FAQ Friday: What do the different "groups" of granite mean?

I talked about this before on a FAQ Friday, under the title How is granite priced?  I still get a lot of questions about the price groups for granite, so I thought I'd talk about it again today.

When you are pricing out your granite countertops a lot of fabricators and stone suppliers will put their granite colors into price "groups".  Generally they are priced Groups 1-5, group five being the most expensive.
The groups have NOTHING to do with quality.  It's all about availability and rarity, sort of like a gemstone.
There are some generalizations on the groups, but as with most things in life there are always exceptions.
Here are some examples of some generalizations, keep in mind there ARE exceptions!

• Group 1 granites will generally be more consistent in pattern. 
• Group 4 and 5 granites will generally have more movement and veining. 
• Granites with blue in them or that are mostly blue in color will be a Group 5.
• Granites from America are usually more expensive than similar colors that are imported from other countries.

Below is a picture of one granite in each color group.  These are based on the Utah market, pricing may be different in different areas of the country/world.

Group 1--Autumn Harmony

Group 2--Bianco Romano

Group 3--Copper Canyon

Group 4--Labrador Antique

Group 5- Azul Bahia

Still have questions about the price groups of stone?  Comment here or email me.  Stephanie at mgsbydesign dot com.