Identification guide · Minerals
How to Identify Albite
Look for a white to pale gray or bluish mineral with a vitreous, sometimes pearly luster on cleavage surfaces and a white streak. Two cleavage directions intersect at nearly 90 degrees, and a hardness of about 6 lets it scratch glass but not quartz. The best diagnostic is fine parallel striping on one cleavage face, produced by polysynthetic twinning, which separates albite from striation-free orthoclase. It is frequently mistaken for microcline, quartz, and other feldspars within massive granite.
Albite identification checklist
| Color | White, Colorless, Gray, Greenish, Pale blue (rare) | Look at a clean, dry surface in daylight. Color zoning, banding or spots are as diagnostic as the hue. |
|---|---|---|
| Luster | Vitreous, pearly on cleavage | Fresh surfaces shine like glass; a dull surface usually means weathering, so chip or wet a corner. |
| Transparency | Transparent to translucent | Hold a thin edge up to a bright light and note whether light passes through. |
| Mohs hardness | 6–6.5 | It is about as hard as window glass: a knife barely marks it, while a steel file (Mohs 6.5) will. |
| Streak | White | Drag a corner across unglazed porcelain (the back of a bathroom tile) and check the powder color. |
| Cleavage | Perfect on {001}, good on {010}, near 86° angle | |
| Fracture | Uneven to conchoidal | Broken surfaces show smooth, curved, shell-like scoops. |
| Specific gravity | 2.60–2.65 | Ordinary rock-like heft (specific gravity about 2.625), similar to quartz. |
| Crystal system | Triclinic |
Extra tests for Albite
Glass check. Albite shares a glassy luster and conchoidal fracture with man-made glass. Glass sits near Mohs 5.5 and often contains round gas bubbles, so a hardness test and a hand lens separate them.
Albite look-alikes and how to tell them apart
Both sit near Mohs 6–6.5, so a scratch test alone will not separate them. Lean on luster, streak and heft instead. Albite vs Feldspar →
Both sit near Mohs 6–6.5, so a scratch test alone will not separate them. Lean on luster, streak and heft instead. Albite vs Nepheline →
Albite is harder (Mohs 6–6.5) than Calcite (Mohs 3), so Albite will scratch Calcite and not the other way round. A copper coin (Mohs 3.5) scratches it, but a fingernail does not. Albite vs Calcite →
Both sit near Mohs 6–6.5, so a scratch test alone will not separate them. Lean on luster, streak and heft instead.
Albite identification FAQ
How can you tell if a rock is Albite?
Check the color (white, colorless, gray, and greenish), the vitreous, pearly on cleavage luster, a Mohs hardness of 6–6.5 and a white streak. Photographing it with the StoneSnap app gives a match in seconds.
What is the hardness of Albite?
Albite has a Mohs hardness of 6–6.5. It is about as hard as window glass: a knife barely marks it, while a steel file (Mohs 6.5) will.
What is the difference between Albite and Feldspar?
Albite (Mohs 6–6.5, vitreous, pearly on cleavage luster) and Feldspar (Mohs 6–6.5, vitreous to pearly luster) look alike, but hardness, streak and heft usually separate them. See the full Albite vs Feldspar comparison for a side-by-side table.
Is Albite worth anything?
Entry-level Albite specimens sell for around $2, typical collector pieces about $20, and premium examples $150 or more depending on size, quality and locality.
What color is Albite?
Albite is most often white, colorless, gray, and greenish. Color varies with impurities and locality, so confirm with hardness and luster rather than color alone.
