Construction Materials Industry

The global industry that mines, processes and supplies construction aggregate, the coarse to medium grained particulate material such as sand, gravel and crushed stone used as a component in composite building materials, particularly concrete and asphalt. Aggregates are the most mined materials in the world and form a large share of the roughly 6 billion tons of concrete produced annually; in the United States in 2006, crushed stone production reached 1.72 billion tonnes worth 13.8 billion dollars and sand and gravel production reached 1.32 billion tonnes worth 8.54 billion dollars. Aggregate is sourced by mining mineral deposits, from industrial byproducts such as slag from iron and steel manufacture, and by recycling demolished concrete, and it is used to reinforce concrete, provide drainage, stabilize foundations and roadbeds, and reduce material costs, with United States demand split roughly 30 to 35 percent toward non residential building, 25 percent toward highways and 25 percent toward housing.