Make Money With Sand and Gravel: Starting a Quarry Business

Make Money With Sand and Gravel: Starting a Quarry Business

The following contribution is from another author.

Opening a sand and gravel quarry is a good bet for a business investment. Both materials have multiple uses, though their main market is in construction. The important thing is that the market wants more of it, especially when the country is going on a building spree.

But there is always a chance that you will fail. To avoid that, here are some tips on how to start your quarrying business properly.

Get the Right Equipment

Quarrying will require heavy equipment. This means everything from an excavator to get at the rock to an articulated hauler to take all of the materials for processing. Depending on the scale of your operation, getting John Deere excavators is a good foundation.

The question is how to pay for them. The most expensive option is paying for them in cold cash but if you don’t have an efficient amount to spent then you can also attempt to rent or lease the equipment from a utility construction companies, rather than buying it yourself. So that you don’t run out of capital quickly. This is also the best device for hauling the rock away. It is also the safest option.

Have a Plan

All businesses need a plan if they want to succeed and quarrying is an exception. Your business plan should outline your initial steps for the quarry, who your target market is, and what are your plans for the future. It also needs to have a projected budget for your quarry. This means you need to estimate your expenses and your potential earnings, so having a marketing strategy is very important.

These numbers are important because they are how you convince banks and investors to lend you money to begin your quarry. Iron it out and make it perfect before you even take the first steps.

Do Some Market Research

As part of your planning, you should be doing some market research. This will help refine your plans. Mainly, it will tell you the current condition of the market and whether selling sand and gravel as a middle-man is more profitable than actually running a quarry site. The current prices can reveal whether there is still room for your operations.

For example, high prices can be a sign that a low-cost option would be popular with people right now. This research should also look into your potential competition. A market populated with strong competitors can mean changes in your future strategy.

Acquire a Site

Finding a good quarry site is another essential step. You will want a location that can provide the sort of materials that you plan to sell. The type of rocks and stone at the location is important, so you’ll need to visit it. If you do want to put down a quarry there, you will need to decide on either buying the site completely for full access or only leasing it so you don’t have to spend too much money initially.

 

Quarrying for sand and gravel may not be as exciting as other businesses, but it is still very profitable. Both materials are in huge demand for construction purposes and supplying large amounts can earn you a large pile of money. As long as you remember the tips above, you can be sure that you are starting strong in the business.

Author

Eric is the creator of At Home in the Future and has been a passionate fan of the future since he was seven. He's a web developer by trade, and serves as the Director of Communication and Technology for a large church in Nashville, TN (where he and his family are building a high tech home in the woods).

3 comments

  • I’m wondering if a farmer could lease unarable land with an esker beneath (sand and gravel, terminal moraine from glacier) that is less than 3 acres. Would it be worth it to a mining operation to pull out the sand and gravel or not?

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