The Cast Stone Institute
American Artstone Company is an active member of the Cast Stone Institute. The purpose of the institute is to improve the quality of Cast Stone and to disseminate information regarding its use. The Cast Stone Institute, founded in 1927, is an organization of certified Cast Stone manufacturers, associates, professional architects, engineers, concrete technologists and related professionals formed for the purpose and committed to developing standards, improving the quality and promoting the use of cast stone. The mission remains, not only to be the authoritative spokesperson for Cast Stone, but also to provide expert counsel to the architectural and engineering communities.
Cast Stone is a highly refined architectural precast concrete building stone used as a masonry product, providing ornamental or functional features to buildings and other structures. Cast Stone is made from fine and coarse aggregates, Portland cement, mineral oxide color pigments, chemical admixtures and water. Cast Stone products are available in virtually any color, and will give the appearance of a variety of natural building stones including but not limited to limestone, granite, slate, travertine or marble. Applications for Cast Stone products range from the simplest window sills to the most complicated architectural elements. Properly manufactured, Cast Stone has the same or stronger physical properties as most dimensional building stone. Properly selected and installed, Cast Stone will achieve enduring beauty to be enjoyed for decades.
Members of the Cast Stone Institute are engaged in the relentless pursuit of excellence in manufacturing. Prior to admission, each potential producer member must submit to a rigorous examination of product quality, safety, testing and meticulous record keeping and must also undergo the recertification process every two years. The results of this include consistently high product quality and the assurance the Cast Stone Institute members are proactive in keeping Cast Stone a premier building material.
For more information on The Cast Stone Institute, please visit www.caststone.org.