Aggregates production tanks in 2008

Well, the numbers are in, and they aren't pretty. USGS has released full-year 2008 production statistics. The estimated annual output of aggregates produced for consumption in 2008 was 2.34 billion metric tons, a 17-percent decrease compared with 2007. The estimated annual output of crushed stone produced for consumption in 2008 was 1.34 billion metric tons, a 16-percent decrease compared with 2007. The estimated annual output of construction sand and gravel produced for consumption in 2008 was 978 million metric tons, a 21-percent decrease compared 2007. Fourth quarter 2008 numbers were brutal, with total aggregates production down 23 percent year-over-year. Crushed stone dipped 21 percent, while construction sand and gravel plummeted 28 percent. The estimated production-for-consumption of aggregates in the fourth quarter of 2008 decreased in all of the geographic divisions compared with that sold or used in the fourth quarter of 2007. The largest decreases in percentages were recorded in the South Atlantic (31 percent) and the Pacific (29 percent) divisions. -- Mark S. Kuhar