Product Description
The Ears That Hold a Stone Facade in Place
Walk past a building clad in granite or marble, and you don’t see the hardware. You see the stone. But behind every panel — at the top edge, the bottom edge, sometimes the sides — small steel brackets carry its full dead weight and transfer it back to the structure. These are called ear brackets on site, because their profile resembles an ear: a vertical plate that bolts to the substrate, with a projecting lug or pin that the stone panel hooks onto.
A pair of ear brackets at the panel head take the vertical load. A pair at the base control in-out alignment and resist wind suction. Together, four small brackets suspend a 100kg stone panel — and must do so for the life of the building without visible deflection, without corrosion, and without allowing the panel to shift.
Fabao Machinery has manufactured stone hanging brackets for nearly 20 years. We understand the load paths, the adjustment mechanisms, and the installation rhythm that makes or breaks a cladding contractor’s schedule.
How an Ear Bracket Carries Stone Load
SUBSTRATE (steel channel / embed plate)
│
┌─────────┴─────────┐
│ VERTICAL LEG │ ← Bolted to substrate
│ (the ear) │
│ ● │ ← Slotted hole for vertical adjustment
│ │ │
│ ─────┼───── │ ← Horizontal projecting lug / pin
│ │ │
└─────────┼─────────┘
│
STONE PANEL (hooked onto pin)
Load path: Stone weight → pin / lug → ear bracket → bolt → substrate → structure. The pin is in shear. The bracket is in tension and bending. Both must be sized correctly for the panel weight and wind load.
Ear Bracket vs. Standard Angle Bracket
| Factor | Ear Bracket (This Product) | Standard 90° Angle Bracket |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Function | Suspending and supporting stone/cladding panels | General corner reinforcement and fixing |
| Load Direction | Vertical dead load + wind suction | Shear, tension, some bending |
| Adjustment | 3-axis: vertical, horizontal, in-out | Typically fixed; limited to hole clearance |
| Pin/Lug Included | Yes — integral bearing pin or bolted pin | No |
| Typical Use | Marble, granite, terracotta, fiber cement cladding | Steel frame connections, bracket-to-embed fixing |
| Installation | Panel hooked onto pin; bolt tightened after alignment | Both legs bolted directly |
Stone Type & Bracket Selection Guide
| Stone Type | Typical Panel Weight | Recommended Bracket Material | Pin Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granite (30mm) | 80–100 kg/m² | SS316 or HDG Q235B | M10 / M12 |
| Marble (30mm) | 70–85 kg/m² | SS304 or SS316 | M10 |
| Limestone (40mm) | 90–110 kg/m² | SS316 (coastal) or HDG Q235B | M12 |
| Terracotta / Ceramic | 30–60 kg/m² | SS304 | M8 |
| Fiber Cement Panel | 15–30 kg/m² | SS304 or Aluminum | M8 |
| Thin Stone Veneer (<20mm) | 40–60 kg/m² | SS304 | M8 / M10 |
Bracket dimensions, pin sizes, and material grades tailored to your project’s panel weight and wind load calculations.
Applications
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High-Rise Stone Facade – Ear brackets supporting granite or marble panels floor by floor, with vertical slots to accommodate slab deflection.
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Entrance Portal Feature Walls – Heavy-duty T-type brackets for oversized stone panels at building entrances and lobby feature walls.
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Interior Stone Cladding – Light-gauge stainless ear brackets for interior marble and limestone wall linings in hotel lobbies and commercial atriums.
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Ventilated Rainscreen Facades – Adjustable ear brackets supporting terracotta or fiber cement panels on aluminum or steel subframes.
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Column Cladding – Curved or custom-angle ear brackets for stone-clad structural columns.
Standard Dimension Reference
| Model | Vertical Leg (mm) | Projection (mm) | Pin Ø | Material | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB-80-50-Q | 80 | 50 | M8 | Q235B | HDG |
| EB-100-60-Q | 100 | 60 | M10 | Q235B | HDG |
| EB-120-70-Q | 120 | 70 | M10 | Q235B | HDG |
| EB-150-80-Q | 150 | 80 | M12 | Q235B | HDG 85μm |
| EB-100-60-S4 | 100 | 60 | M10 | SS304 | Passivated |
| EB-150-80-S6 | 150 | 80 | M12 | SS316 | Passivated |
Custom leg lengths, projection distances, pin diameters, and slot configurations produced to your structural drawing.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can you supply the bracket with the bearing pin pre-installed?
Yes. Pins can be welded (permanent) or bolted (replaceable) depending on your preference. Bolted pins allow on-site replacement if a panel needs to be re-hung.
2. How do I determine the correct bracket projection for my panel thickness?
Bracket projection = cavity depth + panel thickness + pin engagement. Typically 50–80mm for standard 30mm stone with a 20–40mm cavity. Send your panel build-up and we’ll confirm the projection.
3. What wind load capacity can your ear brackets support?
This depends on bracket geometry, material, and bolt specification. For a typical SS316 ear bracket with M10 pin at 70mm projection, safe working load is 2–3kN per bracket. Higher capacities achievable with thicker material and longer vertical legs. Provide wind load values for a project-specific assessment.
4. Do you offer ear brackets with serrated contact faces for slip resistance?
Yes. Serrated or knurled contact faces on the vertical leg increase friction against the substrate and reduce the chance of bracket slippage under sustained load. Specify if required.
5. How are ear brackets packaged to prevent pin damage in transit?
Brackets with integrated pins are individually separated with cardboard dividers. Bolted pins are shipped assembled or disassembled per customer preference. All packaging is reinforced for export handling.
Why Fabao for Stone Cladding Brackets?
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Pin Shear Integrity – Welded pins are full-penetration CO₂ welded and visually inspected; bolted pins are supplied with lock washers or nylon-insert lock nuts.
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3-Axis Adjustment Slots – Vertical, horizontal, and in-out slots cut to your specified adjustment range — no field modification required.
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Stainless Steel Expertise – SS304 and SS316 brackets passivated after fabrication for full corrosion resistance, even in coastal environments.
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Project-Specific Engineering Review – Our 50+ technical engineers review panel weight, wind load, and cavity depth to confirm bracket adequacy before production.
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Export-Ready Protection – Pin tips protected with plastic caps; brackets packed in individual compartments to prevent transit damage.
Request a Quote
Specify panel type, panel weight, cavity depth, wind load requirements, and quantity per floor. We’ll return a project-specific, factory-direct quote within 12 hours.
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