The value of nonfuel mineral production for Illinois in 2001 was estimated to be $911 million, a marginal decrease from 2000. Increased sales of crushed stone, portland cement, and fuller's earth accounted for nearly all the increase in value.
Illinois was the nation's leading producer of industrial sand and gravel (4.43 million metric tons, worth $71.6 million) and tripoli, 4th in fuller's earth, 5th in production of crushed stone (78 million metric tons, worth $417 million) and peat, 9th in lime, and 10th in portland cement (2.94 million metric tons, worth $224 million). It was also a significant producer of construction sand and gravel (29.5 million metric tons, worth $130 million). Nationally, the state continued to rank 17th in nonfuel mineral production value in 2001.
Crushed stone, the state's leading nonfuel mineral commodity, accounted for about 47% of Illinois's nonfuel mineral value in 2001, followed by portland cement, which accounted for nearly 25%, and construction sand and gravel, 14%. Demand for construction aggregate increased significantly in 2001 as a result of projects undertaken by Illinois FIRST, a $12 billion five-year construction program authorized in 1999. Demand for high-quality aggregates grew thanks to the Illinois Coal Revival Initiative.
Until 1997, Illinois was the only state with reported fluorspar production. A combination of increased competition from foreign imports and a decrease in the use of chlorofluorocarbons (because of environmental concerns) has been mostly responsible for the decline in domestic production. Fluorspar had been mined commercially in Hardin County since 1870, and in 1996 the last two operating fluorspar mines in the US were closed (making it difficult to obtain fluorite, the state mineral).