The supply of the building materials industry in Germany for the production of ready-mix concrete, precast concrete elements and concrete products such as paving stones or patio slabs, for example, consumes over 140 million tonnes of high-quality sand and gravel each year.
Sand and gravel can be found in almost the whole of Germany, with deposits concentrated in the foothills of the Alps, the Upper Rhine, the North German Plain and, in particular, river valleys. Gravel is already frequently replaced by crushed natural stone in numerous applications.
According to the study “The demand for primary and secondary raw materials of the stone and earth industry until 2035 in Germany” published by the Federal Association of Building Materials – Stone and Earth (Bundesverband Baustoffe – Steine und Erden e. V.), the total demand for sand, gravel and natural stone in Germany will be between 504 and 535 million tonnes in 2025.
For 2035, the demand for primary raw materials such as sand, gravel and natural stone is forecast to be between 470 and 555 million tonnes. The study predicts a reduction in the substitution rate of primary raw materials by secondary raw materials when comparing 2016 with 2035.
