Various types of naturally occurring stone are suitable for building facades, either as masonry blocks or as milled panels or tiles. Many types of stone are considered luxury materials for facades, and are more expensive than other materials of comparable utility.

The stone comes from naturally formed material rather than a manufactured mixture of particles and binders. Cutting or milling gives it the shape required for the facade.

The same stone can appear as solid masonry or as a thinner surface panel. Those forms describe its arrangement, while its natural stone identity describes the material.