A total of 400 million tonnes of industrial minerals, aggregates and other manufactured mineral products were produced in the UK during 2018 generating more than £5.8 billion in gross value added.
Figures from the Mineral Products Association (MPA) industry also included industry turnover of £16bn and a further £597bn turnover in industries downstream.
The association also today called on the Government to confirm the industry as critical to the country’s infrastructure.
The MPA’s statistics published in Profile of the UK Mineral Products Industry reveal the sector to be the country’s biggest producer by volume, and four times that of energy minerals production.
The industry employs 81,000 people at more than 2,000 active sites and plants, and supports an additional 3.5 million jobs throughout the supply chain.
MPA chief executive Nigel Jackson said that the pandemic had emphasised the essential contribution minerals and mineral products made to the economy and quality of life.
“Now is the time for Government to respond to the industry’s proposals for a national statement of need to confirm the industry as critical to national infrastructure, ensuring its future is hard-wired into future ambitions for the built environment.
“Supply cannot be assumed – it needs planning, monitoring and managing.”
Mr Jackson added that too few people understood the UK’s needs for mineral products and the link between raw materials and manufactured products. These include aggregates for railways, asphalt for roads, mortar and concrete for buildings and infrastructure, armour stone for coastal defences, industrial lime for drinking water, industrial sand for glass and clays for ceramics.
The publication also reveals the diversity of the mineral products industry, the scale of their markets and their environmental and sustainability aspects.