Published on 8 January 2024

Mineral raw materials

Mineral raw materials such as gravel, sand, lime and clay are widely used in the construction industry. They are mined in Switzerland to a large extent. The Swiss Geological Survey compiles reports and geodata on the national supply situation with domestic raw materials for decision-makers and the public. 

Cornaux Quarry (NE) — © Georesources Switzerland Group

Many of the goods we use in our daily life are made from mineral resources, including raw materials for construction (gravel, sand, limestone, clay), metals and industrial minerals such as salt and gypsum. Sufficient quantities of some raw materials, such as construction raw materials, are available in Switzerland. Others, such as energy raw materials, metals and rare earths, have to be imported. The exploitation of mineral resources can have an impact on the landscape and society. This can result in conflicts, for example with nature, forest and landscape conservation, agriculture, groundwater and local or regional economic interests.

Since mineral resources are the product of natural geological processes, they are confined to their specific site of origin and are limited in space. They have formed in the course of the earth's history and do not regenerate during a timespan that we can imagine. It therefore makes sense to use raw materials sparingly and to reduce consumption where possible and sensible (use of secondary raw materials «Recycling»).

• Raw materials for the production of cement

  Cement plays a central role in the realisation of many construction and infrastructure projects. The cement raw materials are limestone and marl, which are found along the Jura Mountain chain between Geneva and Schaffhausen and in the northern and southern Alps.

  The six Swiss cement plants extract the raw materials from quarries and process them into cement within their facilities. The demand for cement in Switzerland is around 5 million tonnes per year. In 2019, 86% was covered by the Swiss cement industry.

  The expansion of existing quarries and the development of new ones is sometimes difficult because of conflicting interests. The long-term access to the required raw materials represents a major challenge in securing the national supply of cement.

• Hard rock for the national transport infrastructure

  Hard rock is used for the construction and the maintenance of the national transport infrastructure and is thus central to Switzerland's mobility. The hard rock used in Switzerland is mainly siliceous limestone and a particularly hard sandstone variety that meet the required criteria (in particular compressive strength, abrasion resistance and a high proportion of hard minerals). Suitable rock units are located mainly along the northern Alps between Lake Constance and Lake Geneva and, to a lesser extent, in southern Ticino.

  High-quality hard rock is mined and processed in eight locations throughout Switzerland, mainly for rail ballast and road pavement aggregates. The demand for hard rock averages 2.4 million tonnes per year, of which around 90% are covered by the Swiss hard rock industry (as of 2019).

  The national supply of domestic hard rock could decrease in the medium term, unless new raw material reserves are located and authorised. However, suitable deposits often conflict with landscape protection interests.

• Secondary raw materials

  The use of secondary raw materials from recycling sources allow the closing of material cycles, thereby reducing the consumption of primary raw materials. The federal government is committed to strengthening the circular economy. It also promotes the substitution of primary raw materials through the use of recyclable materials.

The role of the Swiss Geological Survey

The processe «Georesources» of the Swiss Geological Survey collects, compiles and updates data related to mineral resources and material flows in Switzerland. These activities are performed in collaboration with the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), the Georesources Switzerland Group (FGS) of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH), the Mineral Resources Network (NEROS), the cantons and industry. The resulting information is made available to the public as reports, thematic maps, geodata or databases.

Facts and figures regarding the current consumption and the status of Switzerland's supply of the relevant raw materials are presented on the swisstopo portal www.mat-min.ch and updated annually.

The Swiss Geological Survey is also involved in international projects under the direction of the EuroGeoSurveys (EGS) organization. These projects aim to characterize in particular the availability of critical raw materials (CRM) at the European level.

• Publications

  • Reports of the Swiss Geological Survey n° 18

    Raw material demand and supply of hard rock aggregates in Switzerland (in German)

    PDF37.62 MB13 December 2021

  • Reports of the Swiss Geological Survey n° 13

    Raw materials for the production of cement – demand and supply situation in Switzerland (in German)

    PDF20.71 MB31 December 2020

  • Reports of the Swiss Geological Survey n° 11

    Supply of non-energetic mineral resources of Switzerland (in German)

    PDF4.16 MB14 November 2017

  You can find further publications of the Swiss Geological Survey in the shop.

• Links

  • Raw materials portal swisstopo – www.mat-min.ch
  • Raw materials, waste and the circular economy – UFAM
  • Georesources Switzerland Group – FGS
  • Raw materials information system RIS
  • Network mineral resources Switzerland – NEROS
  • Mineral Resources Expert Group – EuroGeoSurveys