U.S. construction sand and gravel production has steadily increased over the past five years, according to a new report from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and data provided by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)
In 2021, U.S. production of construction aggregates was 943 million metric tons valued at $9.76 billion, a 2 percent increase from the 925 million metric tons produced in 2020.
The USGS defines the construction aggregates industry as those companies that mine and process crushed stone and construction sand and gravel. The construction aggregates industry is comprised of about 4,500 mining companies that manage more than 9,000 operations in all 50 states.
It is estimated that about 46% of construction sand and gravel was used as Portland cement concrete aggregates; 21% for road base and coverings and road stabilization; 13% for construction fill; 12% for asphaltic concrete aggregate and other bituminous mixtures; and 4% for other miscellaneous uses. The remaining 4% was used for concrete products, filtration, golf course maintenance, plaster and gunite sands, railroad ballast, road stabilization, roofing granules, and snow and ice control.
USGS expects construction aggregate consumption to remain strong thanks to the funding boost from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Meanwhile, environmental, health, permitting, safety, and zoning regulations and negative local sentiment are expected to push sand and gravel operations farther away from densely populated areas. This, coupled with higher fuel costs, could result in higher-than-average prices for the materials in and near metropolitan areas, USGS says.
In 2021, the 10 leading construction and gravel-producing states were, in descending order of tonnage, California, Texas, Minnesota, Arizona, Michigan, Utah, Washington, Colorado, Ohio and New York. These 10 states accounted for about 54 percent of the national production of construction aggregates, or 505 million metric tons.
Top Construction Sand & Gravel Producers
The 25 leading companies, in descending order of construction sand and gravel tonnage produced in 2021, are as follows:
1. CRH Americas Materials, Inc.
900 Ashwood Parkway, Suite 600, Atlanta, GA 30338
(770) 522 5600
https://www.crhamericasmaterials.com/
2. Vulcan Materials Co.
1200 Urban Center Drive, Birmingham, AL 35242
(205) 298-3000
https://www.vulcanmaterials.com/
3. Martin Marietta Materials, Inc.
4123 Parklake Ave, Raleigh, NC 27612
(919) 781-4550
https://www.martinmarietta.com/
4. Heidelberg Materials (formerly Lehigh Hanson, Inc.)
300 E. John Carpenter Freeway, Irving, Texas 75062
(972) 653-5500
https://www.heidelbergmaterials.us/
5. Knife River Corp. (formerly MDU)
1200 W Century Ave, Bismarck, ND 58503
(701) 530-1400
6. Holcim US
8700 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Chicago, IL 60631
(773) 372-1000
7. CEMEX USA
10100 Katy Fwy #300, Houston, TX 77043
(713) 650-6200
8. Teichert, Inc.
3500 American River Drive, Sacramento, CA 95864
(916) 484-3011
9. Summit Materials, LLC
1801 California St, Ste. 3500, Denver, CO 80202
(303) 893-0012
10. Granite Construction, Inc.
585 W. Beach Street, Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 724-1011
https://www.graniteconstruction.com/
11. Arcosa, Inc.
500 N Akard St Ste 400, Dallas, Texas, 75201
(972) 942-6500
12. Mitsubishi Cement Corp.
151 Cassia Way, Henderson, NV 89014
(702) 932-3900
13. Clyde Cos., Inc.
730 N 1500 W, Orem, UT 84057
(801) 802-6900
14. WM. D. Scepaniak Construction
572 4th St, Holdingford, MN 56340
(320) 746-3331
15. CalPortland Co.
2025 East Financial Way, Glendora, CA 91741
(844) 823-6309
16. Gila River Indian Community
P.O. Box 926, Sacaton, AZ 85147
(520) 418-2106
17. Fisher Industries
3020 Energy Dr, Dickinson, ND 58601
(800) 932-8740
18. Colas Inc.
73 Headquarters Plaza, North Tower, Tenth Floor, Morristown, NJ 07960
(973) 290-9082
19. Chandler Aggregates, Inc.
24867 Maitri Road, Temescal Valley, CA 92883
(951) 277-9110
https://www.wernercorp.net/chandler-aggregates-inc/
20. Bureau of Land Management
1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240
(202) 208-3801
21. L. G. Everist, Inc.
350 S. Main Ave., Suite 400, Sioux Falls, SD 57104
(605) 334-5000
22. U.S. Concrete, Inc. (now Vulcan Materials)
331 N Main St, Euless, Texas, 76039
(817) 835-4105
23. Miles Sand & Gravel Co.
400 Valley Ave. N.E. Puyallup, WA 98372
(253) 833-3705
24. Mathy Construction Co.
920 10th Ave N, Onalaska, WI 54650
(608) 783-6411
25. Holliday Rock Co.
1401 N Benson Ave, Upland, CA 91786
(888) 273-2200
Leading Crushed Stone Producers
In 2021, 1.5 billion tons of crushed stone valued at more than $19 billion was produced by approximately 1,410 companies operating 3,440 quarries and 180 sales and/or distribution yards in all 50 states. In descending order of production, the top-producing states were Texas, Missouri, Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, California, and Tennessee. The top 10 accounted for about 54% of total crushed stone output.
According to USGS, of the total domestic crushed stone produced in 2021, about 70% was limestone and dolomite; 15%, granite; 6%, traprock; 5%, miscellaneous stone; 3% sandstone and quartzite; and the remaining 1% included marble, volcanic cinder and scoria, calcareous marl, slate, and shell.
Roughly 72% of crushed stone was used as a construction aggregate, primarily for road construction and maintenance; 16% for cement manufacturing; 8% for lime manufacturing; 2% for agricultural uses; and the remaining 2% for other chemical, special, and miscellaneous uses and products.
In 2021, the top 25 producers of crushed stone in the United States were:
1. Vulcan Materials Co.
2. Martin Marietta Materials, Inc.
3. CRH Americas Materials, Inc.
4. Heidelberg Materials
5. Holcim US
6. CEMEX USA
7. Rogers Group, Inc.
8. Carmeuse Americas
9. Summit Materials, LLC.
10. Lhoist North America, Inc.
11. Luck Stone Corp.
12. New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co., Inc.
13. Dolese Bros. Co.
14. Buzzi Unicem USA Inc.
15. Vecellio & Grogan, Inc.
16. Eagle Materials Inc.
17. National Lime & Stone Co.
18. Blue Water Industries
19. Titan America LLC
20. MDU Resources Group, Inc.
21. The Olen Corp.
22. Eucon Corp.
23. Fred Weber, Inc.
24. The H&K Group
25. Texas Crushed Stone Co., Inc.
USGS Methodology
The USGS derives domestic production data for crushed stone and construction sand and gravel from voluntary surveys of U.S. Producers. Production estimates for non-responding operations are based on employment data provided by MSHA.
The data cited in this article is an advance release of the information featured in the USGS Minerals Yearbook 2021, v. 1, Metals and Minerals. The tables include data available through May 16, 2023. USGS says substantive changes are not anticipated but will be incorporated in the final publication.
