Black Basalt Plank Setts – Brushed (8″ × 2″ × 2″)

Quarry-Direct Basalt in a Plank Sett Format

Each of these brushed black basalt pavers is cut as a 4:1 plank sett at Citadel Stone, hand-graded, and finished before packing — from the same basalt beds our team has worked for 50 years. Buying quarry-direct removes the importer and distributor margins that sit between the saw and your job site.

Color, Grain, and the 60-Grit Brushed Finish

The stone is a deep charcoal black with an ultra-fine grain and scattered pinpoint mineral flecks that read as subtle sparkle rather than veining. A 60-grit abrasive brush opens the sawn face into a satin-matte, lightly rippled texture — grippier than honed, smoother underfoot than bush-hammered — and softly eases each edge so joints sit tight without sharp arrises. Expect mild tone variation piece to piece; that shift is what separates natural basalt from dyed concrete block.

Brushed, Bush-Hammered, or Natural: Choosing a Basalt Finish

All of our basalt finishes start from the same stone, so structural performance doesn’t change — the decision is texture and traction. Bush-hammered basalt carries a pronounced, pocked surface for maximum grip on ramps and wet pool decks. Our Belgian Block – Natural keeps its raw saw marks for an industrial character. This brushed sett sits between the two: refined enough for bare feet and furniture, textured enough for exterior use, and the easiest of the three to sweep clean.

Performance You Can Specify

Basalt is a dense igneous stone: independent references put typical density near 2.8–3.0 g/cm³, water absorption of dense varieties commonly below 1%, and compressive strength in the 100–300 MPa (14,500–43,500 psi) class — the properties behind its freeze–thaw reliability in northern winters. One honest note for hot regions: like any dark stone, black basalt absorbs solar heat and runs warm underfoot in full summer sun, so plan shade or lighter surround stone where bare feet matter most. Ask us for the current batch’s ASTM C97/C170 test sheet rather than relying on type-level figures, and see our stone properties database for how basalt compares with other stones.

Patterns and Estimating

Setts like these are what many US buyers call basalt cobblestone, and the 4:1 face is what makes this one a pattern workhorse. Laid tight, each 8″ × 2″ piece covers 16 square inches — about nine per square foot, or roughly 100 per square meter.

• Herringbone, 45° or 90°: the classic use for this proportion, shown in our installation photos; the interlock also spreads point loads well.
• Basketweave: four setts laid side by side form a clean 8″ × 8″ module for alternating panels.
• Running bond and stack bond: quieter, linear fields for contemporary schemes.
• Borders and soldier courses: end to end you’ll use about 1.5 pieces per linear foot; laid as 2″ headers, about 6 per linear foot — the stacked border in our photos uses exactly this detail.

Add 5–10% for cuts and breakage; 45° herringbone sits at the top of that range because of the edge cuts.

Installation Build-Up

For patios and paths, a compacted aggregate base with a screeded bedding layer is standard sett practice. For driveways, follow the build-up we publish for our Belgian Block: 6–8″ of compacted crushed-stone base — 8″ minimum for vehicles — over geotextile to stop soil migration. Vehicular sett paving is commonly specified as a bound system, with mortar bedding over a rigid base and mortar or resin joints, so have your installer confirm bedding and jointing for your traffic load and climate before ordering.

Format, Sizes, and Custom Cutting

Supplied in 8″ × 2″ × 2″ (200 × 50 × 50 mm), a full-bed 2″ thickness. Need 4″ × 4″ cubes, a thinner overlay cut, or a matching step? We cut custom dimensions at the quarry and quote lead times per order; browse the full basalt paver collection for companion formats.

Care

Maintenance is a stiff broom and an occasional rinse. Basalt’s low absorption makes sealing optional — mainly worthwhile on driveways where oil drips are likely, renewed every 3–5 years in high-traffic areas.

Ordering from Citadel Stone

This sett ships by the pallet or container with direct-from-quarry pricing and delivery to any US state or worldwide port. First project with us? Request a sample of this exact 60-grit finish — judging a brushed texture from photos is a gamble we’d rather you didn’t take.

Specifications

• Stone type: Black basalt (igneous, volcanic)
• Finish: Brushed, 60 grit (matte, textured)
• Size: 8″ × 2″ × 2″ nominal (200 × 50 × 50 mm actual)
• Thickness: 2″ (50 mm), full-bed sett
• Format: Plank sett, 4:1 face proportion
• Color: Charcoal black with pinpoint mineral flecks
• Origin: Middle East — quarry-direct, hand-selected
• Coverage: About 9 pieces per square foot (about 100 per square meter) laid tight
• Approximate weight: About 3.3 lb (1.5 kg) per sett
• Recommended use: Patios, walkways, pool surrounds, borders, engineered residential driveways
• Test data: Batch ASTM C97 (absorption/density) and C170 (compressive) test sheets available on request