Industrial processing vats containing sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, and bromine are commonly lined with granite panels, taking advantage of the material's natural resistance to these caustic chemicals. This level of chemical resistance contributes to the ability of granite to resist attack from airborne pollutants associated with acid rain and/or snow-melting chemicals. Certainly there are chemicals that will attack granite, but exposure to them in a typical building environment would be extremely rare. [stonebuy]

Flexural strength, or the ability to resist bending force, is a factor that determines the allowable span of a dimension stone panel in a given thickness subjected to given loads. Flexural strength varies amongst different types of granite, and typically is between 1,000 and 2,000 lbs/in². This allows the use of "thin" (30 mm) panels for many applications, minimizing both curtainwall cost and dead load for the building frame. Thicker granite panels (15/8" [40 mm], 2" [50 mm] or greater) are available where spans or loads necessitate their use.

For applications that are below grade or in contact with soil, water absorption is an important property. Absorption rates of granites range from 0.10% and 0.40% by weight. Furthermore, most granite materials will effectively allow water to evacuate during freezing cycles to prevent surface damage from the freezing water. Repetitive freeze/thaw cycles, particularly saturated cycles, will result in a reduction of strength in the granite panel. This loss can be significant, perhaps 20%. Laboratory experiments have shown that the strength loss occurs most aggressively in the first 100 cycles, after which the strength loss is much slower paced