Australia prohibits engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs.
Australia was the first country to ban engineered stone outright. Under amendments to the model Work Health and Safety Regulations, the manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs became an offence from 1 July 2024, implemented across the Commonwealth and every state and territory, with slight variation in how each jurisdiction gives effect to it. Source: Safe Work Australia.
For the purposes of those regulations, engineered stone is defined as an artificial product that contains at least 1% crystalline silica by weight and is created by combining natural stone materials with other chemical constituents such as water, resins or pigments. To fall within the ban a product must also be in benchtop, panel or slab form. Source: Safe Work Australia.
From 1 January 2025 these products also became prohibited imports under the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956, enforced at the border by the Australian Border Force, with narrow exceptions including samples for testing and analysis. Source: Australian Border Force.
The ban does not extend to all manufactured stone. Products such as concrete, cement, bricks, pavers, porcelain and ceramic tiles fall outside its scope, and removal, repair, minor modification and disposal of previously installed engineered stone remain permitted under controlled conditions.
Why this matters for the registry: Australia's 1% statutory threshold is the same figure CountertopData uses as the upper bound of its Zero-Silica classification. Materials at or below that figure sit outside the definition the ban is built on.
Confirm current requirements with Safe Work Australia and your state or territory regulator.
This is regulatory information, not legal advice or compliance certification. Positions change, implementation can vary within federal jurisdictions, and readers must confirm the current position with the named authority before relying on it.