Cost
What actually moves the cost per square metre.
Two quotations for the same elevation can differ by a third without either supplier being wrong. The difference is usually in the finish, the edge detail, the crating or the delivery term — not in the material.
Facade cost per square metre is driven by panel area and wastage, surface finish, edge and rebate detail, any radius, the joint layout, crating, and the delivery term. NKSTONE quotes per project rather than publishing a list price, because those variables move the delivered figure more than the material itself does.
The variables, in order of effect
| Variable | Why it moves the price | How to control it |
|---|---|---|
| Panel area and wastage | Cutting around openings and setting out a layout both create offcuts | Agree the layout before the order, not after |
| Surface finish | Fluted and ribbed faces need a profiled mould; honed faces do not | Keep one finish per elevation where possible |
| Edge and rebate | Cast-in rebates and returns remove later machining, but change the mould | Standardise the edge detail across the job |
| Radius | A curved mould is a one-off tool, spread over the curved area | Keep curved work above roughly 20 m² per radius |
| Joint layout | Joint width and position set the panel size and the fixing count | Settle joints on the drawing |
| Crating | Large panels need purpose-built stillages, charged per shipment | Combine shipments where the programme allows |
| Delivery term | EXW, FOB, CIF and DDP carry different freight and risk | Compare the same term, to the same address |
Why we do not publish a list price
A honed flat panel and a fluted radius panel are not the same product, and the gap between them is larger than the gap between two suppliers quoting the same drawing. A published rate would be either wrong for most projects or so wide it tells you nothing.
What we do publish is the specification behind the price: 3230 × 1630 mm, 20 mm, 2.1 g/cm³, about 42 kg/m², Class A fire classification. With those fixed, a quotation becomes comparable line by line.
How to compare two quotations
- Same thickness and same panel format — 20 mm cast against 30 mm natural is not a like-for-like comparison
- Same finish, including whether the face is filled or left open pore
- Same edge detail: is the rebate cast in, or machined later at whose cost
- Same delivery term and the same destination address
- Crating included or charged separately
- Shop drawings, joint layout and dry-fit reports included or extra
Questions buyers ask
- How much does a stone facade cost per square metre?
- It depends on panel area, finish, edge detail, radius, crating and delivery term rather than on one rate. Send the elevation and the specification and NKSTONE returns a project quotation within 24 hours with the joint layout.
- Is cast stone cheaper than natural stone?
- Not necessarily per square metre of panel, but it usually reduces the cost behind the panel: fewer joints, fewer brackets, and about a fifth less weight on the subframe. The comparison only holds when both are priced at the same thickness and delivery term.
- Does a small order cost more per square metre?
- Yes, where a custom mould or a specific pigment batch is involved. Below roughly 20 m² of curved or profiled work the tooling is a large share of the piece price, and we will say so before quoting.
Send the drawing. We will return a joint layout.
Panel layout, area, substrate and required delivery date are enough to start. Quotation within 24 hours.