GR AN IT E

Indian Minerals
Yearbook 2019
(Part- III : Mineral Reviews)

57th Edition

MINOR MINERALS
30.11 GRANITE
(ADVANCE RELEASE)

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF MINES
INDIAN BUREAU OF MINES

Indira Bhavan, Civil Lines,

NAGPUR – 440 001

PHONE/FAX NO. (0712) 2565471

PBX : (0712) 2562649, 2560544, 2560648
E-MAIL : [email protected]
Website: www.ibm.gov.in

July, 2021

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30-11 Granite
metres (about 99%) fall under Remaining Resources
G ranite technically refers to a light-coloured
granulose plutonic rock composed of felspars, category.
plagioclase, quartz (35% approx.) and minor amounts Of the total granite reserves, about 36 million cubic
of mafic minerals (45% approx.), such as, biotite, metres of all grades fall under Proved category while
hornblende, pyroxene, iron oxides, etc. But, in 228 million cubic metres fall under Probable category.
commercial parlance, the term granite has become
Statewise break-up of total resources reveals that
synonymous with all those crystalline rocks which
Karnataka & Rajasthan share about 20% each of the
have pleasing colours, strength to bear the processes
resources which are followed by Jharkhand (19%),
of quarrying and cutting & polishing and which are
Gujarat (18%), Andhra Pradesh (5%) and Madhya
used commonly for decorative purposes. Being more
Pradesh & Odisha (4% each). These States together
resistant to wear and tear as well as weathering,
account for 90% of the total resources. Gradewise
granite is most sought-after stone to be used as
classification reveals that about 7% of the total
building as well as decorative stone. The fascination
resources fall under Black granite while 92% under
for granite is due to its amenability for taking mirror-
Coloured granite. About 1% resources are of
like polish, high compressive strength, longevity and
Unclassified grade.
aesthetics. India possesses enormous deposits of
all types of dimension stones and is considered as Th e det ail s of Reserves/ Resources as on
one of the prominent producers of dimension stones 1.4.2015 are furnished in Table-1.
in the world. The Dimension Stone Industry employs
a workforce of over one million at its various sectors
EXPLORATION & DEVELOPMENT
in the country. This Industry plays a vital role in the The exploration & development details, if any,
economy of the States like Tamil Nadu, Andhra are covered in the Review on Exploration &
Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Rajasthan. Development under "General Reviews".
Granite Industry is valued at $40 billion and has a
potential to generate semi-skilled employment, PRODUCTION
especially in rural areas. The granite being building stone comes under
Within the country, granite used for decorative 'Minor Mineral' as defined in Clause (e) of Section 3
purposes is considered costly when compared of MM(DR) Act,1957, hence the producers report
with other materials, hence, its utilisation and the production data directly to the respective States
trade in the domestic front has been relatively low and not to IBM. However, efforts were made to collect
when compared to its export potential. this information through correspondence with the
State Directorates of Mining and Geology of
RESERVES/RESOURCES individual States or visiting their websites. But data
India is endowed with abundant resources of of only a few States could be collected. All possible
wide variety of granite comprising over 200 shades. information/data that could be gathered has been
As per NMI data, based on UNFC system (as on presented in this Review.
1.4.2015) reserves/resources of granite dimension Major production of granite in raw as well as
stone of all types have been estimated at 46,320 processed form is generally from Andhra Pradesh,
million cubic metres. Of these resources, 264 million Telangana, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and
cubic metres (less than 1%) fall under Reserves Gujarat. Statewise production of granite during
category, while the remaining 46,056 million cubic 2017-18 to 2019-20 is furnished in Table-2.

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 Table – 1 : Reserves/Resources of Granite (Dimension Stone) as on 1.4.2015
(By Grades/States)
(In thousand' cubic metres)

Grade/State Reserves Remaining Resources

Tota l
Proved Probable Tota l Feasibility Pre-feasibility Measured Indicated Inferred Reconnaissance Tota l resources
STD111 (A) STD211 STD331 STD332 STD333 STD334 (B) (A+B)
STD121 STD122 STD221 STD222

All India : Total 357 41 201 377 265 74 263 692 384 62 519 90 82 34 837 325 2063964 42543908 512 216 46056098 46319790
By Grades
Black Granite 69 36 60 60 39 09 169 06 - 456 90 1 509 34 466 039 2572581 235 38 3158783 3175688
Coloured Granite 288 05 195 316 226 65 246 786 384 62 63 00 82 33 786 391 1276125 39843847 448 438 42407795 42654581
Unclassified - - - - - - - - 321 800 127 481 402 40 489 521 489 521

By States
Andhra Pradesh - - - - - - - - - 2360396 - 2360396 2360396
Assam - - - - - - - - 80 0 583 150 - 583 950 583 950
Bihar - - - - - - - - 179 000 698 612 - 877 612 877 612
Chhattisgarh - - - - - - - - - 500 57 - 500 57 500 57

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Gujarat - - - - - - - - - 8501947 - 8501947 8501947

Haryana - - - - - - - - - 340 00 - 340 00 340 00
Jammu & Kashmir - - - - - - - - - 445 70 400 00 845 70 845 70
Jharkhand - - - - - - - - 651 300 8197110 269 30 8875340 8875340
Karnataka 263 63 193 89 218 36 675 87 - - - 23 8 1231625 8012784 256 59 9270306 9337893
Kerala 14 0 - - 14 0 - - - - 99 25 70 - 26 69 28 08
Madhya Pradesh - 16 0 - 16 0 - - - - - 1885924 108 000 1993924 1994084
Maharashtra - - - - - 63 00 - 486 925 - 665 622 - 1158847 1158847
Meghalaya - - - - - - - - - - 286 467 286 467 286 467
Odisha - 800 00 - 800 00 - - - 330 328 - 1432492 51 60 1767980 1847980
Rajasthan 55 81 100 380 45 00 110 461 384 62 - - - - 9021742 200 00 9080204 9190665
Tamil Nadu - 14 48 23 8 16 86 - 456 90 82 34 7 - 503 818 - 557 749 559 435
Telangana - - - - - - - - - 454 94 - 454 94 454 94
Uttar Pradesh - - - - - - - - - 494 819 - 494 819 494 819
West Bengal 36 58 - - 36 58 - - - 198 27 11 40 88 02 - 297 68 334 26
Fig ures rou nd ed o ff.
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Table-2: Statewise Production of Crude granites are utilised for structural purpose
Black/Coloured Granite after little dressing & sizing, whereas processed
(In cu. m)
granites are used mostly in the construction of
Year buildings and monuments and for interiors and
State
2 01 7 -1 8 2 01 8 -1 9 2 01 9 -2 0 exterior facing. Granites, because of its superior wear
#
resistance and non-denting quality are used as parts
Rajasthan 30 90 75 8 56 12 00 0 56 65 00 0
i n va r i ous m et eor ol ogi ca l a nd en gi n eeri n g
Telangana 11 95 89 9 11 09 74 3 11 43 63 3
instruments, such as, surface plates, straight edges,
Andhra Pradesh 11 46 65 6 12 26 95 8 14 98 69 5
parallels, cubes, V' blocks and work-mounting
Gujarat# 4 6 56 4 8 5 3 79 6 5 -
tables of co-ordinate measuring machines.
Karnataka @ 462 02 395 32 421 30
Kerala*# 15 64 10 00 - The surface plates are used as flat datum
Goa ** 4 1 94 0 0 4 1 72 4 2 - surfa ce wh en ever pr ecise m ea sur em en t s of
Source: As received from State DGMs and their websites. dimensions and geometrical relationships are to be
Note : " - " NA carried out. For this purpose, harder varieties of
# Quantity in tonnes granite are preferred as they can bear the high-degree
@ Karnataka also produced green granite about 11908 cu. m of grinding, polishing and calibration required for
during 2018-19 & 14728 cu. m during 2019-20 achieving flat surfaces. For its use as surface plates,
* Dimension stone granites should have properties, such as, close grain
** Basalt size, homogeneity, high density & hardness, uniform
colour, low moisture absorption and should be free
USES & SPECIFICATIONS
from flaws.
Uses
Specifications
Granite is the most sought-after among all
The properties of granite which are normally
building stones. In ancient times, granite pillars and
valued for exploitation are compressive strength,
beams were a preferred material to support the huge
tensile strength, density, p-wave velocity, etc. For
structures of temples and palaces and for making
marketability, other requirements like colour, texture,
protective walls around them. With the invention of
gran ularit y, size, water absorption, porosity,
modern tools of greater hardness and polishing
hardness, moisture content, etc. are also essential.
ability, the use of granite has rather increased on
Raw blocks should be free from normal defects like
account of it s a est het ic va lue. The m odern
fractures, joints, shears, hairline cracks, segregation,
motorised tools of tungsten carbide and brazed
veins, etc.
diamond have enabled the user to cut & polish
granite as per the specifications of the Building POLICY
Sector. Presently, cut and polished granite slabs of
Granite is a 'Minor Mineral' under the MM(DR)
20 mm thickness are preferred for flooring, while
Act, 1957. The grant of various mineral concessions
tiles of 10 or 12 mm thickness are used for cladding.
for granite is, therefore, administered under the Minor
In addition, gravestones and monuments of various
Mineral Concession Rules of the respective State
shapes and sizes are also in vogue. The flexibility of
Governments. However, the Granite Conservation and
the cutting tools has engendered creation of many
Development Rules, 1999 aims at uniform rules for
artifacts of granite for decorative purposes.
conservation, systematic development and scientific
Granite also finds its application in making exploitation of granite resources.
garden furniture, such as, benches, fountains and
many other articles which are used for landscaping
WORLD SCENARIO
and/or decorative purposes. The cut-to-size small The top five granite producing countries in
blocks are used as cobblestone, kerbstone, road descending order were China, Brazil, India, Saudi
sidings and for many other innovative purposes. Arabia and Italy.

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Currently, the USA is the world's biggest to this, residential remodelling activity is expected
consumer of granite and its demand is largely fulfilled to rise as home owners continue to opt for larger
by imports from Brazil, China and India. kitchens and multiple bathroom, expending the space
The European Union (EU) is one of the biggest devoted to countertops. A similar rate of growth in
markets for the worldwide Natural Stone Industry. exports can also be achieved with the help of suitable
India has also been one of the key players in the policy framework, infrastructure and other facilities
global export of natural stones, with substantial which the Industry expects to consolidate for
share in global exports. a ugmen ta ti on of pr ospect s. A wel l-pl a nn ed,
concerted and dedicated efforts are essentially
FUTURE OUTLOOK needed for promotion of Indian stones to galvanise
India possesses one of the best granite deposits their export prospects.
in the world having excellent varieties comprising There is a need to integrate environmental
over 200 shades. India accounts for over 20% of the concern and social & economic development of
world resources in granite. The total granite regions into mineral development programmes for
resources in India as on 1.4.2015 is estimated at achieving sustainable development. Granite mining
46,320 million cubic meters. adversely impacts the environment due to removal
The current environment for Granite Industry of top soil and overburden, which results in
remains challenging. There are multiple headwinds degradation of land. The recovery of saleable granite
like competition from engineered stone, closure of blocks is very low and the waste is mostly in the
granite quaries and change in demand trends. form of granite rocks having defects of colour, cracks,
Dimension stone market is said to grow at a fervent grain size etc. and these wastes could be used in
pace as the demand for granite, marble, sandstone manufacturing M-sands. The basic objective of
and other dimension stones and stone products is sustainable development in mining is to meet the
on the rise as the residential consumption and needs of the present without compromising the
privates pending on home are increasing. In addition ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

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