE panel weighs about 42 kg/m² at a density of 2.1 g/cm³, so a 3230 × 1630 mm panel is roughly 220 kg. That dead load transfers through the cast fixing rebate into brackets and a subframe, and from there into the structure; wind load acts on the same fixing in the opposite direction.
The arithmetic
| Material | Thickness | Density | Weight per m² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cast inorganic stone | 20 mm | 2.1 g/cm³ | ≈ 42 kg |
| Natural stone (typical) | 20 mm | 2.5–3.0 g/cm³ | ≈ 50–60 kg |
| Natural stone (typical) | 30 mm | 2.5–3.0 g/cm³ | ≈ 75–90 kg |
On a 1,000 m² elevation the difference between 42 and 55 kg/m² is 13 tonnes. That is carried by brackets, anchors and the structure behind them, and it is the reason a lighter panel can make a lighter facade rather than just a cheaper one.
How the load reaches the structure
- Panel: dead load and wind load enter at the cast rebate, not at a drilled hole
- Fixing: undercut anchor or kerf, in the position the mould intended
- Bracket: adjusts in three directions and carries the load to the rail
- Subframe: distributes to the structural anchors at the designed spacing
- Structure: receives the combined dead and wind load at each fixing zone
Because the rebate is cast, the distance from the panel edge to the fixing is constant from piece to piece. On cut stone that distance depends on where the cut landed, and the fixing design has to absorb the variation.
Questions buyers ask
- How much does a 20 mm stone panel weigh per square metre?
- About 42 kg/m² for NKSTONE cast stone at 2.1 g/cm³. Natural stone at the same thickness is typically 50–60 kg/m².
- How heavy is one 3230 × 1630 mm panel?
- Roughly 220 kg, because the panel covers 5.27 m². Installation is mechanical, and the access method is part of the programme.
- Does the weight limit the building height?
- Not the panel on its own. Height is limited by wind load, the subframe design and the structure behind it; a lighter panel reduces the demand on all three.
Send the drawing. We will return a joint layout.
Panel layout, area, substrate and required delivery date are enough to start. Quotation within 24 hours.