Login
Mineral resources of Poland> Rock raw materials and others> Foundry sands
English SelectedChange language to Polish
  
    2022     
    2021     
    2020     
    2019     
    2018     
    2017     
    2016     
    2015     
    2014     
    2013     
    2012     

Foundry sands

Foundry sands are the basic raw material for making moulds and cores used in metal casting. The sands have to be characterized by high sintering temperatures as the sintering temperature required for making cast steel is 1,400°C, for cast iron – 1,350°C, and for non-ferrous casting alloys - 1,200°C. Two kinds of foundry sands are differentiated on the basis of content of cement and carbonates: pure quartz sands and natural foundry sands. Deposits of foundry sands are situated mainly in central and southern parts of Poland and usually have the form of sand sheet deposits. The sand deposits range in age from the Quaternary and Tertiary to Cretaceous and even Jurassic and Triassic.

In the vicinities of Częstochowa (map), small natural foundry sand deposits of varying thickness represent infills of karst forms developed in Upper Jurassic limestones. Foundry sand deposits from the area between Gorzów Śląski and Żarki are represented by fine- to medium-grained sands and sandstones of the Lower Jurassic age. In turn, weakly cemented sandstones or locally loose sands of the Middle Jurassic age form foundry sand deposits found in the vicinities of Szydłowiec, Wąchock, Skarżysko-Kamienna and Jagodna as well as Opoczno and Iłża.

Cretaceous deposits of foundry sands are known mainly from the Tomaszów Basin (central Poland) where they cooccur with those of glass sands as well as from the Bolesławiec Basin and vicinities of Krzeszówek in the Lower Silesian region. Foundry sand deposits formed of Tertiary sands deposited in land environments occur in the Konin area, at the margin of the Holy Cross Mts and in Pomerania, and those formed of Tertiary sands of marine origin – in the Lublin Upland. Foundry sand deposits of the Quaternary age occur in the northern Poland and are formed of sands of dune fields or fluvioglacial terrace accumulations.

Raw material from some deposits of foundry sands may also find other uses. Pure quartz sands are used also in glass industry and sometimes in construction and road building.

Anticipated economic resources amounted to 292.85 million tonnes in 2014 and decreased by 1.69 million tonnes in comparison with the previous year. The drop was due to the exploitation.

Anticipated economic resources of exploited deposits are equal 37.85 million tonnes accounting for 12.9 % of total anticipated economic resources.

The table below shows resources and the state of development and exploration of foundry sands in Poland.

Economic resources increased – despite the exploitation and losses – by 2.07 million tonnes in comparison with 2013 mainly due to the new calculation of resources within deposit development plan accepted for Grudzeń-Las deposit (the resources increased by 3.48 million tonnes).

In 2014 production of foundry sands was equal 1.353 million tonnes, increasing by 42 thousand tonnes.

The figure given below shows changes in domestic resources and production of foundry sands in Poland in the years 1989-2014.

Prepared by: Agnieszka Malon