The UK’s marine aggregate industry provides around 13 million tonnes of sand and gravel each year for construction uses in the UK and a further 6 - 7 million tonnes for similar uses by our European neighbours. Its origins and characteristics are generally identical to high-quality sand and gravel from land quarries and end-uses are no different.
While most is used in the manufacture of concrete, marine aggregate is also a key ingredient in various concrete products, including building blocks, pipes and paving, for general building purposes, for drainage and fill, and also in some industrial applications. The quality of marine aggregate is assured by a series of European standards, the most significant of which is BS EN 12620 concerning the use of aggregates for concrete.
The greatest construction demand is for sand and for the finer grades of gravel. Any oversize gravel is usually crushed before being re-screened. Projects in which marine aggregate has played a key role include Canary Wharf, The Channel Tunnel Rail Link, the Bluewater shopping complex, the Cardiff Bay Barrage, No1 Court Wimbledon, the Second Severn Crossing, Heathrow Terminal 5, Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and the Paradise regeneration project in Liverpool.
Case study
Marine aggregates are set to play a pivotal role in the £3 billion worth of construction that is needed for the 2012 London Olympics and in the wider regeneration of the Thames Gateway stretching 40-miles to the east on the capital. The area is a national priority for regeneration and has been earmarked for 128,000 new homes and 232,000 additional jobs by 2016. Marine wharves along the Thames mean that sand and gravel can be delivered close to where it is required, with minimal lorry transport.
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Information sheets providing technical information on the use of marine aggregates in concrete and the use of marine sand in building are available here:
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