World Sand and Gravel Producing Countries

The map showing major Sand and Gravel Producing Countries in World.



Sand and gravel are the two most accessible natural resources that have been used since the earliest days of civilization mostly as a construction material. Comprising of silica, usually in the form of quartz, sand is a naturally occurring granular material. It is made up of finely divided rock and mineral particles.

Gravel is a commercial product composed of unconsolidated rock fragments. It has a variety of uses and applications. Gravel is most used to surface roads; Russia has over 250,000 miles of gravel-surfaced roads.

Both sand and small gravel are essential for the manufacture of concrete and building of roads.

The World Map of sand and gravel producers shows a list of the countries that produce sand and gravel in large quantities. As the data in the map shows, the United States is the largest producer of sand and gravel; in 2010, the country produced 26,500 thousand metric tonnes of the materials. Italy ranks second with an annual production of over 1.4 million metric tonnes. The third place is occupied by Germany.

Other major countries producing sand and gravel include the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Spain, Poland, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, Finland, Belgium, Egypt, India, Iran, Norway, Austria, Chile, Czech Republic, Turkey, Canada, Gambia, Bulgaria, Slovakia, South Korea, and Hungary.

There have been serious environmental concerns regarding the use of sand. The many sand uses require a significant dredging industry, which is a cause for fish depletion, landslides, and flooding. Export of sand has been banned in countries such as China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Cambodia.

Major Producers of Sand and Gravel in world-2010

Country Production in Thousand Metric Tonnes
UnitedStates 26,500
Italy 14,000
Germany 6,500
UnitedKingdom 5,600
Australia 5,200
France 5,000
Spain 5,000
Poland 4,350
Japan 3,500
Mexico 2,800
SouthAfrica 2,300
Finland 2,240
Belgium 1,800
Egypt 1,750
India 1,700
Iran 1,500
Norway 1,500
Austria 1,500
Chile 1,400
CzechRepublic 1,370
Turkey 1,300
Canada 1,300
Gambia 1,100
Bulgaria 650
Slovakia 620
South Korea 450
Hungary 290
Othercountries 6600

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