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Stone Water Absorption Calculator

Turn a dry and a saturated tile weighing into a water absorption percentage and the water one square foot of that stone takes up.

Inputs

Range: 1–100,000 g

Grams. Dry the tile at 100 C to constant weight, cool it in a desiccator, then weigh it.

Range: 1–100,000 g

Grams, after soaking the tile in water until the weight stops rising, then blotting the surface dry.

Range: 1–120 in

Inches, measured on the face.

Range: 1–120 in

Inches, measured on the face.

Result

Water absorbed by the tile
18.00 g
Water absorption
4.00 %
Tile face area
1.000 sq ft
Water taken up per sq ft
0.609 fl oz
Reading: what this result means for the job
An absorptive stone in the usual range for a marble or a limestone. The figure to carry forward is the water per square foot, which sets how much sealer the floor drinks on the first coat.
Applicability limit
The absorption is measured on one tile, and a stone is not one number: a slab, a shipment and a floor can all differ, so the result describes the tile you weighed rather than the floor. The protocol matters too: dry to constant weight, soak until the weight stops rising, and blot rather than air dry. This is a planning figure for the values entered, not a measured result. Coverage rates, product yields and application rates are properties of a specific product, applicator and substrate, and the label or data sheet for the product you are using always takes precedence over the default here.
Check before the job

Working

Water absorbed by the tile
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Water absorption
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Tile face area
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Water taken up per sq ft
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What to check

  • Dry the tile to constant weight and cool it in a desiccator before the first weighing.
  • Soak until the weight stops rising, then blot the surface dry rather than letting it air dry.
  • Test more than one tile: absorption varies across a slab and across a shipment.

Related calculators

Absorption is measured, not assumed, and a stone is not one number: a marble and a travertine from the same quarry can differ several times over. The water a square foot takes up is what tells you how much impregnating sealer the floor will need.