Persian Marble and Travertine Selection Guide for International Projects

Stone selection is the part of a Persian marble or travertine import programme where the buyer’s project outcome is decided. A façade, a floor, a cladding programme succeeds or fails on whether the slabs that arrive match the design render’s colour, vein and finish — and that match is a function of the selection specification, not the quarry name. This guide is the selection framework we apply to every direct Iranian sourcing export travertine marble shipment, and it is the framework we recommend project buyers require from any Iranian stone supplier they evaluate.

The first decision: block or slab

The foundational selection decision is whether the buyer contracts for blocks (the raw sawn stone from the quarry, sold by cubic metre) or slabs (the pre-cut, pre-finished stone, sold by square metre). The trade-off:

• Blocks are cheaper per cubic metre than slabs are per square metre of finished stone, because the buyer assumes the cutting yield risk — the block may contain veins, fractures or colour variations that reduce the usable slab area. Block buying is the format for buyers with their own cutting and polishing infrastructure, or for very large projects where the yield risk is worth the cost saving.
• Slabs are pre-cut and pre-finished at the Iranian factory. The buyer sees exactly what is shipping — the slab dimensions, the colour, the vein, the finish — and the yield risk is borne by the factory. Slab buying is the format for most international project buyers, because the verification (seeing the actual slab) is worth the premium over the block’s lower per-unit cost.

We default to slab export for project buyers, because the slab-and-photograph protocol eliminates the most common dispute in stone export: a buyer who approved a sample and received a container whose slabs are a different selection. With slabs, the buyer approves the actual slabs; with blocks, the buyer approves a representative sample and assumes the risk that the block’s interior does not match.

The selection grade: first, second, or commercial

Within a stone type, the selection grade is the dominant price driver and the dominant project-fit determinant. Iranian marble and travertine are sold in three selection tiers:

• First choice (first selection): consistent vein and colour, minimal filler, the most uniform slabs in the block. The selection for luxury projects, signature façades, and any application where the design render demands colour and vein uniformity. The highest price.
• Second choice (second selection): more variation in vein and colour, more filler (for travertine’s natural voids), less uniform than first choice but still a project-grade stone. The selection for commercial floors, mid-tier cladding, and projects where some variation is acceptable. Mid-tier price.
• Commercial choice: the most variation, the most filler, the least uniform. The selection for budget floors, industrial applications, and projects where cost is the primary driver. The lowest price.

The selection grade is the line item that determines whether a luxury project’s slabs match the approved render. A buyer who contracts “Persian Silk marble” without specifying the selection grade will receive whichever selection the supplier has most profitably available — and for a luxury project, that is the failure mode. We quote each selection separately so the buyer can choose the grade that matches the project budget and the design expectation.

The finish: polished, honed, brushed, leather, flamed

The finish is the surface treatment applied to the slab, and it determines both the appearance and the functional performance (slip resistance, stain resistance, maintenance). The standard finishes:

• Polished: the high-gloss mirror finish, the default for interior marble floors, walls and vanity tops. Polished marble is the most colour-saturated and the most reflective; it is also the most slippery when wet, so it is not used for wet-area floors.
• Honed: the matte, smooth finish, the default for high-traffic floors and for applications where a glossy finish is not desired. Honed marble is less slippery than polished and is the standard finish for commercial floors.
• Brushed: a textured finish produced by brushing the surface with abrasive brushes, giving a slightly rough, natural-textured surface. Used for exterior and rustic applications.
• Leather: a soft, slightly textured finish similar to brushed but smoother, used for premium interior applications where a tactile surface is desired.
• Flamed: a rough, non-slip finish produced by passing a high-temperature flame over the surface, causing the stone to spall. The standard finish for exterior paving, anti-slip floors, and wet areas.

The finish is a functional specification, not an aesthetic preference — a polished marble floor in a wet lobby is a slip hazard, and a flamed marble floor in a luxury living room is a design mismatch. The finish belongs on the spec sheet alongside the selection grade.

The slab dimensions: what sizes are available

Iranian marble and travertine slabs run typically 270-320 cm long by 160-195 cm wide, with oversized slabs up to 340 x 200 cm available from some quarries at a premium. The slab size matters for the project’s cutting layout: a project designed around 300 x 180 cm slabs will produce less waste from 300 x 180 cm slabs than from 270 x 160 cm slabs, and the waste difference is a cost difference. For projects with a defined slab layout (a façade panel programme, a floor pattern), the slab dimensions should be specified to match the layout.

Thickness: 2 cm and 3 cm are the standard slab thicknesses; 1.5 cm and 1.8 cm are available for tile and cladding lines. The thickness choice is a structural and a weight decision — 3 cm for high-traffic floors and counters, 2 cm for walls and standard floors, 1.5-1.8 cm for tile and cladding where weight matters.

Travertine: the void-filling question

Travertine has natural voids — the stone is formed by mineral precipitation at hot springs, and the voids are a structural feature of the formation. The voids are filled at the factory (filled travertine) or left open (unfilled, for a more rustic finish). The filling is a selection and a finish decision:

• Filled travertine: the voids are filled with a colour-matched resin or cement, producing a smooth, uniform surface. The standard for polished and honed travertine, and for projects where a uniform appearance is desired.
• Unfilled travertine: the voids are left open, producing a textured, natural surface. The standard for brushed and tumbled travertine, and for rustic and exterior applications where the void texture is a design feature.

The void-filling decision is a project aesthetic and a maintenance decision — unfilled travertine in a high-traffic interior floor collects dirt in the voids and is harder to clean than filled travertine. The decision belongs on the spec sheet.

The spec sheet and the slab photograph

The specification sheet we issue with every Persian marble and travertine proforma includes:

• Stone type (Persian Silk, Harsin, Dehbid, Sefid Pietra, silver travertine, white travertine, beige travertine)
• Block or slab
• Dimensions (length x width, in cm)
• Thickness (in cm)
• Finish (polished, honed, brushed, leather, flamed)
• Selection grade (first, second, commercial)
• Filled or unfilled (for travertine)
• Resin and mesh backing (applied or not, to reinforce fragile slabs)
• Photograph of the actual slab(s) being shipped

The photograph is the document that makes the selection real. A buyer who approves a sample and contracts without a slab photograph is a buyer who assumes the risk that the shipped slabs are a different selection. We photograph every slab before it ships and the buyer approves the photographs in writing before the container loads.

Logistics, MOQ and the project timeline

• Minimum order: one 20ft container (~20-27 tons of slabs, depending on thickness) for standard export; less than container load (LCL) is possible for small projects at a higher per-square-metre logistics cost.
• Lead time: 18-30 days from slab selection to container loading, depending on the cutting and finishing queue at the factory. For projects with a large slab count or a bespoke finish, the lead time is longer.
• Incoterms: FOB Bandar Abbas, CFR/CIF destination port, DAP where the destination permits.

Stone is a heavy cargo and the inland transport at destination is a cost line item that buyers sometimes underestimate — a 20ft container of marble slabs weighs 20-27 tons and requires a crane-equipped destination warehouse. The destination handling capability should be confirmed before the container sails.

Putting it together

Persian marble and travertine selection is a specification exercise — stone type, selection grade, finish, dimensions, filled or unfilled, photographed before shipment — and the buyers who succeed specify each of these on the proforma and approve the slab photographs before loading. The Persian travertine marble supplier page covers the broader sourcing workflow; this guide covers the selection framework within that workflow. To begin a project stone engagement, request a sourcing quote with your stone type, finish, selection grade, dimensions, volume and destination, and a stone-specific advisor will respond within one business day. For the document workflow, the Iran export documentation checklist is the companion guide.