People are often surprised that Pennsylvania Bluestone isn't one color. The name suggests a single blue-grey, but the quarry yields a whole range, and the trade sorts it into two families: Blue Select and Full Color. Picking between them is the most visible decision you'll make about a bluestone patio — more visible than pattern, and far more than thickness.
Blue Select — the calm one.
Blue Select is sorted for consistency: a uniform blue-grey, cool and quiet, with little variation from piece to piece. It reads modern and architectural, and it's the choice when you want the stone to be a calm ground rather than the star — a clean terrace, a contemporary pool surround, a courtyard where the planting or the architecture is meant to lead. Because it's sorted more tightly, Blue Select typically carries a modest premium over Full Color.
Full Color — the warm one.
Full Color (sometimes called Mix Color) keeps the quarry's whole palette: blues, yes, but also greens, tans, lavenders, and warm rusts, often within a single flag. It reads natural and lively, settling beautifully into gardens, informal patios, and traditional homes where you want the stone to feel found rather than specified. In dappled shade the color mix comes alive; in a stark modern setting it can feel busy. It's usually the more economical of the two.
| Blue Select | Full Color | |
|---|---|---|
| Color | Uniform blue-grey | Blues, greens, tans, rusts |
| Reads as | Calm, modern | Warm, natural |
| Best with | Contemporary, architectural | Gardens, traditional homes |
| Relative cost | Modest premium | More economical |
Blue Select recedes; Full Color speaks up. Match that to whether the stone leads or supports.
Both come in either finish.
Color and finish are separate choices. Blue Select and Full Color are each available in natural cleft or thermal, and in all three formats — pattern, dimensional, and random. So you can pair a calm Blue Select with a thermal finish for a modern pool deck, or a Full Color random layout in natural cleft for a garden path. If you're weighing the finish side, our cleft vs. thermal guide is the companion to this one.
Sort by color first, then choose the finish — they're independent decisions on the same stone.
Send a photo of the space and we'll tell you which color settles in, and send samples of both so you can hold them against your brick and planting.