Karelia Red is a striking granite originating from the quarries of Finland, celebrated for its bold and warm aesthetic. The stone features a dominant deep red background, punctuated by a heterogeneous grain of black, grey, and white minerals that create a dynamic, speckled texture. This natural granite offers a robust and sophisticated look, making it an excellent choice for high-traffic flooring, elegant kitchen countertops, bathroom vanities, and exterior cladding. It is available in various polished, honed, or brushed finishes to suit diverse design visions. At Marmi di Carrara, we supply Karelia Red in raw blocks, precision-cut slabs (2 cm or 3 cm), and custom cut-to-size pieces, ensuring clients view photos of the actual slabs before purchase for complete transparency.
Petrographic description
Typically a coarse-grained igneous rock characterized by prominent red feldspar crystals set against a dark mineral matrix.
Karelia Red is a Granite quarried in Finland, catalogued in the Marmi di Carrara atlas under the international reference ICFIGR00523. Its dominant tone is red.
Like every granite, it is supplied as raw blocks, gangsaw slabs in 2 and 3 cm and cut-to-size pieces made in our Carrara plants. Recommended finishes: polished, honed, flamed, bush-hammered, leathered. Typical applications: kitchen worktops, exterior cladding and paving, stairs, monuments, high-traffic floors.
Availability varies with the quarry campaigns: before quoting we check current stock, block sizes and the selection grade, and we send photos of the actual slabs. Price and transport are confirmed by our technical office within one working day.
Karelia Red Granite: complete guide
Overview
Karelia Red is a coarse-grained red granite with a bold character and warm colouring. It is chosen when a very hard-wearing stone is needed that makes a strong colour statement, indoors and outdoors alike.
History and origin
The name recalls Karelia, a historic region of Northern Europe, and the material belongs to the family of Nordic red granites that have been valued for decades in construction and memorial work. It is an imported granite widely available on the international market, used for façade cladding, paving and monuments. Its resistance to the weather also makes it suitable for harsh climates. Marmi di Carrara supplies it on request.
Appearance
The background is bright red, made up of large feldspar crystals interrupted by dark mica grains and grey areas of quartz. The pattern is uniform overall but, because of the coarse grain, each slab shows small differences in the distribution of the crystals. Polishing enhances the red and the depth of the crystals, while flaming and bush-hammering lighten the tone and give a rough surface.
Uses
It is suitable for kitchen worktops, heavy-traffic floors, stairs, ventilated façades and street furniture. Outdoors, a flamed or bush-hammered finish is advisable to obtain a non-slip surface. It should be used with care in small rooms, where the intense red can become overpowering.
Care and maintenance
Lukewarm water and a neutral detergent are all that is needed for cleaning. A water- and oil-repellent treatment, renewed every few years, helps prevent oil stains on kitchen worktops. Avoid harsh abrasive products on polished surfaces.
- Classification
- intrusive igneous rock (granite)
- Density
- approx. 2,650 kg/m³ (indicative)
- Mohs hardness
- approx. 6-7
- Water absorption
- very low
- Main use
- indoor and outdoor
- Acid resistance
- good: unaffected by food acids
FAQ
Is Karelia Red suitable for outdoor use?
Granite: excellent for façades, paving and stairs in any climate. Tell us the climate and exposure of the project and we will recommend the right finish and thickness.
What is the price of Karelia Red per m²?
Indicative price from €95/m² for polished 2 cm slabs ex works Carrara, VAT excluded. The final figure depends on selection, block size, finish and quantity; a personalised quote is free.
How is Karelia Red shipped from Italy?
Slabs travel in wooden A-frames inside 20-foot containers (about 25 tonnes); blocks ship loose or in open-top containers. We quote FOB, CIF or door-to-door to any port or site.
