NC Aggregate and Dimension Stone
Aggregate / Crushed Stone Overview
Aggregate is the technical name for crushed stone, sand, and gravel used in construction. It's used to build homes and offices, roads, bridges, tunnels, sidewalks, and runways. It is an essential material for building our world's infrastructure because of it's strength and stability. All U.S. states, with the exception of Delaware, produce crushed stone.
Photograph Courtesy Wake Stone Corp.
Process
The photo above is a view of an operating crushed stone (aggregate) quarry that is located near Raleigh, NC. This crushed stone operation is located near an Interstate so the crushed stone product can easily be trucked to road construction sites and to concrete plants.
In the foreground diesel-powered 50-ton-capacity haul trucks are loaded by diesel-powered hydraulic shovels with 7.5 cubic yard bucket capacity. A drill is positioned on a 40-foot high bench. The drill is preparing holes to hold explosives which will break the rock into pieces that can be loaded into the trucks and taken to the primary crusher. The drill utilizes a compressed air powered 'hammer' in the bottom of the hole. This down-hole type drill helps minimize noise to the surrounding area.
Rock that is larger than can be accepted by the primary crushed is being broken by the crawler-mounted hydraulic machine in the upper left corner of the image. A water truck sprays water on rock that was recently broken by the explosives. The water spray helps reduce dust.
Portions of the conveyer assembly is shown in the upper right. This conveyer assembly carries rock to the sizing plant located on the surface just out of view to the upper right corner. Rock up to 5 feet by 4 feet x 4 feet are crushed to not more than 12 inches in diameter by the primary jaw crusher. This material is further reduced in size by the secondary cone crusher. The primary crushing plant is now located in the pit just out of view in this image.
Mines are permitted before production begins. A comprehensive reclamation plan is part of the permitting. Additional information about aggregate is found through the North Carolina Aggregate Association.
Uses of Aggregate
The single largest market for aggregates is road and street construction, including base and asphalt paving for highways, parking lots and other pavements. One mile of typical 2-lane asphalt road with aggregate base requires about 25,000 tons. Other large markets are Portland cement concrete for bridges, pavements and building structures, riprap and erosion control stone, and railroad ballast.
Approximately 50 percent of all aggregate is used for publicly funded construction projects: i.e., highways, water and sewer systems, public buildings, airports and other county and municipal public works projects.
Production
Crushed stone makes up 85 percent of aggregate production; construction sand and gravel, about 15 percent.
North Carolina is the sixth largest crushed stone producing state in the U.S. Aggregate is produced from about 135 crushed stone quarries and about 500 sand and gravel sites throughout the state. Crushed stone, sand and gravel plants account for 85 percent of all permitted mining operations. There is aggregate mining in 80 of North Carolina's 100 counties.
The average production life of a crushed stone quarry is 40 to 50 years or more. Sand and gravel deposits are typically worked out in much shorter time.
Transportation
Over 90 percent of all aggregate is moved by dump truck. Most aggregate is used within 50 miles of where it is produced. Some aggregate is moved by railroad, and a small amount is moved by barge off the Carolina coast.
Because aggregate is a heavy, low cost per ton product, haul distance largely controls the price of aggregate. Truck haul costs approximately 12 to 15 cents per ton-mile. Because of the high cost of transportation, virtually all aggregate produced in North Carolina is used in North Carolina.
Permitting/Environment
The North Carolina Mining Act, passed in 1971, and its regulations require any aggregate mining operation of one acre or more to apply for and receive North Carolina mining permit. The permit is issued for 10 years, but can be withdrawn if all requirements of the permit are not complied with. Many other local and state permits and environmental regulations control the operation of aggregate plants. All sites must be reclaimed before the reclamation bond will be released at the conclusion of mining. You can find more information about mine permitting through the DEQ's Mining Program.
Once reclaimed, crushed stone quarries are desirable as water reservoirs or recreational lakes, often with residential subdivisions nearby. Sand and gravel sites, also, are useful as wildlife habitat, agricultural fields or as lakes for a variety of uses, including groundwater recharge. Wetlands are often created as a result of mining. The industry is very sensitive and responsive to its need to be a good steward of the environment and a good neighbor in the community.
Crushed Stone FAQs
According the the 2024 USGS Crushed Stone Commodities Summary, approximately 70% of crushed stone is made from limestone and dolomite, 14% granite, 6% traprock, 6% miscellaneous stone, and 3% sandstone and quartz. The remaining 1% was made from marble, volcanic cinder and scoria, calcareous marl, shell, and slate.
The following information is from the 2024 USGS Crushed Stone Commodities Summary:
- In 2024, approximately 1.5 billions tons of crushed stone was produced by 1,400 U.S. companies with a value of $26 billion
- The U.S. companies operated 3,500 quarries with more than 180 sales and/or distribution yards in all 50 states
- Leading states in crushed stone production (descending order): Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Ohio, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Indiana, and Virginia
The following information is from the 2024 USGS Crushed Stone Commodities Summary:
- Approximately 72% was used as construction aggregate (road construction and maintenance)
- Approximately 17% was used for cement manufacturing
- Approximately 6% was used for lime manufacturing
- Approximately 1% was used for agricultural uses
- The remaining 4% was used for chemical, special, and miscellaneous uses and products
NC Dimension / Building Stone
Dimension Stone Overview
Not every rock can be dimension stone, but every dimension stone is rock. Dimension stone can be defined as natural rock material quarried for the purpose of obtaining blocks or slabs that meet specifications as to size (width, length, and thickness) and shape. Color, grain texture and pattern, and surface finish of the stone are normal requirements. Durability (essentially based on mineral composition, hardness, and past performance), strength, and the ability of the stone to take a polish are other important selection criteria. Although a variety of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks are used as dimension stone, the principal rock types are granite, limestone, marble, sandstone, and slate. Other varieties of dimension stone that are normally considered to be special minor types include alabaster (massive gypsum), soapstone (massive talc), and various products fashioned from natural stone.
NC Dimension Stone
In 2024, North Carolina ranked seventh in the United States in dimension stone production. Based on the most recent data available from 2019, North Carolina produced around 16,400 metric tons of dimension stone which was valued at over $16 million. The four major types of dimension stone now produced in North Carolina are: granite, argillite, flagstone and marble. Dimension stone is produced from limited geographic areas in North Carolina. The average production life of dimension stone quarries is measured in decades or longer, although flagstone quarries may be short lived.
Learn More About Downtown Raleigh Dimension Stone
Discover some of the dimension stones that were used to build the Raleigh, NC skyline in our interactive tour.
Former North Carolina Granite Corporation
The former North Carolina Granite Corporation's granite mine, located two miles east Mt. Airy, North Carolina was the world's largest open-face granite quarry in the world. The land that it exists on was originally thought of as worthless because it could not be farmed. In 1888, the land that the quarry sits on was sold to Thomas Woodruff who began a granite quarrying business in 1889. With new rail lines in place, the business grew rapidly. The granite in this area is pure both in color and texture. A piece removed 100 years ago would match a piece removed today!
Ownership and Closure
In 2025 Luck Stone (the largest family-owned and operated producer of crusted stone, sand, and gravel in the U.S.) acquired the quarry in Mt. Airy. The $9 million acquisition includes a total of 264 acres spread across 15 different tracts of land. Luck Stone has indicated that while the site is being decommissioned by North Carolina Granite Corporation, they will be working on an operational strategy for the site, which is now named the Luck Stone Flat Rock Plant.
Although the fate of the dimension stone/Cut Stone Division is not yet final, Luck Stone indicated that it will be closing that part of the business.
Dimension Stone FAQs
According to the
- Building and construction (62%)
- Irregular shaped stones (29%)
According to the
- Ashlars and partially squared pieces (47%)
- Curbing (12%)
- Slabs and blocks for building, construction, and flagging (11% each)
In North Carolina, dimension stone is used in home improvements, historic preservation, and interior paneling for buildings and construction applications.
According to the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2024, approximately 2.3 million tons of dimension stone, valued at $410 million was sold or used by U.S. producers in 2023. Dimension stone was produced by 176 companies operating 224 quarries in 33 states. States producing the most dimension stone (in descending order) were: Texas, Wisconsin, Indiana, Vermont, and Georgia. Combined, they accounted for nearly 70% of production quantity in the U.S.
By tonnage, limestone accounted for nearly 51% of dimension stone sold or used in 2023. This is followed by granite (20%), sandstone (14%), and dolomite (4%). The remaining 11% was divided among other rock types - miscellaneous stone, quartzite, marble, traprock, and slate.
The North Carolina Mining Act, passed in 1971, and its regulations require any dimension stone mining operation of one acre or more to apply for and receive a North Carolina mining permit. The permit is issued for 10 years but can be withdrawn if al requirements of the permit are not complied with. Many other local and state permits and environmental regulations control the operation of dimension stone plants. All site must be reclaimed before the reclamation bond will be released at the conclusion of mining.
Once reclaimed, dimension stone quarries are desirable as water reservoirs or recreational lakes, often with residential subdivisions nearby. Wetlands are often created as a result of mining. The industry is very sensitive to, and responds to, its need to be a good steward of the environment and a good neighbor in the community.
Refer the the DEQ's Mining Program for more information on mine permitting.
Most dimension stone is moved by truck. A large proportion of dimension stone is shipped overseas by ocean transport. Because dimension stone is a heavy, moderate to high cost per ton product, it can be transported considerable distance. Because of the value of North Carolina dimension stone and the low cost of ocean transport, a significant portion of NC dimension stone is shipped overseas for cutting and finishing.