Sand, Gravel & Crushed Rock
Lovie operate four sand and gravel quarries and a hard rock quarry.
Cottonhill Quarry
Cottonhill is our hard rock quarry located one mile East of Macduff. Here we blast and crush to produce a wide range of products including crushed rock hardcore, Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 sub-base, single size aggregates, crusher dust and armour stone. Also available are decorative products such as dykestone and rockery stone. At Cottonhill, we stock products from our other quarries such as washed building sand, concrete sand, 14mm aggregate and blockmix.What is Type 1 Sub-base?
Type 1 sub-base is a product made to a specific standard required by, among others, the Ministry of Transport for building the foundations of roads. As you can imagine, there are enormous strains and stresses imposed on roads and motorways. Therefore, a high quality material that won't subside is required. However, it's not only large-scale construction such as motorways that require Type 1 sub-base. Smaller jobs, such as driveways, also require quality materials to ensure a quality result.Howe of Byth Quarry
Howe of Byth is situated midway between Fraserburgh and Macduff on the A98 next to our main office at Cowbog. Here, all our gravel is processed through a washing plant which includes a scrubber-mill.What does a scrubber-mill do?
A scrubber-mill works by tumbling and "scrubbing" all the gravel, together with water. This process is intensely thorough in washing the sand and breaking up any lumps of clay that would otherwise end up in the product.What are the benefits of having clean sand and gravel?
The benefit of having clean stone is that it makes better, stronger concrete. Also, if it is being used as a drainage medium, your drains are clean from the start, whereas, if unwashed aggregate is used, your drains are partially clogged from the beginning.Does every quarry wash their sand and gravel?
Not every quarry produces to these high standards. Some quarries only rinse their products by means of spray bars on a screen. This is nowhere near as effective as a scrubber-mill as it doesn't break up all the lumps, meaning they will come out amongst the aggregate and also, unless they then process the sand correctly, all the silt and clay that is rinsed off the stones ends up in the sand.Also available at Howe of Byth is washed building sand, Type 1 sub-base and hardcore imported from our other quarries.
Blackhills Quarry
Blackhills Quarry is situated approximately 5 miles South West of Fraserburgh, near the village of Tyrie, off the A98. Here we produce one of the best building sands in Scotland along with other specialist sands. Our building sand is washed through a hydro-cyclone plant which is widely regarded as the best washing plant available.What are the benefits of using washed building sand?
Some of the many benefits include better workability, ie. because the clay is washed out, the sand is less sticky, it improves the performance of the mortar by making it effectively stronger (because of the reduced water demand) and it will adhere better to walls when being used as a plastering sand.Manufactured at Blackhills Quarry are our Specialist Sands for sports pitches, bowling greens, golf courses, etc. For additional information please click [here]
