Pennsylvania Bluestone or Tennessee Crab Orchard? Choosing Patio Stone for an Upstate Property

Key Points:

• Both Pennsylvania bluestone and Tennessee Crab Orchard are types of sandstone, but they behave and read very differently. 
• Pennsylvania bluestone offers cool tones and crisp geometry, while Tennessee Crab Orchard brings warm, richly marbled color and a more organic character.
• The choice is usually settled by the architecture of the house, not by durability, as both materials are hard, weather-resistant, and appropriate for Upstate conditions when properly installed.

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Most homeowners planning a terrace, walkway, or patio often face the same dilemma: which material is best? Given the many variables to consider, this decision can be overwhelming.

Photographs often lend little help, as they make the choice look purely aesthetic. To a degree, it is, but the two natural stones we most often use—Pennsylvania bluestone and Tennessee Crab Orchard—differ in ways that go beyond color. While they both make excellent patios, they suit different houses, different settings, and different expectations about how a surface should look after a decade outdoors. We break down the distinctions below so that you can determine which one is right for your home or project.

Two Sandstones, Two Very Different Personalities

Both Pennsylvania bluestone and Tennessee Crab Orchard are sandstone, which places them in the same broad family. Sandstone is a common sedimentary rock made of sand-granule-sized grains comprising minerals, rock fragments, and organic material that have become organically cemented together.¹ Given this complex composition, it is easy to see how there are many different types of sandstone throughout the world.

Sandstone is graded by how much quartz it contains, and that single measure explains most of what a stone will do outdoors. Quartz is the hard mineral that binds the stone together, so the more of it there is, the harder the stone, the less water it soaks up, and the better it handles weather.² Both Pennsylvania bluestone and Tennessee Crab Orchard contain very high amounts of quartz.

That shared classification is where the similarity ends. The two stones come from different geologies, arrive in different formats, and produce entirely different finished spaces.

	Pennsylvania Bluestone	Tennessee Crab Orchard
Origin	Quarried in Pennsylvania and upstate New York	Quarried only on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee
Color range	Blue-gray, gray-green, lilac, and rust in full-range selections	Marbled rust, tan, orange, pink, brown, blue, and gray
Typical format	Cut rectangular patterns, large-format slabs, treads, caps, irregular flag	Irregular flagging, steppers, treads, wall caps, hearths
Visual effect	Formal, architectural, restrained	Warm, variegated, organic
Best paired with	Traditional and transitional architecture, pool surrounds, courtyards	Mountain and wooded settings, informal terraces, garden paths

Pennsylvania Bluestone

Bluestone, in general, is a dense, strong, fine-grained sandstone quarried in the northeastern United States.³ It resists cracking, holds its color without discoloring, and separates cleanly into slabs of varying sizes, which is why it is used not only for patios but for steps, wall caps, facades, interior floors, and fireplace surrounds.

What it does well

• Geometry: bluestone can be supplied in true rectangular dimensions, which makes formal patterns possible. Running bond, ashlar, and large-format single-size layouts all depend on that dimensional consistency.
• Comfort underfoot: the stone has a distinctive hard-yet-soft quality, smooth enough to walk on barefoot and to sit on comfortably, which is part of why it is a common pool deck and terrace material.
• Color stability: it holds its tone rather than fading or yellowing, so a terrace looks much the same in year ten as in year one.
• Design continuity: because it is available as treads, caps, and slabs from the same material, a single stone can carry through a patio, its steps, the adjoining wall, and an outdoor fireplace.

Tradeoffs to weigh

• Selection matters more than the name: Bluestone is sold in grades and in color ranges, from select blue to full range. The look and cost of two patios both made of bluestone can be quite distinct.
• Bedded structure: As a layered sedimentary stone, lower-grade material is more prone to surface flaking over time. Specifying reputable quarry stock and adequate thickness (which is all Reedy Landscaping uses) is what prevents this.
• Cool palette: The blue-gray tones are handsome but read as cool, which suits some houses, though not all. Warm brick, for example, needs careful handling alongside it.
• Solar gain: Darker stone absorbs more heat in full sun, which is worth discussing when selecting color for a south-facing terrace, patio, or pool deck.

Tennessee Crab Orchard

Crab Orchard is a sandstone quarried only on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee, with large operations in the town of Crab Orchard. It is recognized as a very hard stone, and high concentrations of silica make it notably resistant to harsh weather. Its color pattern is richly marbled, running through rust, tan, orange, pink, brown, blue, and gray, and it is used for patios, walkways, stepping stones, wall caps, and fireplace hearths.⁴

What it does well

• Weather resistance: The silica content that makes it hard also makes it durable in exposed applications, which is why it performs so well as steps and wall caps that take direct weather.
• Warm, layered color: No two pieces are identical, and the marbling gives a terrace visual depth that a uniform stone cannot produce.
• Regional fit: The warm tones sit naturally against the mature hardwood canopy, native stone outcrops, and wooded edges common on Upstate and mountain properties.
• Forgiving appearance: Variegated stone hides pollen, leaf tannin, and ordinary traffic far better than a uniform surface, which is a real advantage in a region with a heavy spring pollen season.

Tradeoffs to weigh

• Irregularity requires fitting: Natural-edge flagging has to be laid piece by piece, which takes more time on site than setting a repeating cut pattern.
• Samples underrepresent it: Because the marbling varies so widely, a single sample rarely predicts what a full pallet looks like. Therefore, viewing a larger quantity before approval is worth the effort.
• Busy against busy: on a house with strongly patterned brick, stone veneer, or heavily textured siding, the marbling can compete rather than complement.
• Thickness variation: natural stone varies within a pallet, so a level, comfortable surface depends more on the setting crew than it does with a dimensioned product.

How Each Handles Upstate Winters

Freeze-thaw is often raised as the deciding factor between stone types, and it deserves serious assessment. In short, both of these materials are appropriate for this climate. The Upstate does not deliver deep sustained cold, but it does cross the freezing point frequently through the winter, often several times in a week, and it delivers substantial rainfall onto slow-draining clay. That combination of repeated cycling and saturation is what stresses masonry (not the low temperature itself).

Two things determine how a stone terrace responds:

• Absorption: The less water a stone takes in, the less there is inside it to freeze. Dense, high-silica material is inherently better positioned here, and reputable quarry stock in either stone tests well within specification limits.
• Drainage and base preparation: Water that sits beneath a terrace is the precondition for nearly every freeze-thaw failure. Adequate base depth, proper compaction, positive pitch, and a plan for where water goes matter more than the choice between these two stones.

De-icing salt is worth mentioning here. Rock salt used during an occasional Upstate ice event is harder on natural stone and mortar joints than the freezing itself. Sand, as an alternative, can provide traction without the chemical impact.

Sourcing and Installation Are Half the Decision

Understanding the differences between Pennsylvania bluestone and Tennessee Crab Orchard is important, but the two most important factors that influence both aesthetic and durability are sourcing and installation, rather than the material type. That is why you should want to find the best landscaping companies Greenville, SC, has to offer. Here are some practical tips for doing so.

• Ask to see full pallets or completed projects rather than a single sample, particularly with variegated stone.
• Confirm grade, thickness, and finish in writing. Natural cleft and thermal are not interchangeable, and thickness affects both performance and price.
• Ask whether the installation is dry-laid over aggregate or wet-laid over a slab, and how water is directed away from the finished surface.
• Compare installed cost, not material cost. Irregular flagging and intricate cut patterns both carry labor implications that a per-ton figure conceals. Make sure you are comparing apples to apples when examining quotes.

Reedy River Landscapes maintains a stone guide covering both of these materials along with the wall stone, veneer, and paver options used on Upstate projects.

Let’s Talk More About Stone Selection

Photographs and single samples are the least reliable way to choose a patio material. Seeing full pallets, understanding how each stone will sit against your house, and knowing how water moves across the property are what make the decision straightforward.

Reedy River Landscapes provides landscape design and hardscape construction across Greenville and the Upstate, working in both Pennsylvania bluestone and Tennessee Crab Orchard. Reach out to schedule a consultation and compare the two on your own property.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which stone is more expensive?

Material pricing shifts with quarry availability, grade, thickness, and freight, so neither is reliably cheaper than the other. The installed cost depends heavily on pattern and fitting labor, which is why two quotes for the same square footage can differ substantially.

Is Crab Orchard more durable than Pennsylvania bluestone?

Crab Orchard is recognized as a very hard, high-silica stone with strong weather resistance, which gives it an edge in exposed applications such as steps and caps. Quality bluestone is also durable and performs well in this climate. For most residential patios, either will outlast the installation beneath it if that installation is sound.

Does either stone get slippery?

Any smooth, wet surface can be slick. However, natural cleft finishes can provide more surface texture than sawn and honed finishes, and both stones are available in textures suited to pool decks, open patios, or other spaces regularly exposed to moisture.

How do landscapers in Greenville, SC deal with pollen staining?

Routine rinsing handles most seasonal pollen on either stone. Variegated Crab Orchard conceals residue between cleanings more effectively than uniform material, which is a practical consideration in spring.

Can the two stones be used on the same property?

Yes, and it is a common approach. Formal cut stone near the house transitioning to irregular flagging farther can look fantastic, especially when the transition is designed rather than incidental.

What maintenance does natural stone patio need?

Periodic rinsing, attention to joints, and prompt correction of any area that begins to hold water. Sealing is optional and depends on the stone and the look you want, since some sealers alter color and sheen.

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References

1. Albert B. Dickas, “Sandstone in the construction industry,” EBSCO, January 2020, https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/construction-and-building/sandstone-construction-industry.
2. “Quartz,” Minerals Education Coalition, retrieved on August 26, 2026, from: https://mineralseducationcoalition.org/minerals-database/quartz/.
3. Karin Kirk, “Bluestone: Rivers and Deltas Create a Versatile American Sandstone,” Natural Stone Institute, May 2018, https://usenaturalstone.org/bluestone-versatile-american-sandstone/.
4. “Tennessee Crab Orchard Sandstone,” Stone Library, Found Rocks, retrieved on August 26, 2026, from: https://found.rocks/stone-library/tennessee-crab-orchard.