One useful and important material for building and remodeling projects is crushed stone. Its foundational role in numerous surfaces and structures makes it of utmost importance. Making informed decisions for your projects can be aided by having a thorough understanding of the various types of crushed stone and their unique applications.
Size, shape, and source material are used to classify each type of crushed stone. Its suitability for a range of applications, from strengthening the visual appeal of landscaping projects to establishing stable foundations, is determined by these qualities. The most popular kinds have different qualities and include trap rock, limestone, granite, and more.
Crushed stone is used in many different types of projects. It is employed in construction to build roads, lay foundations, and design drainage systems. It gives gardens and walkways more texture and aesthetic appeal in landscaping. Furthermore, the production of asphalt and concrete depends on crushed stone to ensure the strength and durability of these materials.
Understanding the characteristics of crushed stone and how they align with your requirements is essential to selecting the best kind for your project. You can improve the caliber, durability, and general success of your building or renovation project by choosing the right material. The goal of this guide is to arm you with the knowledge you need to make those decisions with assurance.
Type of Crushed Stone | Application Area |
Granite Crushed Stone | Used in road construction, railways, and concrete production |
Limestone Crushed Stone | Commonly used in construction, agriculture, and manufacturing cement |
Trap Rock Crushed Stone | Ideal for asphalt and concrete due to its high durability |
Recycled Crushed Stone | Eco-friendly option used in construction and landscaping |
- Types of factions
- Granite crushed stone fractions
- Fraction 0-5 mm
- 5-20 mm
- 20-40 mm
- 40-70 mm
- Gravel, crushed gravel and its fractions
- 0-5 mm
- 5-20, 20-40 mm
- 40-70 mm
- 70 or more
- What are the fractions of crushed limestone?
- 0-5 mm
- 5-20 mm
- 20-40 mm
- Sandstone fractions
- Grain size classification
- Scope of application
- Stone boot, dimensions
- Video on the topic
- Which crushed stone to choose
- Characteristics of crushed stone
- The difference between granite crushed stone and gravel
- Crushed stone: base device | Types of crushed stone | Applications of crushed stone in road construction
- Crushed stone for the foundation. Which crushed stone to choose. Types of crushed stone.
- Crushed stone: types, differences, characteristics
Types of factions
The grain size of a distinct group of a particular kind of bulk or lump material is known as the crushed stone fraction. The applicability of a specific type, production method (extraction), cost, and price in the consumer market are all directly impacted by its value.
Regarding the various fractions of crushed stone, we can identify over ten distinct groups, each having a unique size. Nonetheless, a classification that separates the product into just four types is typically used:
- Grain size 0-5 mm – screening.
- Grain size 5-20 mm – fine.
- Grain size 20-40 mm – medium.
- Grain size 40-70 mm – coarse.
But we’ll also take into account other kinds of fractions that are present based on the kind of crushed stone.
Fascinating! A fraction is a portion of a bulk or lump material combined based on a single attribute. Here, the grain size is a factor (Great Soviet Encyclopedia).
Granite crushed stone fractions
Granite rocks are first blasted, and the resultant stone is then crushed to create crushed granite. Because of its exceptional strength and resistance to frost, the final product is widely used in the design and construction of highways.
Wholesome Crushed granite stone may have an odd pink, brown, greenish, or pink tone. The uneven color shade of the surface makes it simple to identify.
Fraction 0-5 mm
A type of crushed stone-sand mixture with good drainage qualities and a reasonable price is called granite screening. used mostly for landscaping projects. For instance, when lining pathways and sidewalks. Because of its inexpensive cost, it is widely used in the building of embankments for railroad and road infrastructure.
5-20 mm
The most popular application for fine granite fraction is in the manufacture of concrete and products made of reinforced concrete (slabs, blocks, pillars). These compositions have high performance indicators, which makes them popular in the construction industry. They are effectively used to fill in voids that need to be filled in later with concrete or a cement-sand mixture when building foundations and foundations.
20-40 mm
The faction is just as in demand as the previous one in terms of popularity. This size of crushed stone is also utilized in the production of concrete and products made of reinforced concrete. Similar applications are seen in the construction sector: filling voids, foundations, and preparation of surfaces prior to concrete pouring.
40-70 mm
This fraction of crushed granite is mostly used for foundation construction, both temporary and permanent. When smaller particles are added, it serves as a filler. By using this method, the possibility of overusing concrete is reduced and the ultimate strength of the constructed object is guaranteed.
Gravel, crushed gravel and its fractions
Gravel and crushed gravel are not less strong than granite; however, they have less radioactive background. It is more appropriate for residential construction under this condition.
Crushed gravel comes from the same place as gravel and has the same chemical makeup. The first is extracted from the bottom of already-existing reservoirs, or it is mined from dry river beds and reservoirs. Through the development (blasting and crushing) of rocks, crushed stone is extracted. This characteristic modifies the material’s physical characteristics:
- Gravel has smooth edges, sharpened by water and winds.
- Crushed gravel is characterized by sharp edges obtained by subsequent crushing of broken pieces.
Crucial! Because of their extremely low radioactive background, gravel and crushed gravel are environmentally friendly building materials.
0-5 mm
Gravel screenings designed for sidewalk and road embankment construction. When designing playgrounds and pedestrian pathways in gardens and parks, river gravel with rounded edges is highly preferred.
5-20, 20-40 mm
Gravel and fine-grained crushed stone have the same range of applications as the granite materials previously discussed. The non-metallic composition has a high bulk density of 1.37t/m3 and a low flakiness of about 7%. It is also on par with granite in terms of resistance to frost.
40-70 mm
Large gravel-sourced stones are used to build building foundations, both temporary and permanent. The material is widely used in the construction of drainage systems because of its incredible strength and resistance to frost.
70 or more
Large gravel is a useful material for landscaping projects. For instance, establishing a dry stream, a rock garden, or enhancing the aesthetics of reservoir banks.
Because large granite and gravel stones are expensive, it is a common misconception that they are best used for building embankments on roads and railroads. For instance, an embankment made of limestone or sandstone will be roughly twice as expensive as one made of granite or gravel.
Crucial! Crushed stone and gravel made from crushed dense rock are categorized in compliance with the guidelines provided by the interstate standard GOST 8267-93.
Crushed stone is a multipurpose and indispensable building material that can be categorized according to its size, shape, and composition, which allows it to be used in a variety of ways. Crushed stone is used in many projects, from providing structural support for buildings to improving the stability of roads and railroads. Knowing its various forms and applications enables one to choose the best kind for a given set of building requirements, guaranteeing efficiency and longevity in each application.
What are the fractions of crushed limestone?
Crushed limestone is a yellow or gray stone that is made from crushed mountain calcite. The latter is created by organic matter solidifying naturally. The material’s color may change based on how many impurities it contains.
Wholesome On top of calcium carbonate, crushed stone is formed consisting of both dolomite and limestone. The strength of crushed dolomite stone is significantly higher than that of limestone, despite the fact that many people combine both kinds into one category.
0-5 mm
This also applies to microscopic particles that are unsortable. They are typically no larger than 3–4 mm, with a bulk density of 1.3 t/m3 and a flakiness of 10–12%. The following regions actively use crushed limestone stone screening:
- Landscaping and design.
- Portland cement filler.
- Relief filler in dry decorative plasters.
- Cushion before laying asphalt.
- Filler in the production of ceramic and paving slabs, sand-cement wall blocks, dry building mixtures.
Wholesome Further screening may be required after limestone screening, depending on the intended use.
5-20 mm
Concrete and products made from reinforced concrete are made with the addition of fine particles. Crushed stone provides the best possible adherence of concrete to the internal metal frame (reinforcement) because of the small size of the fractions. This method yields concrete with grades M100, M150, and M200 that can be used for monolithic walls, waterproofed screed pouring, blind areas, and lightweight foundations.
20-40 mm
The metallurgical industry uses larger fraction crushed limestone as a flux. Calcium carbonate is effectively used as a component of agricultural fertilizers after being ground.
Fascinating! In metallurgy, fluxes are inorganic materials that are added to ore during the melting process to lower the melting point and make it easier to separate metal from other rocks.
But the most common use for crushed limestone with a medium fraction is as a foundation for road surfaces. The material can last for decades under strict conditions of high humidity and groundwater inaccessibility.
Sandstone fractions
In actuality, sandstone is just sand that has been permanently cemented. The material is well-liked in the domains of construction, landscaping, and ornamentation due to its diversity of forms and kinds.
The stone’s base determines the extent of its application, and as a result, its appearance may vary. The following materials can be used to make the base of sandstone:
Cementing agents include alumina, kaolin, rust, calcite, chalcedony, dolomite, carbonate, and other materials.
Crucial! The mineral’s specific physical and chemical makeup may determine other characteristics that limit its range of uses.
Grain size classification
Sandstone stone cannot be divided by fractions. The mineral is now essentially classified as a finishing material rather than a building material. The size of the sand grains used to form the stone determines the classification of size. It should be mentioned that this feature raises several contentious scenarios because it could mean that one fraction is heterogeneous and has been "collected" from sand that has been mined from different sources and sizes. But this characteristic indicates that sandstone stone is divided into three groups:
- Fine-grained – obtained from the smallest grains of sand, the size of which is no more than 0.1 mm.
- Fine-grained – collected from sand, 0.2-1.0 mm in size.
- Coarse-grained – grains of sand larger than 1 mm.
The aforementioned fractions of sand grains serve as the basis for strength, thermal conductivity, frost resistance, and other classification characteristics. A stone that is smaller in size will have fewer gaps in between it, making it stronger but also colder and more prone to defrosting.
Scope of application
Sandstone stone was utilized as a building material in the past. Certain varieties of it have a lengthy lifespan. The Sphinx statue and the Egyptian pyramids, which date back several millennia, are two examples of this.
Other lighter and more dependable rocks are preferred in the construction industry today, and the mineral is hardly used at all. Nonetheless, sandstone is still one of the most widely used materials in terms of decoration. This is because of its ubiquity and wide range of aesthetic and physical attributes.
Stone boot, dimensions
Big stones are referred to as irregularly shaped and natural material fragments. They are typically identified by their uneven facial forms, as well as a range of dimensions and characteristics that vary according to their origin and chemical and physical makeup.
The content of the GOST 4001-2013 regulation, which refers to this kind of crushed stone as wall stone, determines the classification and extent of application. In this case, fractional division is not used. Here, an alternative, unique quality listed in P is applied. splitting the three of the aforementioned standards into two groups:
- Volumetric, divided into 2 groups: Dimensional facing – intended for laying external walls and differing in a certain surface texture. Measured ordinary – having different shapes and used for laying internal walls.
- Tiled, made in the form of slabs or strips with edges cut off or chipped off on one side. They are classified into processed and unprocessed (natural).
The walls of unheated buildings, fences, hydraulic structures, foundation arrangement, and building foundations are all constructed with rubble stone.
There are many uses for crushed stone in landscaping and construction, making it a useful material. Its different types, which are divided into groups based on size, shape, and composition, suit a range of applications, from building roads to creating ornamental garden paths.
Crushed stone offers a sturdy, stable foundation for road construction that guarantees longevity. It is a necessary element of contemporary construction since its use in concrete mixes gives infrastructure and buildings more strength and stability.
Crushed stone is useful in landscaping projects as well, as it has both practical and decorative uses. It can improve the overall look of outdoor spaces, build lovely walkways, and offer practical drainage solutions.
Comprehending the categorization and utilization of crushed stone aids in the appropriate selection of the material for every project, guaranteeing maximum efficiency and economical viability. Crushed stone is still an essential component in the construction industry, whether it is being used for a large-scale project or a small-scale home renovation project.