slabs

A slab is a flat, thick, roughly rectangular piece of material that serves as a building block, a surface, or a structural element. The term is used across several disciplines to describe flat plate-like objects with a similar geometric form, though the material and function vary widely.

In construction and civil engineering, a slab typically refers to a horizontal structural element such as a concrete floor, roof, or deck. Slabs may be poured as monolithic elements on grade (slab-on-grade) or supported by beams and columns (slab-framed systems). They can be reinforced with steel bars or mesh and may use post-tensioning or pre-stressed concrete. Common variants include one-way slabs, two-way slabs, and flat plates used in buildings and bridges.

A stone slab is a large, flat piece cut from natural stone such as granite, marble, limestone, or slate. Stone slabs are used for countertops, flooring, cladding, and monumental surfaces. Finishes range from polished to honed to brushed; thickness varies by application. Engineered or manufactured slabs, including quartz composites and porcelain slabs, provide uniform appearance and improved durability for interior surfaces.

In plate tectonics, the term slab refers to the subducting oceanic lithosphere that descends into the mantle at convergent boundaries. Subduction and slab pull contribute to mantle convection and earthquakes. Slabs can be traced by seismic imaging and can penetrate to great depths.

In computing, a slab allocator is a memory management technique that allocates objects of similar sizes into slabs to reduce fragmentation and speed allocation.

In everyday language, slab can denote a thick slice of food, such as a slab of bacon or chocolate.