EN 12407:2019

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-september-2019
Nadomešča:
SIST EN 12407:2007
Preskušanje naravnega kamna - Petrografska preiskava
Natural stone test methods - Petrographic examination
Prüfverfahren für Naturstein - Petrographische Prüfung
Méthodes d'essai pour pierres naturelles - Examen pétrographique
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 12407:2019
ICS:
73.020 Rudarstvo in kamnolomsko Mining and quarrying
izkopavanje
91.100.15 Mineralni materiali in izdelki Mineral materials and
products
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EN 12407
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
June 2019
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 73.020; 91.100.15 Supersedes EN 12407:2007
English Version
Natural stone test methods - Petrographic examination
Méthodes d'essai de pierres naturelles - Examen Prüfverfahren für Naturstein - Petrographische
pétrographique Prüfung
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 15 April 2019.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey and United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2019 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN 12407:2019 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
European foreword . 3
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Symbols . 5
5 Principle . 5
6 Apparatus . 5
7 Preparation of thin and polished sections . 6
7.1 General . 6
7.2 Staining . 7
7.2.1 Feldspar staining . 7
7.2.2 Carbonate staining . 7
8 Macroscopic description . 7
9 Microscopic description . 7
9.1 General . 7
9.2 Fabric . 7
9.3 Constituents . 8
9.3.1 Minerals/Grains. 8
9.3.2 Groundmass. . 8
9.4 Discontinuities: . 8
9.5 Alterations: . 9
10 Petrographic classification . 9
11 Test report . 9
Annex A (informative) Preparation of thin sections . 11
Annex B (informative) Staining preparation and procedure of thin sections. 12
B.1 Staining preparation . 12
B.2 Staining procedure . 12
Annex C (informative) Principle and procedure of point counting. 14
Annex D (informative) Templates for the petrographic description of rocks . 15
Bibliography . 20

European foreword
This document (EN 12407:2019) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 246 “Natural
stones”, the secretariat of which is held by UNI.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by November 2019, and conflicting national standards
shall be withdrawn at the latest by November 2019.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This document supersedes EN 12407:2007.
In comparison with the previous edition, the following changes have been made:
— the changes concern essentially the proper scientific definitions, terminology, and diagrams.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey and the United Kingdom.
Introduction
A petrographic description of natural stones is important not only for the purposes of petrographic
classification but also in order to highlight features affecting its chemical, physical and mechanical
behaviour. In the same way the determination of the stone’s origin could be necessary (e.g. in the case
of restoration of historical monuments). It is therefore essential to characterize the natural stones for
their mineral components and for their fabric and structure but also in terms of any features as: colour,
presence of veins, of fossils, of discontinuities, etc.
To ensure that the petrographic classification is objective, it is essential that the characterization of the
material is, as far as possible, quantitative.
The interpretation of the results obtained from the petrographic examination of natural stone should
include evidences of a possible relationship between petrographic features and technical properties
(pores/cleavages/schistosity with water absorption/gelivity/flexure resistance etc.).
1 Scope
This document specifies methods for making technical petrographic descriptions of natural stone,
except for roofing slates. For this product, the method for the petrographic examination is defined in
EN 12326-2. Although chemical and physical methods of analysis are required for petrographic
classification of some stone types, these methods will not be described in this standard.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN 12440, Natural stone - Denomination criteria
EN 12670, Natural stone - Terminology
3 Terms and definitions
No terms and definitions are listed in this document.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
• IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
• ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
4 Symbols
vol.% unit of the volume percentage of the mineral phase present in the sample.
5 Principle
A macroscopic description of the sample is undertaken at first. The macroscopic description may
involve a visual inspection aided by a hand lens or a stereoscopic microscope. Then one or more thin
sections prepared from the sample are examined using an optical polarized transmitted light
microscope in order to give a microscopic description and modal analysis (volume proportions of
mineral phases) of the sample; where appropriate an additional polished section shall be prepared.
Modal analysis is the most accurate determination of quantitative mineralogical composition of natural
stones. It attributes to each mineral phase a certain percentage (vol.%). Modal analysis is obtained by
point counting following a standard procedure on thin sections (at least 44 mm × 28 mm) or using
Shvetsov’s diagrams (or any other similar diagrams commonly used by petrographers).
6 Apparatus
6.1 Hand lens or stereoscopic microscope (if required).
6.2 Water cooled rock cutter equipped with a continuous rim and sliding guide.
6.3 Automatic grinding machine or manual grinding machine with a cast-iron lapidary.
6.4 Electrical heating plate.
6.5 Bonding press.
6.6 Extractor hood.
6.7 Glass plate c. 300 mm × 400 mm × 10 mm.
6.8 Soft bristle brush.
6.9 Ultrasonic tank.
6.10 Polarized transmitted light optical microscope.
6.11 Point counter and image analysis system (if required).
6.12 Reactives and products as e.g.: emery with varying grain size (30 µm to 10 µm), epoxy resin,
Canada balsam, supporting glass (at least 28 mm x48 mm x1,8 mm), cover glass (24 mm x32 mm),
diamond disks, xylene and ethanol, amaranth, sodium cobaltinitrite, hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric
acid, sulphosodic alizarin.
To facilitate the identification of some minerals with similar colours or optical properties it might be
necessary in many cases to use different techniques such as: selective mineral staining methods, optical
cathodoluminescence, XRD, SEM-EDS or WDS microprobe. If required, these methods should be clearly
stated in the working order referring to widely-referenced manuals, but taking into account that such
additional techniques are not part of the petrographic analysis described in this standard.
7 Preparation of thin and polished sections
7.1 General
Sampling is not responsibility of the test laboratory except where specially requested.
The dimensions of the sample shall be large enough to be representative of the petrographic
characteristics of the stone being examined.
One or more thin sections are then prepared.
A thin section is a portion of material mounted on a slide and mechanically reduced to a thin sheet
measuring 0,030 ± 0,005 mm in thickness, and normally protected by a slide cover. For special
purposes (observations under reflected light microscope for the determination of opaque minerals or
microprobe analysis) polished thin sections shall be prepared. Polished sections have one side polished
with a first polishing paste (in the range of ± 5 μm to 12 μm grade) and a second paste (in the range
of ± 6 μm, 3 μm and 1 μm).
The section normally measures about 44 mm × 28 mm, but in the case of coarser grain size sto
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