Quartz

Quartz (silica, SiO₂) is the core mineral within the Sibelco group and can be found in a broad number of applications, such as glass, ceramics and coatings. Quartz can be characterised by:

 

• Relatively high Mohs hardness of 7
• Low electrical conductivity
• Easy to wet
• High inertness in various media
• Shape (depending on the source, quartz particles can have an angular or more rounded shape).

 

Note when using quartz:

depending on the particle size distribution of the product, it can be labelled (STOT RE 2 or STOT RE 1). For more detailed information, visit  www.safesilica.eu.

 

Basic properties

Property	Value	Unit
Moisture		[%]
pH	7	[-]
Hardness (Mohs)	7	[-]
Refractive index	1.55	[-]
Colour (D65/ 10°) L*	93 – 96	[-]
L.O.I.	< 0.3	[%]
Density	2.65	[kg/ dm3]

 

Product overview

Coarse
product	Grade	D50	Grade	D50	D90	OA
		[µm]		[µm]	[µm]	[g/ 100 g]
Silica sand	M31	370	M6	30	95	16.5
	M32	260	M10	23	60	17.5
	M34	170	M300	17	40	19
			M400	12	26	20
			M500	4	10	23
			M600	4	9	24
			M800	1.8	4.1	32

Production locations  Silica Sand

 

Application

Quartz will provide:

 

• Block resistance: the use of quartz allows faster stacking of coated substrates with the substrates sticking to each other.
• Burnish resistance: due to its hardness of 7 on Mohs scale, quartz provides good burnish resistance (low tendency to become glossy when rubbed).
• Ease of tinting: due to the combination of refractive index, brightness and color, paints including fine quartz particles will give excellent reprodicable colour results when working with tinting systems.
• Gloss control: the gloss level of an interior coating can be influenced by selecting the appropriate grade of quartz.
• Scrub resistance: due to its hardness of 7 on Mohs scale, quartz improves wet scrub resistance of interior decorative paints.
• Stain resistance: quartz acts as a supporting mineral filler in stain resistant coatings.