Indian Granite Quarries- Geographical Distribution

India ranks second in terms of granite production in the world, with annual production amounting to 130 million tons. India exports granite to countries like the USA, China, Italy, and the UAE, and the total revenue from annual exports is about $5 billion. In the year 2023, the country remained the top exporter of granite or any other natural stone, especially to its established markets in China, the USA, and Japan, and with rising exports to the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

At the state level, the industry is mostly in control of Karnataka, Rajasthan and Gujarat with Karnataka alone estimated to contribute around 20% of the total granite production in the country. Other notable subregions mentioned above are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, which each contributes different types of granite, selling in the regional and international markets. As time goes by and India continues to develop its granite sector, the trend in premium stones will continue with the demand for Black Galaxy, Kashmir White, and Tan Brown.

What is a Quarry?

A quarry is a specific type of opencast mine from which useful minerals (also known as rocks) and stones such as granite, marble, limestone, or sandstone are extracted. Unlike underground mining, quarrying is the gaining of materials from the surface, which are then constructed, beautified or utilized in some forms. Quarries are often equipped with massive devices like bulldozers, excavators, and crushers to extract, crush, and mix the rocks.

The granite quarry in southern Indian states, particularly Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, is renowned for producing high-quality granite for applications like monuments, countertops, and buildings. Various orders of granite are being obtained for applications such as monuments, countertops, and buildings. The quarrying method includes the phases of drilling, blasting, and breaking the larger stone into sections for ease of transport.

Granite-Producing Regions in India

Southern India: The Heart of Granite Production

India’s primary granite-producing states include the southern states, most notably Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. Tamil Nadu has also gained an international reputation for the abundantly available natural granite like black, blue, and red granites, which are favoured by the internal market as well. Karnataka is famous for the tan brown granite that is primarily used for residential and commercial buildings. The state of Andhra Pradesh has a variety of lighter-colour granites, while the quarries in Telangana are mainly focused on dredging out dark-colour shades of granite.

Rajasthan: The Land of Beige and Pink Granite

Rajasthan, situated in northern India, possesses some of the finest granite quarries around the globe especially the beige and pink granites which are the most popular. These granites are usually cut and refined into slabs to be used as countertops, and tiles among other decorative functions. The granite quarries of Rajasthan have proved to be of great significance in providing stones of better quality for the export business.

Western India: A Hub for Ornamental and Decorative Granites

Although they are most famous for marble deposits, Gujarat and Maharashtra have granite stone quarries too. The quarries found in Gujarat mainly extract ornamental granite used for various decoration purposes. Among other types, granite, with a distinctive texture that has artistic and construction uses, is quarried and exported by modern operators in Maharashtra today.

Eastern India: Gaining Ground in Granite Production

Granite production is gaining pace in states like West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand. Though these states may not yet match the volume of granite production in southern states, they are starting to make an impression with darker shades like black granite and green granite. The younger generation is more widely using these in construction works and architectural designs.