The Legacy of Alabama White Marble Holds Strong
With the demand for Alabama white marble continuing to rise, AM3 works hard to quarry the material from a longstanding deposit in the Appalachian Mountains
Alabama Marble Mineral & Mining Co. “AM3” owns and operates a 50-acre quarry nestled on the white marble belt on the southwestern edge of the Appalachian Mountains in Sylacauga, AL.
Characterized as an “extremely strong marble varying in color from a true white to a warm and creamy hue with distinct medium- to large-sized gray veins,” Alabama marble has been chosen for building construction, sculpture and interior architecture for more than a century.
The site runs 32 miles long, a mile and a half wide and more than 600 feet deep. “Our marble is very strong and dense,” said Bintao Qin, vice president of operations at AM3, adding the company purchased the quarry in 2013 and the processing plant in 2016. “It is a very long deposit. We operate the smallest portion, which is probably about 100 years old.”
The marble, which contains a minimum of five distinct colors, is fabricated at AM3’s state-of-the-art processing plant located 60 miles from the quarry in Bessemer, AL. “We use the building to produce slabs,” said Qin. “Tile is cut in Mexico and China. We made that change last year.”
At the production facility, three block saws and an Omag CNC machine, as well as two polishing lines, are in operation. “We only do simple cuts,” said Qin. “Nothing intricate.” A Gaspari wire saw is used to cut different thicknesses. “A wire saw is more efficient than a gangsaw,” said Qin. “It cuts in four hours, while a gangsaw cuts a slab in 10 hours.” Moreover, Qin said most slabs are honed to meet market demand.
Additionally, the plant is equipped with a Protec resin line, which is used only to put a resin back on AM3’s Rose marble. “We do this to make it stronger and safer for the fabricator,” said Qin, explaining the color is growing in popularity. “Rose has several variations, but we don’t separate it.”
AM3 has distributors in six states. They include one in Alabama; three in Louisiana; two in Georgia; two in Washington, DC; three in New York and one in Texas.
“The southeast and New York are our primary markets,” said Qin. “Texas is growing. We work with Stone Source and Triton. They are big groups and can distribute internally.
“The material is very good for architectural purposes, such as fireplaces, sinks and tubs,” Qin went on to say. AM3 recently completed supplying its marble for the Mobile International Airport in Alabama and at the time of Stone World’s visit, the company was working on a performing arts center, also in Alabama.
Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!
