Quarries Industry Terminology

Aggregates

Granular materials such as crushed stone, sand, and gravel used in construction (concrete, asphalt, base, drainage). Classified by size, shape, and geology.

We supply ASTM C33 concrete aggregates in 3/4-inch and sand gradations.|Aggregates demand is up 8% with the highway funding bill.|This pit yields both coarse and fine aggregates for asphalt.

Air Overpressure (AOP)

Pressure wave in air generated by blasting; measured in decibels, regulated to prevent nuisance and damage (e.g., rattling windows).

Keep AOP below 128 dB(L) at the nearest dwelling.|Monitors showed AOP spikes during the 2:10 p.m. shot.|We adjusted stemming height to control AOP.

ASTM Standards

Specifications and test methods (e.g., C33, C136, C131) governing aggregate quality, gradation, durability, and sampling in North America.

We tested per ASTM C136 for sieve analysis.|Use ASTM C33 limits for concrete aggregates.|ASTM D75 sampling protocol applies to this stockpile.

Blast Pattern

The geometric layout of blastholes (burden, spacing, rows) and timing design used to fragment rock efficiently while controlling vibration and flyrock.

Tighten the burden to improve fragmentation.|We changed the pattern to a 2.8 m x 3.2 m burden/spacing.|Staggered pattern reduced vibration at the property line.

Bench

A step-like working level in a quarry; defined by height, width, and slope, providing access and stability for drilling, blasting, and loading.

We’ll drop the north bench by 10 meters this quarter.|Bench width must allow safe haul truck turning.|Scaling loose rock from the bench face is mandatory.

CAPEX (Capital Expenditure)

Funds used to acquire or upgrade long-term assets (plants, crushers, mobile fleet); evaluated via NPV, IRR, payback.

Primary crusher replacement is a $4M CAPEX project.|We prioritize CAPEX with <4-year payback.|Submitting the FY26 CAPEX request next week.

Crusher

Machine that reduces rock size via compression or impact (e.g., jaw, cone, impact). Key variables: feed, CSS, power draw, liner wear.

Switching to a cone crusher for secondary stage.|The jaw is down—liner changeout scheduled at 2 p.m.|Check crusher choke feed to improve product shape.

Crushing Circuit

Integrated arrangement of crushers, screens, conveyors, and feeders that produce target sizes and quality at a required throughput.

Add a pre-screen to unload the primary.|This circuit runs primary jaw, secondary cone, and two decks.|Bottleneck is the tertiary screen, not the crusher.

Cut-to-Fill

Earthworks method of balancing excavated (cut) material with fill requirements on site, used for roads, pads, and rehabilitation.

Use waste rock for cut-to-fill in haul road construction.|Balancing cut-to-fill reduces imported material costs.|The rehab plan specifies cut-to-fill for slope regrading.

Cycle Time

Total time to load, haul, dump, and return; key driver of production and cost per ton in load–haul operations.

Loader–truck cycle time averages 6.2 minutes.|Reduce dump wait to cut cycle time by 12%.|GPS dispatch cut cycle time during peak hours.

Drill and Blast

Primary rock breakage method involving drilling blastholes, charging with explosives, and detonating with a timing plan.

Tomorrow’s drill-and-blast targets 40,000 tonnes.|Wet holes require emulsion explosives.|QA/QC on drill logs improved blast outcomes.

Dust Suppression

Measures to control airborne dust (water sprays, foam, enclosures, surfactants), protecting health, visibility, and compliance.

Install fogging at the primary hopper.|Water trucks scheduled during dry, windy shifts.|Add surfactant to reduce PM10 at the crusher.

EBITDA

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization; a cash proxy used to compare operating performance and value businesses.

EBITDA margin improved 350 bps on higher ASP.|We track EBITDA/ton by site monthly.|Maintenance spend hit EBITDA this quarter.

EHS (Environment, Health and Safety)

Management of environmental compliance, worker health, and safety risks, policies, and performance metrics.

EHS audit flagged guarding on the conveyor tail.|Weekly toolbox talks are part of EHS culture.|EHS KPI: TRIR below 1.0.

Face (Quarry Face)

The exposed rock surface from which material is extracted; requires ground control, scaling, and safe access.

Keep 10 m exclusion zone at the face.|Geologist mapped joints along the face.|Scaling crew cleared the face post-blast.

Fragmentation

Size distribution of blasted rock; affects loading, crusher throughput, energy use, and product quality.

Fragmentation P80 improved from 380 mm to 250 mm.|Drone imagery helps assess post-blast fragmentation.|Finer fragmentation lowered crushing power draw.

Gradation

Distribution of particle sizes in aggregate; controlled by crushing/screening to meet specs (e.g., ASTM C33, EN 12620).

Sieve results show the 3/8” is out of gradation.|Adjust screen aperture to hit target gradation.|Blend stockpiles to correct the gradation curve.

Ground Control

Engineering practices to ensure stability of benches, highwalls, and slopes; includes design angles, drainage, monitoring, and scaling.

Install berms and drains for slope stability.|Slope radar monitors highwall movement.|Revised bench geometry per geotech model.

Haul Road

Internal road network for heavy equipment; designed for width, gradient, radius, drainage, and safety to minimize cycle times and accidents.

Grade haul roads to 8% max on curves.|Apply fines and water to reduce dust.|Sight lines and berms inspected each shift.

Highwall

The exposed rock wall at the edge of a pit/bench; requires monitoring and controls to mitigate rockfall and failure risks.

Do not work under the highwall without scaling.|Highwall angle reduced after rainfall.|Radar detected highwall displacement of 3 mm/day.

Hopper

Receptacle that receives dumped material and feeds the crusher or screen via controlled flow devices (grizzly, feeder).

Install rock box to reduce hopper wear.|Bridging at the hopper slowed the primary.|Level sensors prevent hopper overfill.

Incoterms

International trade terms (e.g., EXW, FOB, CIF) defining responsibilities, risk, and costs between seller and buyer.

Offer FOB for the armor stone export.|CIF includes ocean freight and insurance.|EXW quarry gate—customer handles transport.

ISO 9001

Quality management system standard emphasizing process control, documentation, and continuous improvement.

Our ISO 9001 audit is next month.|Documented procedures for sampling support ISO 9001.|Nonconformities require corrective actions per ISO.

Jaw Crusher

Primary compression crusher with fixed and moving jaws; reduces large run-of-mine rock to manageable sizes.

Close the CSS to 90 mm on the jaw.|The jaw handles the shot rock before the cone.|Toggle plate inspection is due.

Just-in-Time (JIT)

Inventory strategy that synchronizes production and deliveries to actual demand, minimizing on-hand inventory and working capital.

JIT deliveries cut our stockyard inventory by 30%.|JIT failed during the storm—add safety stock.|Coordinate JIT with the asphalt plant’s shift.

KPI (Key Performance Indicator)

Quantifiable metric to monitor performance (safety, quality, productivity, cost), enabling management and continuous improvement.

Primary uptime is a critical KPI.|We track cost/ton and fuel/ton as KPIs.|KPI dashboard updates every shift.

Liner Wear

Erosion of crusher wear surfaces (jaws, mantles, concaves); affects throughput, product size, and energy use; managed via monitoring and changeouts.

Measure cone liner wear weekly.|Worn liners hurt product shape and TPH.|Switch to a harder alloy to slow wear.

Load Ticket

Document (often digital) recording product, weight, customer, time, and truck details; basis for billing, compliance, and reconciliation.

Driver must leave with a printed load ticket.|Audit load tickets against weighbridge logs.|Electronic load tickets reduced errors.

Margin per Ton

Gross or contribution margin divided by tonnage sold; core unit economics metric for quarry profitability.

Mix shift increased margin/ton by $0.60.|Target margin/ton of $4.50 on base course.|Diesel spike compressed margin/ton.

Muckpile

The pile of blasted rock awaiting loading; its looseness and size distribution impact loading efficiency and crusher performance.

Loader penetration in the muckpile improved.|Overly compact muckpile slowed loading.|Fragmentation analysis done on the muckpile crest.

Noise Dosimetry

Measurement of workers’ noise exposure over time (TWA), ensuring compliance and hearing conservation.

Dosimeters showed exposure above 85 dBA TWA.|Issue double hearing protection near the primary.|Noise mapping informs our EHS plan.

NPV (Net Present Value)

Sum of discounted cash flows minus initial investment; standard method to evaluate long-term quarry projects.

The new plant has a positive NPV at 10%.|Sensitivity shows NPV drops with diesel +20%.|NPV compares CAPEX alternatives objectively.

OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness)

Composite metric = Availability × Performance × Quality; indicates how effectively equipment produces good output versus potential.

Primary OEE rose from 62% to 71%.|Loss tree shows most OEE loss is unplanned downtime.|Set OEE targets by shift.

Overburden

Soil and waste rock covering the deposit; removed and managed (stockpiled for reclamation or placed in spoil).

Strip 2 meters of overburden before drilling.|Overburden goes to the western spoil.|High stripping cost impacts unit cost.

Particle Size Distribution (PSD)

Quantitative description of sizes in a sample (by sieve analysis or imaging); critical to meeting specifications and controlling process.

PSD shifted coarse after the liner change.|Laser PSD confirms too much minus #200.|Tighten the circuit to correct PSD drift.

PPV (Peak Particle Velocity)

Maximum ground vibration speed from blasting, measured in mm/s or in/s; key compliance metric for blast-induced vibration.

Limit PPV to 5 mm/s at the nearest structure.|Seismo records show PPV within permit limits.|Reduce charge per delay to lower PPV.

Primary Crusher

First stage of comminution (often a jaw) that receives run-of-mine rock and reduces it to a size suitable for secondary crushing.

Primary sets the top size for the circuit.|Choke feed the primary for better throughput.|Install a rock breaker at the primary grizzly.

QA/QC

Quality assurance and quality control practices ensuring products meet specifications via procedures, sampling, testing, and corrective actions.

QA/QC failed—retest the #8 and #200 fractions.|Implement QA/QC checks at load-out.|QA/QC plans are required by DOT contracts.

Quarry Development Plan

Long-term plan detailing pit design, sequencing, production rates, infrastructure, and rehabilitation strategy.

The 5-year plan sequences the north benches first.|Update the plan for new reserves in Block C.|Permitting relies on the development plan.

Recovery Rate

Proportion of saleable product obtained from in-situ rock (by mass or volume); important in dimension stone and processing efficiency.

Block yield recovery is 28% for the marble.|Process recovery improved after the new screen.|Higher recovery lowers unit cost.

Reserves (Proven and Probable)

Economically mineable portion of a resource, considering geology, geotechnical, permitting, and economic factors (classified per reporting codes).

We have 22 years of proven reserves at current rates.|Upgrade resources to reserves after geotech and economics.|Reserve model underpins our CAPEX case.

ROM (Run-of-Mine)

Material as blasted and loaded from the pit before any processing; includes fines, oversize, and occasional waste.

ROM feeds the primary at 800 TPH.|Blend ROM from two faces to meet spec.|Keep ROM contamination below 1% topsoil.

Scaled Distance

Blasting design parameter relating charge weight per delay and distance to predict vibration. Typical form: SD = Distance / (Charge per delay)^0.5 (units consistent).

Use a scaled distance of 60 ft/√lb to meet PPV limits.|Increase timing to raise effective scaled distance.|Scaled distance modeling informed the shot size.

Screen Media

Surface material on screens (wire cloth, rubber, polyurethane) that separates particles by size; affects throughput and gradation.

Switch to polyurethane on the wet deck.|Wire cloth pegging caused the oversize surge.|Monitor screen media wear each shutdown.

Stockpile Management

Practices to build, store, and reclaim material to minimize segregation, contamination, and variability, ensuring consistent product.

Windrow the stockpile to reduce segregation.|Use a telescopic stacker for layered stacking.|Blend from multiple faces during reclaim.

Tonnage Factor

Conversion between volume and mass (t/m³ or t/yd³), reflecting bulk density of material in situ or loose condition.

Assume 1.6 t/m³ for blast rock in the estimate.|Survey volumes converted to tonnes via tonnage factor.|Moisture changed the tonnage factor slightly.

TPH (Tons Per Hour)

Throughput rate of a processing plant or equipment; primary productivity metric in quarry operations.

Target 650 TPH through the secondary.|TPH dropped—check screen blinding.|Add a feeder to stabilize TPH.

UCS (Uniaxial Compressive Strength)

Rock strength measured under uniaxial load; influences drilling, blasting energy, crusher selection, and wear.

Granite UCS is about 180 MPa here.|Higher UCS increased drilling cost.|Crusher settings adjusted for UCS variation.

Vibration Monitoring

Measurement of ground motion (PPV, frequency) and air overpressure at receptors to manage blasting impacts and compliance.

Deploy seismographs at three receptor points.|Real-time alerts trigger if vibration exceeds 4 mm/s.|Data supports our blast compliance reports.

Weighbridge

Truck scale used to determine load weights for billing, inventory, and compliance; integrated with load tickets and ERP.

Calibrate the weighbridge quarterly.|Gross–tare–net recorded on the ticket.|Queue time at the weighbridge affects cycle time.