Natural Stone Reference

Bali natural stone: a buyer’s reference to the seven types worth specifying

By Sasha, ExportBali Sourcing Agency. Updated August 2026

The volcanic and sedimentary geology of Bali and the surrounding islands produces stone you cannot source anywhere else. This guide covers the seven types I export most often: what each one is, where it works, what it costs, and what to confirm before you specify it on a project.

Why Bali stone is genuinely different

These materials have been used in Bali’s temples, palaces and luxury hotels for centuries, not as a trend but as the natural building material of the island. Paras stone’s pale, carvable surface. The deep charcoal of lavastone. The emerald of Sukabumi under water. When you source stone from Bali you are getting something with genuine origin, and a visual character European or Chinese alternatives do not have.

Paras Stone (Batu Paras)

Bali’s most iconic building material. Soft, pale and carvable.

Paras is a generic trade name, not a single stone. It covers several soft, workable stones from different areas that vary in colour, density and hardness. Bali paras such as Kerobokan tends to be softer, greener-grey and more affordable. Some Java varieties are denser, whiter and more refined, closer to a limestone or marble look. All of it carves beautifully, which is why Balinese artisans have used paras for centuries on temples: pale walls, carved deities, softly eroded surfaces. I can source the grade that fits your project, from soft carving stone to the harder, more uniform Java material.

• Colour: cream, warm beige, pale grey, greenish-grey, or near-white depending on origin
• Hardness: Mohs 2.5 to 4, soft, the softest varieties scratch easily
• Porosity: high, must be sealed for wet or exterior use
• Frost resistance: none, not for freeze-thaw climates
• Best for: interior feature walls, carved panels and reliefs, statuary, boundary walls, protected exterior surfaces in warm climates

Do not specify soft paras for exposed exterior flooring or frost-risk climates. Its home is interior decorative work, carving and protected vertical surfaces. Denser Java grades tolerate more.

Bali Greenstone

The carving stone. Made for statues and outdoor ornaments.

Bali greenstone is the traditional material for hand-carved garden statuary: Buddha figures, Dewa and guardian statues, planters and ornaments. It is harder and more weather-resistant than soft paras, which is what makes it suitable for outdoor display, while still soft enough to carve in detail. It is quarried in Bali and nearby regions. Do not confuse it with Green Sukabumi below: greenstone is a softer carving stone from Bali, Sukabumi is a hard pool stone from one specific region of West Java. Different stone, different job.

• Colour: grey-green, deepens outdoors as it weathers
• Hardness: softer than lavastone, harder than limestone. A comparative placement from experience, not a laboratory figure
• Durability: made for outdoor use, resists weathering well
• Best for: hand-carved statues, Buddha and guardian figures, garden ornaments, planters, signage stones

Greenstone is sold as finished carved pieces, not slabs or tiles by the square metre, so it is quoted per piece against your design and size.

Andesite (Batu Andesit)

The hardest paving stone. Dense enough to drive on.

Andesite is the most structurally significant building stone in the region, and the one a lot of buyers are specifically looking for. It is a dense grey to dark-grey igneous rock with very high compressive strength. In the right grade and thickness it carries heavy vehicular load: carports, driveways, commercial forecourts, not just foot traffic. I can source the genuinely load-bearing grade, the quality you can run cars and trucks over, as well as lighter grades for standard paving and cladding. Available plain (Polos) or speckled (Bintik).

• Colour: uniform grey to dark grey, plain or lightly speckled
• Hardness: Mohs 6.5 to 7, very hard, extremely durable
• Porosity: very low, highly resistant to tropical weathering, moss and algae
• Frost and coastal: yes to both, one of the most durable choices here
• Finishes: flamed (Bakar) for non-slip outdoor paving, honed or polished for interiors, bush-hammered for textured cladding
• Best for: vehicular driveways and carports, heavy-traffic flooring, exterior paving, retaining walls, modern facades

For any surface a vehicle drives on, specify the load-bearing grade and a thickness rated for it, commonly 3cm and up. Confirm the grade and thickness in writing, and use a flamed finish outdoors for grip.

Lavastone (Black Lava Stone)

Dark, dramatic, versatile. The temple stone of Borobudur.

Lavastone, locally Batu Candi or “temple stone,” is a dark volcanic basalt, the same material used on the 8th-century Borobudur temple. It is the charcoal-grey stone on pool surrounds, hotel terraces and modern exterior paving across Asia and increasingly in Europe and Australia. Its cellular structure insulates against heat and absorbs sound, and its naturally textured surface is non-slip underfoot. It is more porous than its dark, solid look suggests.

• Colour: dark grey to near-black, varies by quarry and finish
• Hardness: Mohs 5.5 to 6.5, medium-hard
• Weight: approximately 85 to 95 kg per m² at 30mm, factor into shipping
• Porosity: high, absorbs water readily. Sealing is strongly recommended
• Frost and coastal: good in warm and coastal use, less suited to hard freeze-thaw once it has absorbed water
• Best for: pool surrounds, exterior paving, wall cladding, stepping stones, large statuary

Seal it. Unsealed lavastone in damp or shaded areas turns pitch black and attracts moss and algae. A quality coating keeps it water-resistant and clean, and it should be re-sealed periodically. Dense enough that a container can hit the weight limit before it fills, so calculate both weight and volume. Bush-hammered is the most requested outdoor finish.

Green Sukabumi (Bali Green Pool Stone)

The world’s premier luxury pool stone. Emerald under water.

Green Sukabumi is quarried only in the Sukabumi region of West Java, an andesite-based volcanic stone whose grey-green colour turns vivid emerald when submerged. It is the stone behind many of the world’s most photographed infinity pools, from Bali to Dubai. It is traded internationally as Bali Green Stone, Sukabumi Green Tuff, and Pedra Hijau Verde, the name it is best known by in Brazil.

Its real advantage is chemical, not just visual. Green Sukabumi contains 8 to 12% natural zeolite, a mineral that acts as a molecular sieve: in a pool it traps heavy metals, absorbs ammonia and helps neutralise bacteria and odours, stabilising water quality and reducing the chlorine load needed to keep the pool clean. Combined with a naturally slip-resistant surface and a coolness underfoot in tropical sun, that is why it commands its place at the top of the market.

• Colour: grey-green dry, deep emerald wet, natural shade variation
• Hardness: Mohs 6 to 7, hard and dense, the hardest stone in this reference alongside andesite
• Porosity: very low, 2.5 to 3.5% water absorption, suited to constant water contact
• Slip resistance: R11 to R12, safe for barefoot wet areas
• Best for: pool tiles and interiors, coping and surrounds, spa and wet zones, feature cladding

Sawn-cut is the standard pool-interior finish because it maximises grip. Always request a wet sample, the dry colour is not what your client will see once the pool is filled.

Palimanan (Bali Limestone)

Warm, natural, classic. Popular for flooring, cladding and pavers.

Palimanan comes from Cirebon, West Java, in warm cream, beige, silver-grey and golden tones with a naturally varied surface that ages well. It is technically a sandstone and limestone hybrid, which is why the trade is not consistent about which name to use. Golden Palimanan is the yellow-gold variety whose sedimentary bands “pop” under a gloss seal. It is more durable than paras, softer than lavastone, and particularly popular in European interiors for its warm, natural aesthetic.

• Colour: cream, silver, warm beige, gold, natural tonal variation
• Hardness: Mohs 3.5 to 4.5, medium, takes polish but can scratch
• Porosity: medium, sealing recommended in wet zones and food areas
• Frost resistance: limited, needs quality sealing in frost climates
• Best for: interior flooring, sealed bathrooms, pool copings, exterior cladding in mild climates, feature walls

Acid etching is its main vulnerability: lemon, wine and acidic cleaners dull the surface. Specify it for interiors with the right sealing and give your client maintenance advice at handover.

Sandstone (Bali Sandstone)

Warm, earthy tones. Ideal for garden walls, planters and features.

Bali and Java sandstone runs to warm brown, orange and buff tones with natural “tiger-stripe” sedimentary banding, earthier than the grey stones. It is softer than lavastone and Palimanan, which makes it good for decorative work and hand-carved elements but less suited to high-traffic flooring. Architects specify it most for garden walls, retaining walls, shrines and decorative features where its warm palette works.

• Colour: warm brown, orange-brown, buff, ochre
• Hardness: Mohs 3 to 4, soft to medium, cuts and carves easily
• Porosity: high, sealing important for exterior use
• Frost resistance: limited, not for severe frost climates
• Best for: garden and retaining walls, planters, carved decorative and religious elements, warm-climate feature cladding

Edge damage in transit is the main issue: the softer surface chips more easily. Cut pieces should be individually foam-wrapped or crated. Confirm packaging explicitly with your supplier before shipping.

Quick comparison

Indicative prices, 2026

Cut and finished, ex-works Bali, per square metre unless noted. These do not include shipping, export documentation, destination customs duty or inland delivery. Stone is heavy, always calculate weight as well as volume for a shipping estimate.

These figures are indicative only. Stone pricing moves with availability, season, thickness, quantity and the quality grade you specify, and it varies from supplier to supplier. Premium Green Sukabumi in particular can run above the range shown. Treat these as a planning range, not a quote. Send me your specification and I will come back with real numbers for your project.

It’s available in different sizes and in polished or natural finishes. That has little effect on the per square metre price. Minimum order is by request, since it depends on the stone and the piece, shipping a small stone order is rarely economical, so it is worth talking through what makes sense for your project. I can source samples, arrange production, manage quality control and handle export for the whole order.

Get the printable reference guide

The full seven-stone reference on a clean, printable sheet: properties, applications and indicative prices, plus specifying notes on samples, thickness, sealing and wastage. The document architects and designers keep coming back to. Enter your email and I will send it over.

Specifying Bali stone: what to confirm

• Sample first, always. Natural stone varies between quarry runs. For large projects request a full-size sample panel before approving production, especially for lavastone, Sukabumi and Palimanan where tonal variation is significant.
• Specify thickness precisely. Standard export thicknesses are 20, 30, 40 and 50mm. For any surface a vehicle uses, specify a load-rated thickness. Confirm the tolerance your supplier works to: plus or minus 2mm is normal for hand-finished stone, plus or minus 0.5mm for machine-cut. Get it in writing.
• Account for natural variation. Colour shifts, minor surface imperfections and tonal variation are normal and part of the character. If a project needs absolute uniformity, specify that and accept it costs more in selection and wastage.
• Seal appropriately. Paras, lavastone, Palimanan and sandstone all benefit from sealing against water, dirt and moss. Andesite and Sukabumi are dense enough to need little or none. Give clients a sealing and re-seal schedule at handover.
• Add a wastage factor. For irregular cuts, natural variation or curved work, add 10 to 15% to your quantity. For straight-format paving in regular spaces, 5 to 8% is usually enough.
• Check structural loading. For elevated floors, decks or driveways, confirm the structure carries the stone’s weight and the load before you specify a dense material like andesite or lavastone.

For how a stone shipment is packed, documented and moved, see the Bali shipping cost guide. For the wider stone export picture, see the guide to natural stone from Bali.

Sourcing stone for a project?

Send me your specification: stone type, finish, sizes and destination. I reply within 24 hours on working days, and a full quote takes 3 to 5 business days.