Building and walling stone has been used for the construction of masonry buildings and external walls for thousands of years.

Blocks are quarried from natural stone such as sandstone, limestone and slate, or manufactured from reconstructed, cast stone.

Dressed stone or ashlars are squared and shaped for a precise fit with other stones, and are laid in courses with fine mortar joints.

Random masonry has a rougher face, giving a more rustic appearance. Rubble has a very rough, uncoursed format, with the stone surface sometimes projecting beyond the joint.

Traditional dry-stone walling is a mortarless construction method using carefully selected, interlocking stones to form retaining and boundary walls.

Natural and cast stone is also shaped into thinner blocks and panels for external wall cladding.