MSI Quartz Countertops: Colors, Collections and Cost Guide

Aqua Kitchen stocks 121 MSI quartz colors in Wayne, New Jersey. We checked every one of them against MSI's own product pages on 15 October 2026: 102 are still in MSI's current Q Quartz line and 19 have been retired. Every MSI color we carry is quartz, so there is no porcelain or natural stone hiding in the range.

This guide covers what MSI quartz is, how the collections differ, which colors come in which slab size and thickness, how MSI's own price tiers map to the colors we stock, which colors are available as low crystalline silica slabs, and which ones are no longer produced. Browse the full range on the MSI Surfaces collection, or read on if you want to narrow it down before you visit.

What MSI Q Quartz is

Q Premium Natural Quartz is MSI's engineered quartz brand. MSI is a distributor and manufacturer, not a fabricator: it supplies slabs to shops like ours, and the shop handles templating, cutting, edging and installation. That split matters when you compare quotes, because MSI does not publish an installed price for any color.

MSI states that Q requires no sealing, polishing or reconditioning, and resists stains and scratches. The brand is backed by a residential lifetime warranty and a separate commercial warranty, both of which ask you to register the installation. The registration form wants the install date, total square footage, slab thickness, color name, lot number and retailer, so keep the paperwork your fabricator gives you.

If you are still deciding between materials rather than brands, our guides on quartz versus granite and choosing a countertop material cover that ground first.

MSI quartz collections, and which ones we stock

MSI splits Q Quartz into named collections. They overlap, so a single color can sit in more than one.

House of Laza is a fourth MSI collection built around the Laza family of patterns. We stock Calacatta Laza from that group.

The 102 current colors by pattern

MSI assigns each color a style on its own spec sheet. Sorting our stock that way is a quick route to a shortlist, because most people arrive knowing whether they want a marble look or something quieter.

Color tone breakdown

MSI records a primary tone for every slab. Across the 102 current colors we stock, 71 are white, which matches what we sell: white marble looks dominate kitchen orders in North Jersey and have done for several years.

Cool whites sit better with gray and navy cabinetry and brushed nickel. Warm whites hold up next to oak, walnut and brass. If you are shopping by tone rather than brand, our light, medium and dark countertop collections cut across all five brands we carry.

MSI's price tiers, color by color

MSI publishes a relative price range on each color page, from $ to $$$$. It is not a dollar figure and it does not include fabrication or installation, but it tells you where a color sits in MSI's own hierarchy before anyone quotes you. Of the 102 current colors we stock, here is how they fall.

The entry tier holds 28 colors, including several white marble looks, so a tight budget does not force you into a solid white. And the top tier is only three colors, Lumataj, Calacatta Viraldi, Azurmatt, which means the jump most people worry about affects a very small slice of the range. Midnight Corvo is the one color where MSI does not publish a tier.

Slab size, and why it decides your seams

MSI lists two slab formats for Q Quartz. Super Jumbo slabs are larger than Jumbo, which is what lets a fabricator run a long island or a full perimeter with fewer joins. If an island without a seam matters to you, start from the slab size and work back to the color.

Separately, MSI produces prefabricated slabs in a handful of colors. Of our 102, 48 have prefab SKUs, and the two sizes MSI lists are 108 by 42 inches for an island and 112 by 26 inches for a counter run, both at 2 cm. Prefabs come with an edge already profiled, which cuts fabrication time and cost but removes your choice of edge profile and limits how the layout can be planned.

Thickness and finish

Nearly all of the range comes in both 2 cm and 3 cm. Ninety-two of our 102 current colors are produced in both, three are 2 cm only (Calacatta Anava, Calacatta Castana, Calacatta Lapiza), and seven are also made in 1.5 cm: Arctic White, Carrara Marmi, Carrara Miksa, Frost White, Iced White, Manhattan Gray, Sparkling White. MSI positions 1.5 cm as a lighter, faster-to-install slab, and it is normally used for vanity tops, tub surrounds and wall applications rather than a main kitchen run.

A 2 cm slab on a kitchen counter is usually built up at the edge so the finished edge looks thicker than the slab itself. A 3 cm slab does not need that build-up. The choice changes the edge detail and the overhang support you need, which is covered in our countertop installation guide.

On finish, the range is almost entirely polished. Ninety-seven of the 102 are polished only. Five are offered in both polished and honed, and all five are in the Q Studio Miraggio family: Calacatta Miraggio, Calacatta Miraggio Cielo, Calacatta Miraggio Cove, Calacatta Miraggio Duo, Calacatta Miraggio Gold. Honed looks matte and softens the veining, and it shows fingerprints and water marks more readily than polished on a dark slab.

The nine book-matched colors

Book matching means two adjacent slabs are cut and set so the veining mirrors across the join, which is what makes a waterfall island or a full-height splash look like one continuous piece of stone. MSI flags book match availability per color, and only nine of the colors we stock carry it:

Calacatta Abezzo, Calacatta Classique, Calacatta Elysio, Calacatta Idillio, Calacatta Izaro, Calacatta Laza, Calacatta Luccia, Calacatta Solessio, Statuary Classique.

Book-matched slabs are ordered as a pair and need to be reserved together, so tell your fabricator before the slabs are pulled, not after. On the other 93 colors MSI records book match as not applicable, which does not stop a skilled shop from matching vein direction across a seam, it just means the slabs are not produced as mirrored pairs.

Crystalline silica and the low-silica slabs

MSI publishes the crystalline silica content of every slab SKU on the product page, which most brands do not. Across our 102 colors the standard slab is listed at under 87 percent crystalline silica, with a smaller number listed under 40 percent.

MSI also produces a low-silica version of selected colors, identified by a VS suffix on the SKU and listed at under 1 percent crystalline silica. Twenty-four of the colors we stock have a low-silica SKU:

Alabaster White, Arctic White, Calacatta Abezzo, Calacatta Alto, Calacatta Azulean, Calacatta Cinela, Calacatta Elysio, Calacatta Fioressa, Calacatta Idillio, Calacatta Izaro, Calacatta Laza, Calacatta Monaco, Calacatta Ocellio, Calacatta Prado, Calacatta Premata, Calacatta Safyra, Calacatta Valentin, Carrara Marmi, Carrara Miksa, Frost White, Macabo Gray, Marquina Midnight, Snow White, Statuary Classique.

MSI marks these as limited availability and asks that the specific SKU be named at the time of order. The distinction matters at fabrication rather than in your kitchen: cutting and polishing engineered stone releases respirable silica dust, which is a workplace exposure risk for the shop, and every MSI slab carries a Proposition 65 and CPSC silica warning for that reason. A finished, installed countertop is inert. If low-silica material is a requirement for your project, say so before slabs are selected, because the color list above is the whole set.

The 19 colors MSI has retired

We checked all 121 MSI colors in our catalog against MSI's current quartz product pages. Eighteen no longer appear in MSI's consumer quartz line at all, and one, Rolling Fog, now appears only in MSI's hospitality range rather than the residential one.

Retired: Calacatta Clara, Calacatta Laza Night, Calacatta Leon Gold, Calacatta Miraggio Sienna, Calacatta Montage, Calacatta Venice, Calacatta Verona, Cashmere Carrara, Glacier White, Hazelwood, Lido Blanco, Mara Blanca, Marbella White, Mystic Gray, Pacific Salt, Pebble Rock, Shadow Gray, Vena Carbona.

These stay listed because remnant and warehouse stock still turns up, and because people who already have one of these counters come looking for a match after a repair or an extension. If you are trying to match an existing top in one of these colors, bring a photograph and, if you can, the lot number from the original paperwork. If you are starting a new kitchen, pick from the 102 current colors instead, since a retired color cannot be reordered if a slab breaks mid-fabrication.

MSI colors sold under a second name

MSI records an alternate industry name for some colors, so the same slab can appear under a different label at another supplier. If a quote you have been given does not match a name on our list, check here first:

What drives the price of an MSI countertop

MSI does not quote homeowners and we cannot publish a per-square-foot price for an MSI color, because the number moves with the slab, the layout and the shop. Six things set it:

• MSI's own tier. A $ color and a $$$$ color are not close, and the table above tells you which one you are looking at before anyone quotes.
• Square footage and slab yield. A layout that needs a second slab for a few square feet costs the same as one that uses most of it. This is where Super Jumbo can save money rather than cost it.
• Thickness. 3 cm uses more material than 2 cm. 2 cm usually needs a laminated edge to look right, which adds labor back.
• Edge profile. An eased or straight edge is machine time. An ogee or a mitered waterfall is hand work.
• Cutouts and splash. Undermount sink, cooktop, faucet holes and a full-height splash each add fabrication.
• Book match. Ordering mirrored slabs commits you to a pair and to the yield that comes with them.

For a benchmark you can hold us to, our own house colors are quoted at a flat installed rate: the countertop deals collection runs at $49, $59 and $69 per square foot installed, and that number covers slab material, fabrication, template and standard install. Those are Aqua Kitchen colors rather than MSI colors, but they show you what an installed price includes, which is the part that disappears when you compare slab-only quotes. For an MSI color, ask us for a written estimate and we will price your layout. Financing is available if the project is going in all at once.

Fabrication rules MSI sets for Q Quartz

MSI publishes installation guidelines, and a shop that ignores them is also voiding the warranty you are paying for. The points worth knowing as a buyer:

• Slabs are stored in the installation area for at least 48 hours before fabrication so they acclimate. Cutting cold stone raises the risk of breakage.
• Every corner on the countertop is rounded to a minimum 3/8 inch radius, including sink and cooktop cutouts, L-shaped corners and window ledges.
• There is an extra 1/8 inch allowance between the cooktop or sink and the edge of the cutout, to let the slab move.
• Cutouts are started with a core bit, and cross-cutting is avoided.
• The slab is inspected in direct light before any cut, for chips, cracks, voids, gloss variation and color match. A problem slab goes back rather than into your kitchen.

We run our own fabrication shop with CNC equipment and laser templating, and our own install crew, so the slab does not change hands between the yard and your cabinets. That is also why we inspect on delivery rather than on install day.

How MSI compares with the other brands we carry

We stock five quartz brands in Wayne, and they do not compete on the same ground.

The practical difference between MSI and a single-plant brand is consistency versus choice. MSI sources from multiple manufacturers, so slab-to-slab variation within one color can be wider, which is an argument for selecting your actual slabs rather than ordering from a sample chip. We hold the slabs here, so you can.

Seeing MSI slabs in North Jersey

Photographs of quartz are unreliable. Veining scale changes with slab size, and white quartz shifts noticeably between cool LED and warm incandescent light. Our showroom at 1107 Route 23 South in Wayne has an 8,000 square foot slab yard attached, so you can see a full MSI slab under real light rather than a 4 inch sample.

Bring a cabinet door and a piece of your flooring if you have them. If you cannot get to Wayne, we offer a home appointment, a free 3D design of your layout, and a kitchen visualizer to test colors against your own cabinetry. Call 973-706-5926 or use the contact page for a written estimate. We have been fabricating and installing in North Jersey since 2006, and our reviews and approach are both on the site.

Frequently asked questions about MSI quartz

Is MSI a good quartz brand?

MSI Q Quartz is backed by a residential lifetime warranty. It is a volume brand, which is both its strength and its trade-off: you get a wide range and a real entry tier, and slab-to-slab variation within a color can be wider than on a single-plant brand because MSI sources from multiple manufacturers. Selecting your actual slabs rather than ordering from a chip removes most of that risk.

Is MSI high quality quartz?

The Q Quartz line is engineered quartz that MSI states needs no sealing, polishing or reconditioning and resists stains and scratches. Within the brand, the Q Studio collection is domestically produced under US Patent no. 10,376,912 and uses the LumaLuxe Ultra formulation, which MSI positions as its most realistic marble look. We stock six Q Studio colors.

Does MSI quartz turn yellow?

Engineered quartz can discolor over time from prolonged direct sunlight or from harsh chemicals such as bleach and oven cleaner, which is true of quartz generally rather than of MSI specifically. For everyday cleaning MSI recommends a soft sponge or cloth with warm water. Quartz is not rated for outdoor use in direct sun, so for an outdoor kitchen a different material is the better answer.

Is MSI cheap quartz?

MSI spans four published price tiers. Of the 102 current colors we stock, 28 sit in the entry tier, 39 in the mid tier, 31 in the upper tier and three in the top tier. So the brand covers a budget kitchen and a high-end island from the same catalog, and calling the whole brand cheap misreads the range.

Are MSI countertops good quality?

For kitchen countertops MSI supplies Q Quartz, which carries a residential lifetime warranty with registration. The quality you live with depends as much on fabrication as on the slab: MSI requires a minimum 3/8 inch corner radius on every cutout and a 1/8 inch allowance around sinks and cooktops, and cracking around a cutout usually traces back to a shop that skipped those rules.

Which is better, MSI or Silestone?

Silestone comes from a single manufacturer, which gives tighter consistency between slabs of the same color. MSI offers a much wider catalog and a broader price spread, and publishes crystalline silica content per SKU including low-silica versions of 24 of the colors we stock. We carry 121 MSI colors and 83 Silestone colors in Wayne, so you can compare the two side by side on full slabs.

Is MSI quartz expensive?

MSI does not publish dollar pricing, only a relative tier from $ to $$$$. Your installed price depends on square footage, slab yield, thickness, edge profile, cutouts and any book matching. Ask for a written estimate on your own layout rather than a per-square-foot number, because the layout is what moves the total.

Is MSI or Cambria better?

Cambria is made in the United States and priced by design series, with a narrower, more controlled range. MSI is broader and reaches lower on price, and it has a domestically produced sub-collection in Q Studio. If US manufacture across the whole range is a requirement, Cambria answers it. If range and budget flexibility matter more, MSI does. Our Cambria guide covers that brand in the same detail as this one.

To narrow it down, browse all 121 MSI colors, compare against the rest of our quartz range or the full countertop catalog, and then call 973-706-5926 to book a slab viewing in Wayne.