Norway
A stove made from solid soapstone from Norsk Kleber is not just a stove, but an exclusive piece of furniture taken directly from nature. Each stone has a different structure and pattern, and no two stoves are the same. Our soapstone is grey with a light structure. Our soapstone stoves are a warming piece of art that will last for generations. Norsk Kleber is the only Norwegian producer of soapstone stoves and fireplaces. Soapstone is a metamorphic type of rock. This means that it was formed by other types of rock under pressure and high temperatures 500 million years ago. The soapstone is a soft rock, easy to mould and pleasant to touch. It can withstand heats up to 1550 °C, and is frostproof and resistant to chemicals. The soapstone from Norsk Kleber has a high talcum content. It is porous and heavy, and therefore has exceptionally good heat storage properties and is nature’s own ‘wonder material’.
In Norway, soapstone has been used in cookware and everyday objects ever since the formation of an Early Iron Age settlement in the region of North Gudbrandsdalen. In the Stone Age, the special stone was used for clubs, picks and axes. During the Bronze Age, it was also used for spinning wheels, loom weights, fishing net weights and moulds. Findings from soapstone fragments also suggest that the Vikings used soapstone for pots and other utensils. There is also evidence to suggest that the Vikings used soapstone to heat their homes. The extraction of soapstone directly from the rock face to make pots made an important contribution to many people’s livelihood. As with all types of stone, the quality of soapstone varies from place to place. Our soapstone has a relatively high magnetite content and is therefore particularly suitable for use in stoves and fireplaces. Heat absorption, storage and emission are optimal with our soapstone.
In the 13th century, soapstone was used as décor, and several castles, churches and cathedrals have soapstone adornments. The most well-known of these is Nidaros Cathedral, which is decorated entirely with soapstone. At the end of the 17th century, the production of soapstone hearths started at Gudbrandsdalen. Towards the end of the 19th century, several companies were established at Otta for the production of soapstone stoves and fireplaces. AS Østlandske Stenexport bought up large parts of the soapstone business at Otta in the period 1915–1918, making it the dominant producer. In 2014, the name of the company was changed from Granit Kleber AS to Norsk Kleber AS, since the company was no longer involved in granite production. The name may have changed, but the business philosophy remained the same, which was to develop and produce high-quality soapstone stoves. Today, the production process is very modern, with computer-controlled machines, while the products themselves are still based on the same principles as old soapstone stoves, even though this makes our solutions somewhat more expensive than similar stoves. The reason for this is simple: we will not compromise on the quality of the products and their excellent heat storage properties.
