Sand and stone chips — the volume-bulk of every m³ of concrete.
sand & aggregates prices in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, sourced from dealer networks and leading online marketplaces. Ranges reflect the spread between authorised-dealer bulk rates and retail single-unit rates. Prices are 6 % above the 50-city national average — a transport/logistics premium drives the spread against quarry-proximate cities.
| Item | Unit | Price in Chennai |
|---|---|---|
| River Sand | per tonne | ₹2,700 ₹2,400–3,000 (dealer-to-retail) |
| M-Sand (Manufactured) | per tonne | ₹1,350 ₹1,200–1,500 (dealer-to-retail) |
| Plastering Sand (P-Sand) | per tonne | ₹1,600 ₹1,400–1,800 (dealer-to-retail) |
| Coarse Aggregate 20mm | per tonne | ₹1,652 ₹1,416–1,888 (dealer-to-retail) |
| Coarse Aggregate 40mm | per tonne | ₹1,534 ₹1,298–1,770 (dealer-to-retail) |
| Stone Dust / Crusher Dust | per tonne | ₹885 ₹708–1,062 (dealer-to-retail) |
| Coarse Aggregate 10mm10mm stone· inferred from brand premium | per tonne | ₹1,685 ₹1,444–1,926 (dealer-to-retail) |
| Boulder Soling (40mm+)40mm+· inferred from brand premium | per tonne | ₹1,350 ₹1,142–1,558 (dealer-to-retail) |
| Graded Sub-Base (GSB)GSB Grade 1· inferred from brand premium | per tonne | ₹1,304 ₹1,103–1,505 (dealer-to-retail) |
| Stone Chips 6mm6mm· inferred from brand premium | per tonne | ₹1,735 ₹1,487–1,982 (dealer-to-retail) |
| Kadappa Aggregatepolished· inferred from brand premium | per tonne | ₹1,983 ₹1,699–2,266 (dealer-to-retail) |
Supply. Chennai pulls cement from the Ariyalur limestone belt (Dalmia, Ramco, Chettinad — under 250 km), TMT from local and Trichy/Salem mills, and aggregate from quarries around Gummidipoondi and Tiruvallur. For sand & aggregates specifically, this places Chennai on the higher side of the national cost band — the page's table reflects 6 % above the 50-city national average.
What moves the local price. the Tamil Nadu river-sand mining ban is among India's strictest, so virtually all fine aggregate is M-sand or imported river sand from Andhra, keeping sand rates elevated; cyclone-season (Oct–Dec) logistics disruption and port-led industrial demand add periodic volatility.
Buyer takeaway. cement is well-priced because of the nearby Ariyalur cluster, but sand is a structural cost headache — budget M-sand at a 25–40% premium over river sand and confirm IS 383 compliance, since low-grade M-sand is common in the unorganised market. Cross-check the sand & aggregates ranges in the table above against a live local quote before raising a purchase order — the spread between bulk-dealer and retail rates in Chennai, Tamil Nadu is wider than the table's midpoint suggests.
Fine and coarse aggregates per IS 383:2016 together occupy 60-75 % of the volume of concrete. Fine aggregate (sand) is either river sand (natural) or manufactured sand (M-sand, produced by crushing stone). Coarse aggregates are graded stone chips — 10 mm, 20 mm, and 40 mm nominal sizes are standard. For a typical M20 mix, each m³ of concrete needs ~0.45 m³ of sand and ~0.9 m³ of 20 mm coarse aggregate. Quality matters: silt content, water absorption, flakiness, and grading all feed into mix design per IS 10262. Most Indian cities have banned mechanised river-sand extraction since 2013-2016, making M-sand the default for RCC.
Aggregate prices in India vary wildly by proximity to a quarry — coastal and hilly cities pay 2-3× the quarry-gate price due to transport. M-sand has overtaken river sand as the default in south India since 2020; north India and east India still lean on river sand where legally extracted. 2024-25 saw ~8-12 % price rise on diesel cost inflation and stricter mining enforcement. Kerala and the north-east remain the most expensive regions due to haul distance.
Week-by-week sand & aggregates price charts for Chennai will appear here once our weekly price tracker accumulates 4+ weeks of snapshots. Subscribe to the InfraLens WhatsApp channel to be notified.
Compare sand & aggregates prices in Chennai with other Indian metros. Prices shown are for Coarse Aggregate 20mm (per tonne) — a representative benchmark for the category. Click any city for the full 11-item price list.
Sand & Aggregates quality and manufacturing in India is governed by the following Indian Standards. Click any code for the full specification with extracted clauses, tables, and reference values.
IS 383:2016: Coarse and fine aggregate for concrete. IS 2386:1963: Methods of test for aggregates (part 1-8).