Question: What Is the Difference Between Alabaster and Marble

Alabaster is softer than marble — which is also considered a soft mineral. Alabaster is 2 on the Mohs scale while marble is 3. This means that marble is twice as hard as alabaster. Marble is just hard enough to be used for monumental sculpture and buildings.

How can you tell the difference between alabaster and marble?

Though Alabaster is mainly found in white colour, it also comes in many colours like pale brown and reddish. Marble comes in white, gray, green, black, pink and green colours. 4. Another feature of Alabaster is that it is slightly translucent.

How do you know if something is alabaster?

Alabaster is famous as a milky white mineral that can be translucent if carved thin enough. There are two types of alabaster. One is gypsum, which is used today. The other is calcite, which was used in ancient times including by the Ancient Egyptians.