Spain · Marble

Nero Marquina

also known as Marquina Black, Negro Marquina

The definitive black marble with crisp white veining, from the Basque Country. Graphic and contemporary for bathrooms, bars and feature walls.

Origin: Vizcaya (Biscay), Basque Country, Spain, Markina, Basque Country, Spain
Stone type: Marble (ASTM C503 (marble))
Density: 2.7 g/cm³
Look: black with white veins, graphic, modern
Finishes: polished, honed
Formats: slab, tile, cut-to-size, mosaic
Exterior use: Best specified for interiors
Est. yield / waste: ~15% indicative (bold vein selection and book-matching raise offcut)
US import (HTS): 6802.91.05.00 (marble, worked building stone)

Type-level physical facts shown. Per-lot lab values (absorption, flexural strength) confirmed at quotation.

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Origin & quarry

Nero Marquina is quarried in the mountains of Biscay in the Spanish Basque Country. It is one of the most legible black marbles in the world: an intense, uniform black ground cut by sharp white calcite veins. Quarried since Roman times, it remains the benchmark for architectural black marble.

Geology. Metamorphic limestone, nearly pure black from ancient organic carbon trapped at geological pressure. The sharp white veining is recrystallised calcite forced into fracture planes under tectonic stress — the same process that makes the veining a structural feature, not a flaw.

Where it works

Specify with confidence

Feature walls and book-matched statement panels
Bathroom floors and wet-area walls (interior)
Vanity tops and fireplace surrounds
Banding, borders and contrast inlay with white Carrara

Use with care

Specify honed for wet-area floors — polished black shows every water mark
Interior only — not exterior-grade in freeze-thaw climates
White calcite veins can carry micro-fissures; fill and seal on delivery and re-inspect before installation

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Basque Country quarry group

Quarry-direct · Vizcaya / Biscay, Basque Country · Spain

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Good to know

Where is Nero Marquina quarried?

In the mountains of Biscay (Vizcaya) in the Spanish Basque Country — the only significant source of true Nero Marquina. It has been quarried since Roman times.

Can Nero Marquina be used outdoors?

Not recommended in freeze-thaw climates — black marbles can absorb heat unevenly and the calcite veins can open under thermal stress. For exteriors, specify Nero Zimbabwe or Absolute Black granite instead. Indoors and in warm climates, Nero Marquina is excellent.

Is Nero Marquina the same as Nero Portoro?

No. Nero Portoro is quarried near La Spezia, Italy, and has warm gold veining on a black ground — a gilded, baroque look. Nero Marquina has sharp white veining on black — more graphic, more architectural. Both are premium black marbles but they read very differently.

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