Soapstone cooking pots absorb heat readily from the stove and radiate it into the soup or stew. Because their walls are thick, they take a little longer to heat than a thin metal pot. However, they heat their contents evenly and retain their heat when removed from the stove – the contents of the pot…

Soapstone does not burn or melt at wood-burning temperatures, and it has the ability to absorb heat, hold heat, and radiate heat. These properties make it an excellent material for making wood-burning stoves. The stove becomes hot and radiates that heat into the room. It also holds heat, keeping the coals hot and often allowing…

Soapstone tiles and panels are an excellent choice where heat and moisture are present. Soapstone is dense, without pores, does not stain, and repels water. Those properties make soapstone tiles and wall panels a good choice for showers, tub surrounds, and backsplashes. Soapstone is heat resistant and does not burn. That makes it an excellent…

Soapstone is often used as an alternative natural stone countertop instead of granite or marble. In laboratories it is unaffected by acids and alkalis. In kitchens it is not stained or altered by tomatoes, wine, vinegar, grape juice, and other common food items. Soapstone is unaffected by heat. Hot pots can be placed directly on it without fear…

The special properties of soapstone make it suitable, or the material of choice, for a wide variety of uses. A number of examples of soapstone use are explained below and in the photograph captions on this page. Countertops in kitchens and laboratoriesSinksCooking pots, cooking slabs, boiling stonesBowls and platesCemetery markersElectrical panelsOrnamental carvings and sculpturesFireplace liners…

Soapstone is composed primarily of talc and shares many physical properties with that mineral. These physical properties make soapstone valuable for many different uses. These useful physical properties include: soft and very easy to carvenonporousnonabsorbentlow electrical conductivityheat resistanthigh specific heat capacityresistant to acids and alkalis Soapstone is a rock, and its mineral composition can vary. Its composition…

Soapstone most often forms at convergent plate boundaries where broad areas of Earth’s crust are subjected to heat and directed pressure. Peridotites, dunites, and serpentinites in this environment can be metamorphosed into soapstone. On a smaller scale, soapstone can form where siliceous dolostones are altered by hot, chemically active fluids in a process known as metasomatism.

Soapstone is a metamorphic rock that is composed primarily of talc, with varying amounts of chlorite, pyroxenes, micas, amphiboles, carbonates, and other minerals. Because it is composed primarily of talc it is usually very soft. Soapstone is typically gray, bluish, green, or brown in color, often variegated. Its name is derived from its “soapy” feel and softness. The name “soapstone” is…

People have quarried soapstone for thousands of years. Native Americans in eastern North America used the soft rock to make bowls, cooking slabs, smoking pipes, and ornaments as early as the Late Archaic Period (3000 to 5000 years ago). [1] Native Americans on the west coast traveled in canoes from the mainland to San Clemente Island (60…