Black stone chips: uses and availability

Black stone chips or crushed stone chips or angular rock is a type of construction aggragate. It is a relatively cheap but an extremely valuable resource. It is generally produced by mining a specific rock deposit and then obtaining the required size by crushing these rock deposits under machines like stone crushers. It must not be mistaken with gravel since gravel is produced by a rather natural process called weathering or even erosion, in which bigger rocks are broken into smaller pieces by the action of wind, water etc. where as stone chips are created artificially, in specific sizes according to use. 

• Crushed stone chips can be very versatile and have a variety of uses from construction of buildings and roads to the building of pavements. It is even used for decorating landscapes. 

• Building of roads with a technique where the strength of the road depends on the interlocking of crushed stones is called macadam. Black stone chips are often used in the building of roads by mixing them with a binder. 

• Black stones are very commonly used as construction aggregate. It is created by using it as a flux in blast furnaces and then creating the slag which is later cooled and turned into stone that is crushed and then used as construction aggregate.

• Black stones are also used for decorating landscapes, by placing them around trees, in garden pavements and many more. 

• As a mineral mulch its benefits include erosion control, water conservation, weed suppression, and aesthetic qualities. It is often seen used in rock gardens and cactus gardens. 

Grades of black stone chips: While buying black stone chips it is important to understand what the different grade stones mean. The different grades or sizes associated with the black stone chips are labelled on the basis of whatever size they are crushed into. It helps you determine which size of the black stone chips is the most suitable for your project. Some companies even mention the specific applications for particular grades of black stone chips. For example, the crushed stone chips includes one inch or smaller sizes are best suited for roads and paver base where as sizes between 3/8 and ½ are best stones for concrete mixes.

The availability of the black stone chips: The crushed stone is definitely the high volume, low cost commodity. According to statistical data, USA sold 1.76 billion times of crushed stone. The availability of raw material is abundant in some areas. The production cost depends on some few factory. A major factor in cost of the crushed stones is the transportation. The product is demanded in bulk and thus the transportation cost can be pretty high. 

Black stone chips are mainly marketed on local markets due to its high transportation cost. But growing the fast pace of developing world, it is now easier to ship these materials to required places. There are many black stone chips exporters in India, USA etc. While choosing your supplier online, make sure to check the grade of black stone chips and order according to your project's requirements.

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