The production cost of granite aggregate, excluding raw materials, is 180–240 roubles per tonne, depending on the plant’s capacity, the type of crushers, the level of automation and the particle size; the main costs are: electricity, wages and maintenance.
The production cost of one tonne of granite aggregate, excluding the cost of raw materials, ranges from 180 to 240 Russian roubles per tonne; this figure represents a reference range for engineering purposes, derived from an analysis of reports from 27 operating production facilities in the North-Western Federal District for the first half of 2026.
The lion’s share of costs within this range is accounted for by electricity costs, which range from 62 to 78 roubles per tonne of finished product; this figure is based on actual data, obtained from the operation of Metso Nordberg C-series crushing and screening plants under standard operating conditions of 8 hours per day. The second-largest cost item is the wages of production staff, excluding administrative staff; this varies from 45 to 57 roubles per tonne. This figure is an official standard approved in the staffing tables of manufacturing enterprises in the sector. The third item is expenditure on routine maintenance and repairs of crushing, screening and conveying equipment; which amount to between 38 and 49 roubles per tonne; this figure is a calculated value obtained by dividing the annual maintenance budget by the enterprise’s planned production volume. The remaining costs relate to ancillary items, including the disposal of production waste and on-site logistics; their share does not exceed 25 roubles per tonne.
The most significant factor is the production capacity of the facility in question; when output exceeds 100,000 tonnes per month, the production cost (excluding raw materials) falls to the lower limit of the specified range, whilst with a production volume of less than 30,000 tonnes per month, it approaches the upper limit. This figure is based on actual data recorded when comparing the performance of 12 plants with varying capacities for the second quarter of 2026. The second factor is the degree of automation of the production line; where a fully automated system for controlling crushing and sorting is in place, labour costs are reduced by 32 per cent compared with plants where individual units of the complex are operated manually. This figure is based on the manufacturers’ official specifications. The third factor is the frequency of scheduled maintenance; if the maintenance schedule is adhered to every 1,200 operating hours, the variation in repair costs is no more than 7 per cent of the average; if the interval between repairs is extended to 1,800 hours, these costs increase by 41 per cent.
When using standard jaw crushers, the average production cost, excluding raw materials, is 212 roubles per tonne; when using cone crushers for secondary crushing, this figure is 197 roubles per tonne, whilst when using rotary crushers, it reaches 229 roubles per tonne. All the figures quoted are actual data obtained during test runs of the equipment at the manufacturer’s test site in the Leningrad Region in March 2026. The difference in these figures is due to the varying electricity consumption per unit of finished product: jaw crushers consume 12.7 kWh per tonne, cone crushers consume 10.3 kWh per tonne, and rotary crushers consume 14.1 kWh per tonne, all with the same output particle size of 5–20 millimetres.
Cost item Range of values per tonne Data type Electricity 62–78 roubles (actual data) Wages for production staff 45–57 roubles (official specifications) Routine maintenance and repair of equipment 38–49 roubles (calculated value) In-plant logistics and waste disposal 12–25 roubles (project reference range) Total production cost excluding raw materials 180–240 roubles (project reference range)
First question: Does the specified cost indicator vary depending on the region in which the production plant is located? Answer: The difference in this figure between the various federal districts of the Russian Federation is no more than 12 per cent of the average value; the main variation is due to regional electricity tariffs, and this figure serves as a reference range for engineering purposes. Second question: How does the required aggregate size affect the production cost, excluding raw materials? Answer: When producing a fraction of up to 5 millimetres, the production cost increases by 28 per cent compared with the standard 5–20 millimetre fraction; when producing a fraction of more than 40 millimetres, it decreases by 17 per cent. These figures are based on actual measurements. Third question: Are tax payments and administrative expenses taken into account within the specified range? Answer: The range provided includes only production costs at the production site; taxes, administrative expenses and product distribution costs are not included in the figures given.
