The construction industry is the primary consumer of calcite in the form of limestone and marble. These rocks have been used as dimension stones and in mortar for thousands of years. Limestone blocks were the primary construction material used in many of the pyramids of Egypt and Latin America. Today, rough and polished limestone and marble are still an important material used in prestige architecture.
Modern construction uses calcite in the form of limestone and marble to produce cement and concrete. These materials are easily mixed, transported, and placed in the form of a slurry that will harden into a durable construction material. Concrete is used to make buildings, highways, bridges, walls, and many other structures.
| Physical Properties of Calcite | |
| Chemical Classification | Carbonate |
| Color | Usually white but also colorless, gray, red, green, blue, yellow, brown, orange |
| Streak | White |
| Luster | Vitreous |
| Diaphaneity | Transparent to translucent |
| Cleavage | Perfect, rhombohedral, three directions |
| Mohs Hardness | 3 |
| Specific Gravity | 2.7 |
| Diagnostic Properties | Rhombohedral cleavage, powdered form effervesces weakly in dilute HCl, curved crystal faces and frequent twinning |
| Chemical Composition | CaCO3 |
| Crystal System | Trigonal |
| Uses | Acid neutralization, a low-hardness abrasive, soil conditioner, heated for the production of lime |