Choosing a Benchtop Now Engineered Stone Is Banned

For more than a decade, engineered stone was the benchtop most Australian kitchens were built with. It was consistent, stain-resistant and available in every shade of white. From 1 July 2024, it was banned for new work across the country. If you're renovating now, the choice is wider — and more interesting — but every alternative behaves differently.

This guide explains what the ban covers, what it doesn't, how the main alternatives compare, and what to do if you already have engineered stone.

Why engineered stone was banned

Engineered stone contains a high proportion of crystalline silica. Cutting, grinding and polishing it releases fine respirable silica dust, and workers who fabricated benchtops were developing silicosis — a serious, incurable lung disease — at a concerning rate. After a review by Safe Work Australia, governments agreed to prohibit its use rather than try to control the dust.

The ban is about protecting the people who make and install benchtops. A finished benchtop in your kitchen does not release silica dust through normal use.

What is and isn't banned

The regulations define engineered stone as an artificial product that contains a threshold level of crystalline silica, made by combining natural stone materials with other ingredients such as resins or pigments. Its manufacture, supply, processing and installation are prohibited.

Not banned (among others):

• Natural stone, such as granite, marble and quartzite
• Porcelain products and sintered stone
• Concrete and cement products
• Ceramic wall and floor tiles

Some newer engineered surfaces are made with little or no crystalline silica and fall outside the definition. If you're offered one, ask the supplier for written documentation of its composition and compliance. The rules are set under work health and safety law in each state and territory, so if you need the detail, check the guidance from Safe Work Australia or your state regulator.

Note that natural stone can contain a lot of silica too — quartzite in particular. It isn't banned, but fabricators still have to control dust when cutting it.

The alternatives compared

How to choose

Every benchtop has a weakness. The trick is choosing the one you can live with.

If you cook a lot and hate worrying about the bench: porcelain or sintered stone, granite, or stainless steel. They handle heat and spills with little fuss.

If you love the look of marble: real marble, accepting that it will etch and develop a patina, or a harder quartzite with similar veining. Porcelain with a marble pattern gives the look with far less maintenance, though up close it isn't the same.

If you want seamless curves and an integrated sink: solid surface. Keep hot pans off it.

For a warm, soft look: timber, on an island or a section that doesn't take water, paired with a harder material around the sink and cooktop.

For a tight budget: modern laminate is far better than it used to be, and compact laminate is thinner and more robust. Check whether the product and edge suit an undermount sink.

Mixing materials is common: a hard-wearing surface on the working benches and something more characterful on the island.

Details to discuss with your fabricator

• Thickness and edges. Porcelain and sintered slabs are thin, so a thicker look is achieved with a mitred edge. Mitres look superb but need skilled fabrication.
• Printed versus through-body pattern. On many porcelain slabs the pattern sits on the surface, so edges and sink cut-outs need careful detailing.
• Overhangs. Island seating overhangs need support suited to the material; thin slabs usually need more.
• Sink and cooktop cut-outs. Undermount sinks need a material and edge treatment that suits them.
• Joins. Big islands may need a join; ask where it will fall before fabrication.
• Sealing and care. Natural stone needs sealing and periodic resealing; porcelain and stainless need none.

Questions to ask when comparing benchtop quotes

Two quotes for "a stone benchtop" can describe very different things. Before you compare them, ask each supplier:

• What exactly is the material? The product type and composition, not just a colour name. If anything is described as engineered or "quartz", ask for documentation showing it complies with the ban.
• What thickness and edge profile is included? A mitred edge on a thin slab is more work than a plain edge.
• How many cut-outs, and what type? Undermount sinks, cooktops, tap holes and power outlets each add fabrication.
• Where will the joins fall? Especially on long runs and large islands.
• Is a splashback in the same material included? And if so, how are power points handled?
• Who templates, and when? Templating should happen after the cabinetry is installed and level.
• What care does it need? Sealing products and intervals for natural stone, and what voids any warranty.

Getting these answers in writing makes it much easier to compare like with like, and avoids surprises when the slab arrives.

If you already have engineered stone

You don't have to remove it. An existing engineered stone benchtop can stay in place and be used as normal for its whole life.

What changes is any work on it. Cutting, repairing, modifying or removing existing engineered stone is regulated so that dust is controlled, and in some states the business doing the work must notify the regulator. In practice:

• Tell your renovator the benchtop is engineered stone before work starts.
• Don't cut, grind or drill it yourself.
• Expect removal to be done carefully, with dust controls, and the waste handled properly.

If you're keeping your cabinets and only replacing the top, the new material may be a different thickness, which can affect the splashback and sink — worth checking before you choose.

Ready to choose

Our benchtops and splashbacks page covers how we specify and install each material, and full kitchen renovations shows where the benchtop fits in the sequence. For how benchtop choice affects the budget, see our kitchen renovation cost guide. If you're on the North Shore, we can bring samples and quote your kitchen.