The Aggregate Producers Association
of British Columbia
What is Aggregate ?
Aggregate is produced in or near most every city and town in Canada and the United States.
Annual per capita consumption of aggregate is about 10 to 15 tons in Canada and 10 tons in the United States.
The industry is comprised of 3 main sectors; construction sand and gravel, industrial sand and gravel,
and crushed rock. Crushed stone and sand and gravel are most often used by the construction industry.
Industrial sand and gravels are used for purposes such as foundry operations, glass manufacturing,
abrasives and filtration beds of water-treatment facilities, as a source of calcium in fertilizers, as
a metallurgic fluxstone, as filtration systems.
Aggregates make up 70 to 80 percent of the volume of concrete and aggregates used in asphalt
mixtures (roadways - hot mix asphalt, cold mix asphalt, surface treatments) comprise approximately 95 percent
of the mix by mass. Thus, all roads, sidewalks, buildings, structures, and anything made from concrete require aggregates.
Aggregates include crushed stone, sand and gravel, and are the most abundant natural resource available. Used as a primary raw material component in construction, agriculture, and other chemical and metallurgical industries. Since the value of aggregate is low and the weight of the product is high, the cost of transportation becomes a primary factor in the consumer cost. The aggregate industry is a major contributor to and a key indicator of the economy in any region.
Next : Where is Aggregate Used
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