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 2010 Coal Cost Guide

Development Series
Number 4 Updated January 2007

The Cost of Driving Drifts and Ramps

Scott Stebbins
Aventurine Mine Cost Engineering, Inc.

Drifts and ramps provide the primary openings
through which most transport takes place in an
underground mine. They represent a significant
portion of the underground development cost and may
well contribute noticeably to production costs. To
provide an idea of the cost of these excavations, we
have designed a number of typical configurations
and estimated the associated costs. The following
table summarizes the results of these estimates in
terms of US dollars (2006) per foot of advance: Costs
were estimated using Aventurine Engineering, Inc.’s
(Aventurine), Sherpa Cost Estimating Software for
Underground Mines.

Development Costs
(US dollars per foot of advance)

Face Unsupported
Unsupported Unsupported Add for Add for Add for
Dimensions Untracked
Tracked Drift Ramp Rock Bolts Timber Sets Shotcrete
(w x h) Drift
6 ft. x 8 ft. $233.88 $277.53 $263.20 $25.48 $69.18 $29.53
8 ft. x 9 ft $283.88 $324.92 $321.88 $30.69 $80.30 $34.95
12 ft. x 10 ft $359.27 $430.26 $410.96 $37.90 $96.98 $42.02
15 ft. x 12 ft $442.31 $513.58 $506.96 $46.20 $116.45 $51.22
20 ft. x 15 ft. $609.61 $720.28 $700.16 $59.28 $146.04 $65.33

The project scenarios upon which these designs are
based represent on-going excavations encountered at
operating mines. They are not necessarily
representative of initial excavations, such as
exploration or primary access adits. Costs are not
included for items such as move-in and set-up, yard
preparation, support equipment installation, camp
facilities, design and engineering, or contractor profit.
Equipment
In our designed configurations, blast holes for
openings with face areas of less than 100 square feet
are provided by airleg drills. Jumbo=s equipped with
(an average of factors reported to us from operating
drifters drill the blastholes for the larger faces. In both
the ramps and the untracked drifts, development muck
is collected and transported using scoop trams. In
tracked drifts, muck is collected and loaded into rail
cars by overshot muckers. Diesel locomotives
transport the cars away from the active face to the
dump point. The costs of operating the necessary
ancillary equipment (such air compressors, auxiliary
fans, and pumps) are also included in the estimates.
Materials and Supplies
In our designs, high strength explosives are used for
all blasting. A powder factor of 1.68 pounds per ton
mines) is used for each opening. Under appropriate

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conditions less expensive blasting agents (such as
ANFO) can be used. In most cases this would result in
a reduction in the costs of the blasting supplies,
however, the use of bulk explosives is often
accompanied by an increase in the required powder
factor. Blasts are initiated with non-electric
millisecond delay caps. Where rockbolts are used for
support, our designs assume that the bolts are placed
on 4-foot centers and one steel mat is used for every
three bolts. In timbered drifts, sets are placed on 4-
foot centers and the drifts are not lagged. When
shotcrete is specified, a 6-inch-thick, unreinforced
layer is applied.
In the tracked drifts, a 6-inch thick crushed rock
ballast underlays the rail, and 30-pound rail is installed
in all but the 20 foot x 15 foot drifts. There, a double
track system with 40-pound rail is assumed. Unit costs
relied upon in our estimates are as follows:

Unit Costs
Item Unit Cost
Labor
Foreman $27.79/hour
Miners $18.48/hour
Mechanics $18.55/hour
Underground Helpers $15.13/hour
Yard Workers $13.12/hour
Burden Rate 39% of wages
Drilling and Blasting Supplies
Explosives $1.86/pound
Caps $2.39/cap
Detonating Cord $0.176/foot
Drill Bits (13 -inch to 22-inch diameter) $47.00 to $94.00/bit
Drill Steel (6-foot to 12-foot length) $118.000 to $239.00/rod
Utility Materials
Water Pipe (2-inch to 8-inch diameter) $3.59 to $22.57/foot
Compressed Air Pipe (1-inch to 4-inch diameter) $2.16 to $12.99/foot
Ventilation Tubing (12-inch to 36-inch diameter) $11.65 to $31.80/foot
Electric Cable $10.20/foot
Ground Support Materials
Rock Bolts (4-foot to 8-foot length) $5.05 to $9.05/bolt
Rock Bold Mats (54-square-inch to 108-square-inch mats) $17.60 to $35.09/mat
Timber $0.71/board foot
Shotcrete $139.50/cubic yard
Rail Materials
Supplies and Materials (30-pound to 40-pound rail) $53.70 to $59.40/foot
Ballast $2.61/cubic yard
Equipment Operation*
Diesel Fuel $2.425/gallon
Electricity $0.110/kWh
Lubricants $7.86/gallon

* Maintenance and repair parts, ground engaging components, and ownership costs are specific to each machine
and based upon manufacturer recommendations.

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Cost Distribution
The costs of excavating the drifts and ramps are apportioned as follows:

Distribution of Costs
Cost Item Percent of Total Cost
Labor 57.6% to 75.1%
Drilling & Blasting Supplies 9.4% to 14.6%
Utility Materials 9.1% to 30.8%
Ground Support Materials 7.9% to 12.1%
Diesel Fuel and Electricity 0.3% to 1.2%
Equipment Ownership and Operation 0.9% to 3.4%

As is evident, expenditures for labor far exceed those type of drift in the following table. Please note that
for any other cost category. Because of the these costs do not include expenditures for
significance of the labor expenditures, they are administrators, engineers, or surveyors.
detailed (as a percentage of the total cost) for each

Labor Cost Distribution

Face Unsupported Rock Bolted Timbered
Unsupported Unsupported Shotcreted
Dimensions Untracked Untracked Untracked
Tracked Drift Ramp Untracked
(w x h) Drift Drift Drift
6 ft. x 8 ft. 68/4% 57.6% 71.2% 52.3% 63.5% 61.2%
8 ft. x 9 ft 70.8% 61.6% 73.1% 64.5% 65.5% 63.5%
12 ft. x 10 ft 73.0 % 60.7% 74.7% 66.6% 67.4% 65.5%
15 ft. x 12 ft 73.6% 63.1% 75.1% 67.2% 68.0% 66.1%
20 ft. x 15 ft. 69.5% 58.6% 70.8% 63.9% 65.1% 62.9%

Costs are also sensitive to the distance that the muck face). For our designs, these distances are detailed in
must be transported from the face (and the distance the following table along with costs for variations in
that supplies must be transported to the our assumed distances:

Cost Adjustment for Haul Distance (for unsupported, untracked drifts)

Face Cost @ 50% of

Assumed Average Cost @ Assumed Cost @ 200% of
Dimensions Assumed Haul
Haul Distance Haul Distance Assumed Haul Distance
(w x h) Distance

6 ft. x 8 ft. 600 feet $198.79/foot $233.88/foot $261.32/foot

8 ft. x 9 ft 700 feet $240.94/foot $283.88/foot $338.80/foot
12 ft. x 10 ft 800 feet $302.70/foot $359.27/foot $432.06/foot
15 ft. x 12 ft 900 feet $372.79/foot $442.31/foot $531.25/foot
20 ft. x 15 ft. 1,000 feet $517.80/foot $609.61/foot $728.26/foot

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Reported Costs
Costs for drift and ramp projects (as reported to following table lists ranges in terms of US dollars
Aventurine) vary over a broad range. The (2006) for recent projects:

Development Costs for Recent Drift Projects

Face Area Reported costs Average
50 to 100 square feet $116.42 to $620.91/foot $311.21/foot
100 to 150 square feet $220.43 to $372.54/foot $317.85/foot
150 to 200 square feet $170.75 to $697.74/foot $364.20/foot
200 to 250 square feet $279.41 to $388.07/foot $341.50/foot

Development Costs for Recent Ramp Projects

Face Area Reported costs Average

100 to 200 square feet $220.43 to $481.21/foot $371.97/foot

200 to 300 square feet $388.07 to $683.00/foot $531.66/foot

Many factors contribute to the extreme variability of
reported drift and ramp development costs, most
notably the amount of rock support required, but also
the distance of muck transport, and whether or not
electric cable or pipes for compressed air, backfill,
drainage, fresh water or ventilation are included.
Accounting practices contribute to the variability as
well. For instance, the costs of mine services (lights,
compressed air, drainage pumping, general ventilation,
etc.), general overhead, or equipment ownership costs
may or may not be included .

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