On August 1, 2026, GB 46028-2025 Safety Technical Requirements for Architectural Decorative Stone officially took effect. This is not a recommended standard but a mandatory national standard — the “GB” designation, rather than “GB/T”, means it is not “suggested” but “required”. For every participant in the architectural decorative stone industry — from quarries to factories, from design institutes to contractors, from clients to supervision bodies — this new standard is already having a profound impact.
Q: What is GB 46028-2025?
GB 46028-2025 Safety Technical Requirements for Architectural Decorative Stone was proposed and centrally managed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and jointly issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Standardization Administration of China as a mandatory national standard. It is China’s first mandatory safety and technical standard covering both natural stone and synthetic stone. Previously, technical requirements for stone were scattered across recommended industry standards such as JC/T 908 and various local specifications, lacking unified mandatory force.
The core changes of the new standard include:
- Bringing natural stone (granite, marble, limestone, sandstone) and synthetic stone (resin-based, inorganic-based) into one unified standard framework.
- Classifying synthetic stone for the first time into “resin-based” and “inorganic-based” types, each with its own technical indicators.
- Setting clear mandatory requirements for flexural strength, panel thickness and frost resistance for dry-hung installed stone.
- Raising new thresholds for the bond strength and hazardous-substance content of stone adhesives.
Key indicators at a glance
According to GB 46028-2025, the following indicators have become the “entry threshold” for architectural decorative stone:
1. Flexural strength (dry-hung installation)
| Stone type | Flexural strength requirement |
|---|---|
| Natural granite | ≥8.0 MPa |
| Natural marble | ≥7.0 MPa |
| Natural limestone | ≥4.0 MPa |
| Natural sandstone | ≥6.9 MPa |
| Resin-based synthetic stone | ≥12 MPa |
| Inorganic-based synthetic stone | ≥10 MPa |
2. Panel thickness (dry-hung installation)
| Stone type | Interior finish | Exterior finish |
|---|---|---|
| Natural granite | ≥20mm | ≥25mm |
| Natural marble | ≥25mm | ≥35mm |
| Limestone / sandstone (flexural ≥8.0 MPa) | ≥25mm | ≥35mm |
| Limestone / sandstone (flexural 4.0–8.0 MPa) | ≥30mm | ≥40mm |
| Resin-based synthetic stone | ≥20mm | — |
| Inorganic-based synthetic stone | ≥20mm | ≥25mm |
Note: The thickness requirements for natural limestone and sandstone are split into two tiers, corresponding to flexural strength not less than 8.0 MPa and between 4.0 and 8.0 MPa respectively. Resin-based synthetic stone has no exterior dry-hung indicator (marked “—”), while inorganic-based synthetic stone requires ≥25mm for exterior dry-hung installation.
3. Frost resistance
Exterior dry-hung natural stone and inorganic-based synthetic stone must have a frost resistance coefficient not lower than 80%.
4. Radionuclide limits
Natural granite must comply with GB 6566; for interior finishes of Class I civil buildings, IRa ≤ 1.0 and Ir ≤ 1.3.
5. Adhesive bond strength
Compressive-shear bond strength of adhesives used for reinforcing dry-hung stone must be ≥5.0 MPa.
Q: What does the new standard mean for the industry?
- For manufacturers: Hard indicators such as flexural strength and frost resistance will directly eliminate a number of small producers with weak technical capabilities. For inorganic-based synthetic stone, the ≥10 MPa flexural threshold means products made with conventional processes may no longer qualify.
- For design institutes: Material selection must comply with the new standard, or design documents will fail review.
- For contractors: Projects using non-compliant materials risk failing acceptance inspections.
- For developers: Choosing non-compliant materials may lead to rework, delays and liability.
Recommendations: start compliance checks early
The new standard has now taken effect. Both manufacturers and project owners should complete self-inspection, adjustment and compliance preparation as soon as possible. Rather than reacting passively, plan ahead. We will continue to publish in-depth analyses of the new standard’s core indicators and provide compliant material selection advice.
Note: This article is compiled from the original text of GB 46028-2025, issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Standardization Administration of China.