About the Stone

The Region

The Estremoz White marble is extracted around the area of the village of Estremoz, which explains the marble´s name.

The region around Estremoz has been inhabited since pre-historic times. There are also vestiges of Roman, Visigoth and Muslim occupation.

Together with the two other marble towns, Borba and Vila Viçosa, Estremoz is internationally known for its fine to medium marble that occurs in several colors: white, cream, pink, grey.

The main economic activities around this area, in addition to wine and olive oil producing, is the marble extraction and production. Portugal is the second largest exporter of marble in the world, surpassed only by Italy (Carrara marble).

The Marble

The Estremoz White marble is explored mostly in the villages around Estremoz, of Vila Viçosa, Bencatel and Estremoz itself. There are many varieties of marble being extracted around this area, ranging from white color, to pink, grey and more.

Marble used to be the main type of export in terms of natural stones, but as quarries went deeper, the Estremoz marble blocks showed more darker veins, which is less commercially appealing. Today, it is still a relevant export industry, but far from the golden years.

Overall Analysis

Estremoz is today synonym of quality and a reference white marble in the market. However, the finer and cleaner blocks are becoming more scarce and available just for few regular clients. Nonetheless, other beautiful variations with specific type of vein have come up and are now the most important types of Estremoz marble.

This is a white marble that will continue to be extracted for years to come, with a strong focus on variations with specific types of vein. The trick is about consistency, so a supply ends as it starts, which can be a challenge and requires attention and close follow-up.