Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed primarily of sand-sized mineral particles or rock fragments held together by a mineral cement. Collectors often look for unique bedding patterns, iron staining, or inclusions like fossilized organic material. It forms in various environments including beaches, deserts, and river channels.
Is this sandstone?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch sandstone with a known reference. Sandstone sits at Mohs 6-7, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Read the textureLook at a fresh break with a hand lens. Texture: Clastic. Grain size: Sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm).
- 3Pick out the mineralsComposition: Mostly quartz or feldspar grains cemented together by another mineral. Identify the two or three most abundant grains.
- 4Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: dull.
- 5Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: tan, brown, yellow, red, gray, white.
Often confused with
Sandstone vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside sandstone
Minerals reported to co-occur with sandstone. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Mohs hardness
- 6-7
- Density
- 2.0-2.6 g/cm³
- Luster
- Dull
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Decorative, Construction, Building stone, Collector
- Host rock
- sedimentary basins
- Texture
- Clastic
- Grain size
- Sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm)
- Composition
- Mostly quartz or feldspar grains cemented together by another mineral
Where rockhounds find sandstone
4 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- United States
- Germany
- United Kingdom
- Australia
- India
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: sedimentary basins. If you start seeing quartz, feldspar, calcite in float, you are in the right ground. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Wisconsin, North Carolina. Start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify sandstone?+
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Find sandstone on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
