Our Quarries

A stone wholesaler should know their
way around a quarry.

We’re the only quarry-owning company in Tampa.

Although Excell has access to natural stone from all over the world, most stone is produced in the following countries

• Granite: Brazil and India
• Marble: Italy and Spain
• Onyx: Pakistan, Afghanistan and Mexico
• Quartzite: Brazil

Natural stone is produced using several different methods, for granite the most common method is called diamond wire cutting. This works by separating large sections of stone from the original mountain rock cutting with diamond wires. Once the large piece is set aside from the rock mountain, it is easier to drill. The most common drills use compressed air. Workers drill holes into the free blocks of stone, which serve to frame the stone and later help separate large sections of it.

Once the block is ready, it is transported to the manufacturing plant for cutting and polishing in slices, what we in the business call slabs. Most granite blocks measure 2.5 to 3.0 meters long, by 1.7 to 1.9 meters in height.

To cut marble, usually the diamond blade is the tool of choice, especially when cutting it down to tiles. Diamond cost reduction in the last few years is allowing natural stone equipment manufacturers to promote the use of diamond cutting more and more. Diamond cutting has several advantages such as improved cutting quality, fast production in a smaller plant area and lees environmental impact. One of the new equipment that has the potential to change the granite processing market is the DIAMOND WIRE GANGSAW. Further technology improvements on the diamond wire machine, better quality control of the cutting, as well as the diamond decrease in prices should make diamond wire gangsaws the standard in the future.

Polishing

As far as polishing the slabs, the most effective process is by using multi-head polishing machines. In the last few years those machines became standard for polishing the slabs, as they allow a better quality as well as high production. The largest granite and natural stone processing plants usually use those machines. However, it is very common for the smaller companies to use manual polishing machines. In Brazil and China, much stone polishing is still done using manual or semi-automatic polishing machines. Lower labor cost and the high cost to own a fully automatic polishing machine still prevent some small companies to move on to the next level.

Handling, Shipping and Importing

In order to be loaded inside a container, the stone need to be properly packed. Moving and storage of the stone in a careful manner is absolutely necessary to avoid damage. Minor scratches on the slab or tile surface may happen. However an experienced fabricator (at the factory or in the USA) would have the ability to make repairs so the stone will look good again.

The natural stone tiles are usually packed inside crates, or wood boxes. Those boxes should be able to stand forklift handling and hold their original frame during transportation. Some types of stone protected inside Styrofoam boxes. Usually granite tiles (12” x12” and 18” x 18”) are packed inside those Styrofoam boxes prior to placing them inside the wood boxes.

The US market imports natural stone from several countries, namely Brazil, India, China, Italy and Spain.

Excell Marble is an importer and retailer, so our company provides better prices to homeowners while maintaining the quality levels they demand. Excell Marble also works with some granite owned by the family business quarries such as Ubatuba, Butterly, Santa Cecilia and Copper Canyon.

Visit our showroom, see all of this for yourself.