What is it?
The most-mined material on Earth by weight, and the one nobody thinks of as mining.
Why does it matter?
Concrete is mostly aggregate. Desert sand is too round to use, which is why sand is trucked and shipped despite being 'everywhere'.
Deeper written sections for this material have not been published yet. Everything below is drawn straight from the source datasets and is complete.
Who produces it
See it on a map →Mine production
Mine productionmillion metric tons 2025 (estimated)
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · US figures only in the MCS; world totals are not compiled. · source ↗
Scroll the table sideways for the remaining columns.
| Country | Production | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 870.0 | — |
| Other countries | Not applicable | — |
| World total | Not applicable | 100% |
“Withheld” means the USGS suppressed the figure to avoid disclosing an individual company's data — it does not mean zero. Country rows do not always sum to the world total because the source rounds each figure independently and does not always break out an “other countries” line.
Price
average unit value, dollars per metric ton
Annual averagedollars per metric ton
Basis: average unit value, dollars per metric ton. Annual averages as published in USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗. These are reference annual averages, not a live market quote.
What it is used for
All end markets →| End market | What it does there | Importance |
|---|---|---|
| Construction & Steel | Aggregate in concrete and asphalt | Defining |