Record aggregates production reported for 2005

An estimated 715 million metric tons of total aggregates (crushed stone, sand, and gravel combined) was produced and shipped for consumption in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2005, compared with 707 million metric tons in the same period of 2004, according to the latest USGS Mineral Industry Survey. “The estimated 2005 total annual production of aggregates produced for consumption was 2.9 billion metric tons, a 1.8 percent increase compared with 2004,” says Jason C. Willett, crushed stone commodity specialist. "That is a new record amount."

An estimated 405 million metric tons of crushed stone was produced and shipped for consumption in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2005, a slight increase compared with the same period of 2004. The estimated annual production of crushed stone shipped for consumption in 2005 was 1.6 billion metric tons, an increase of 2.5 percent compared with 2004.

The estimated output of construction sand and gravel produced for consumption in the fourth quarter of 2005 was 307 million metric tons, an increase of 3 percent compared with the same period of 2004. The estimated annual production of construction sand and gravel shipped for consumption in 2005 was 1.25 billion metric tons, a slight increase compared with 2004.

“In the fourth quarter of 2005, there was also a 6.5 percent increase in portland cement consumption compared with the same period of 2004, and a 5.7 percent increase for 2005 compared with 2004, another indication of increased construction activity at the national level,” Willett says.