Nuremberg – In June, the industry will gather in Nuremberg: Stone+tec reaffirms its role as a key platform for technology, investment and professional networking – and as a must-attend event for stonemasons and natural stone processors. The exhibition’s key themes include ‘Building with Natural Stone’, ‘Equipment for Professionals’ and ‘Places of Remembrance’. The industry gathering will focus on the offerings of some 220 exhibitors, who will travel to Stone+tec from 24 countries to present their products, solutions and services in Nuremberg. Knowledge exchange and networking with colleagues, partners, service providers and suppliers round off the trade fair experience. Stone+tec is organised by the Federal Guild Association of German Stonemasons and Stone Sculptors (BIV) and the German Natural Stone Association (DNV).
The trade fair is seeing growth in the natural stone sector: visitors can expect a diverse range of materials from German-speaking and international regions. The participation of renowned industry heavyweights such as Rossittis and Brachot, among others, promises to offer insights into the latest trends in stone.
Stone+tec is aimed at all stoneworkers in the construction, cemetery, monument and design sectors, as well as property developers, planners and architects. Young talent plays a special role at Stone+tec, with various initiatives – such as the young talent competition organised by the Federal Association of German Stonemasons (BIV) – helping to integrate them into the exhibition programme.
Knowledge sharing at the Stone+tec Expert Forum in Hall 11
With the newly designed expert forum, Stone+tec 2026 in Hall 11 will feature a programme of specialist presentations that is open to all visitors and integrated into the exhibition programme.
On the first day of the trade fair, the official opening will take place in the expert forum, followed by a high-calibre programme of talks organised by the German Natural Stone Association, featuring renowned international speakers, under the theme “Tradition – Innovation – Natural Stone: A building material for sustainable and circular construction concepts”. The focus will be on topics such as “Designing new stone structures”, “The structural relevance of natural stone” and “Low-carbon construction with natural stone”. The highlight on the evening of the first day of the fair will be the presentation of the German Natural Stone Award.
Over the remaining days of the fair, the programme for the expert forum will feature presentations by various exhibitors, covering topics such as “Repairing minor defects in stone and ceramics” (Akemi) and “natural stone as a solid building material” (Bamberger Natursteinwerk Hermann Graser). In addition, there will be presentations by the Federal Association of German Stonemasons (BIV) on topics such as training, health and safety, vocational training and collective agreements.
German Natural Stone Award 2026 – Award Ceremony
The award ceremony for this prestigious architecture competition will take place at Stone+tec 2026. The German Natural Stone Award is presented every two years by the German Natural Stone Association (DNV) in collaboration with the Association of German Architects (BDA). The awards recognise exemplary design and environmentally sound construction of projects that make significant use of natural stone. From 115 submitted projects, the jury selected 27 outstanding entries in the following categories: public and commercial buildings, residential buildings, building interiors, open space design and landscape architecture, as well as the Young Architects’ Award. The award ceremony, at which the overall winner and the category winners will be announced, will take place on 17 June from 5 pm on the stage in Hall 11. All nominated projects will be exhibited at Stone+tec on the DNV stand (Hall 11, Stand C08).
BIV Young Talent Competition
The Federal Association of German Stonemasons and the Vocational Training Centre for the Stonemasonry and Sculpture Trade (Berufsbildungswerk des Steinmetz- und Bildhauerhandwerks e.V.) are inviting entries for the young talent competition to be held as part of Stone+tec 2026. Apprentices, journeymen or students training to become master craftsmen or technicians in the stonemasonry and stone sculpture trades will showcase their skills at Stone+tec 2026. The theme of the 2026 competition is “Reading, Listening, Laughing”. Entrants will work with sand-lime brick using only their hands (no machines). The winners of the young talent competition in the stonemasonry and stone sculpture trades will be honoured at the official awards ceremony on Friday, 19 June in the expert forum in Hall 11.
“Sandblasting Master" Competition at Stone+Tec 2026!
On 17 and 18 June, ABRA, based in Opole (Poland), is organising the prestigious “Masters of Sandblasting” competition at Stone+tec 2026. As a family-run business with a 30-year history, ABRA is a leading manufacturer of stone processing machinery and was one of the first to introduce dust-free sandblasting equipment to the market. In the competition at Stone+tec, participants will compete against each other under identical conditions to sandblast a specified pattern into a stone slab. Two devices are available to ensure maximum precision and safety: a dust-free sandblasting machine and a special sandblasting arm. Registration is available directly at the ABRA stand. The award ceremony will take place on Thursday, 18 June at 5 pm on the stage in Hall 11. The main prize for the winner is a Sandmaster Compact mobile dust-free sandblasting machine worth EUR 3,000.
Mineral exhibition in Hall 10
The highlight in Hall 10 is the spectacular mineral exhibition, which showcases minerals from five continents. These unique exhibits are of considerable value to collectors and experts alike. The impressive size of some of the individual specimens, as well as the rarity and beauty of the minerals, will also impress the general public. Visitors have the opportunity to view the minerals from all angles and discover some exotic features in the process. Well-known minerals such as rock crystals and amethysts are also on display in rare large formats.
Stone+tec Nürnberg will take place from 17 to 20 June at the Messe Nürnberg. For further information and tickets, please visit www.stone-tec.com