# Sand & gravel: Stocks

Plenty in the ground, but cities keep paving it over

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sand_gravel/stocks/

What this tab covers How much is left and how much is held. For minerals and energy: reserves, current output, years of supply and recycling for the top five countries. For farm commodities: production, ending stocks and stocks-to-use for the top five producers (USDA, October 2026). It also covers inventories and stockpiles.

#### Top five countries: reserves, output and years of supply

| Country | Reserves Mt (not quantified: controlled by land use and environmental rules) | Current output Mt (2025e) | Years of supply | Recycling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **United States** | – | 870 | – | n/a |

 USGS MCS 2026, Sand and Gravel (Construction). Years of supply = reserves ÷ current output; reserves grow as prices and technology change, so this is not a countdown.

#### Recycling

USGS publishes output only for the US, because other countries report sand and gravel inconsistently or not at all. World recycling: Krausmann et al. (2017) estimate that 37% of end-of-life non-metallic minerals are recycled but recycled material is only 11% of inputs to stocks (2010). The EU end-of-life recycling input rate for aggregates is 9% (EU CRM 2023). In the US, road surfaces are recycled in all 50 states but the recycled share of aggregate supply remains very small (USGS 2026).

USGS gives no reserve figure. Sand and gravel are plentiful worldwide, and reserves are set largely by land use and environmental rules, not geology. Zoning, permitting and urban sprawl are sterilising deposits near cities, pushing new pits further out. The in-use stock is enormous. Concrete and asphalt in roads and buildings hold most of it. All 50 US states recycle asphalt and concrete road surfaces. Even so, USGS says recycled material remained a very small share of aggregate supply in 2025. The EU puts end-of-life recycling input at 9% for aggregates.

#### Recycling
 End-of-life recycling input rate in the EU: 9% of demand met from post-consumer scrap (EU CRM study 2023).

Asphalt and concrete road surfaces were recycled in all 50 States in 2025, but recycled material remained a very small share of aggregate supply.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sand_gravel/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sand_gravel/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sand_gravel/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sand_gravel/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sand_gravel/production/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sand_gravel/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sand_gravel/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sand_gravel/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sand_gravel/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sand_gravel/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sand_gravel/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sand_gravel/links/index.md)