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 2010 Coal Cost Guide

Development Series

Number 3 Updated May 2008

The Cost of Driving Raises

Scott Stebbins
Aventurine Mine Cost Engineering, Inc.

Many underground mining techniques use some type
of vertical or nearly vertical opening to allow access
between levels and into stopes, and to provide
pathways for broken rock and for ventilation. These
openings, or raises, can represent a significant portion
of overall project development costs, as well as
contributing to production costs. To help you estimate
the expense of these openings, we have designed a
number of typical configurations and have estimated
the associated costs using standard engineering
techniques along with data from Mining Cost Service.
Values in the following tables summarize the results of
this work.
The techniques used to drive these raises are typical
for in-house, on-going projects at operating mines.
Consequently, costs are not included for mobilization,
move-in and set-up, yard facilities, support equipment
installation, camp facilities, or contractor profit.
Conventionally driven raises are most often used as
pathways for workers, materials, and equipment.
Bored openings, primarily due to their relatively
smooth surfaces, are ideal for ventilation airways and
ore passes.

Estimated Costs for Conventionally Driven Raises (U.S. dollars per foot of advance)
Add for:

Face Dimensions Unsupported Rock Bolts Timber/Cribbing

4 feet x 5 feet $ 248.43 $ 9.92 $ 54.28

6 feet x 6 feet 291.07 12.50 88.06
5 feet x 10 feet 321.25 14.74 113.41
7 feet x 16 feet 529.69 22.04 143.38

Estimated Costs for Conventionally Driven Raises (U.S. dollars per meter of advance).
Add for:

Face Dimensions Unsupported Rock Bolts Timber/Cribbing

1.22 meter x 1.52 meter $ 817.23 $ 32.55 $ 178.09

1.83 meter x 1.83 meter 955.00 41.01 288.92
1.52 meter x 3.05 meter 1,054.02 48.38 372.10
2.13 meter x 4.88 meter 1,737.91 72.31 470.43

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Estimated Costs for Bored Raises (U.S. dollars per foot of advance).
Rock Strength

Face Diameter 10,500 psi 28,500 psi 49,500 psi Add for Stations

3 feet $ 90.96 $ 138.11 $ 255.74 $ 6,587

6 feet 161.10 253.57 498.33 8,783
8 feet 328.39 547.93 1,005.70 12,200
12 feet 491.11 810.39 1,391.52 20,131

Estimated Costs for Bored Raises (U.S. dollars per meter of advance).
Rock Strength

Face Diameter 72,400 kpa 196,500 kpa 341,300 kpa Add for Stations

0.91 meter $ 298.44 $ 453.14 $ 839.08 $ 6,587

1.83 meter 529.52 831.96 1,635.02 8,783
2.44 meter 1,077.45 1,797.75 3,299.70 12,200
3.66 meter 1,611.33 2,658.89 4,565.58 20,131

Cost Distribution
The costs of driving the raises are apportioned as follows:

Raise Cost Distribution

Percent of Total Cost

Cost Item Conventionally Driven Bored

Labor 47.5% to 72.6% 14.9% to 30.0%

Drilling, Reaming & Blasting Supplies 6.3% to 11.0% 6.9% to 10.8%
Utility Materials 7.6% to 21.8% ---
Ground Support Materials 0.0% to 23.8% ---
Diesel Fuel & Electricity 0.7% to 1.4% 5.4% to 8.6%
Equipment Ownership & Operation 4.6% to 7.3% 48.8% to 68.6%

For the purposes of these estimates, raise lengths are Equipment

assumed to be between 100 and 200 feet, which are
typical lengths for openings that allow access from one
level to the next. Per foot costs for shorter raises, such
as those used to access stopes, may be less. The haul
distance for broken rock produced during raise
excavation is assumed to be about 1,000 feet. If that
distance is doubled, overall excavation costs can be
expected to increase by as much as 4.5%. If the
distance is halved, costs can be expected to decrease
by as much as 3.0%.
For each bored raise, a station large enough to
accommodate the boring machine must be excavated
prior to driving the raise. In our estimates, the cost of
this excavation is considered separate from the cost of
the raise.
Stopers are used to drill the blast holes for the
conventional raises. Muck falls to the floor of the
level below and is collected and transported by scoop-
trams. Tugger hoists haul equipment and supplies up
to the working face.
In the bored raises, the raise borer first drills a
relatively small pilot hole from an upper station to the
level below. After this pilot hole is complete, a reamer
bit is attached to the end of the drill string and it is
then drawn back up to the upper station, reaming out
the raise to the desired diameter as it goes. Equipment
ownership costs are included in all the estimates.

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Materials and Supplies
Emulsion-type explosives are assumed for all
blasting. Powder factors range from 2.40 to 5.31
pounds per ton, and are dependent on the area of the
face. Blasts are initiated using non-electric delay caps
in conjunction with ½-pound boosters. Where
support is provide by rock bolts, these bolts are placed
on 4-foot centers and one steel mat is used for every
three bolts. In timbered raises, cribbing techniques are
assumed for the 4 foot x 5
foot and the 6 foot x 6 foot openings, and fully-lagged,
two compartment timber sets are used for the larger
openings.
In the bored raises, the primary consumable
supplies are the pilot bits, drill steel, and reamer
cutters. Costs for ore chutes are not included in either
the conventional or bored raise estimates.
Itemized costs for the materials, supplies, and
wages used in the estimates are listed in the following
table:

Unit Costs (2008 U.S. dollars)

Item Unit Cost (English) Unit Cost (metric)

Labor
Foreman $ 39.04/hour $ 39.04/hour
Miners (Base Wage) $ 24.18/hour $ 24.18/hour
Mechanics $ 23.14/hour $ 23.14/hour
Underground Helpers $ 17.09/hour $ 17.09/hour
Yard Workers $ 15.27/hour $ 15.27/hour
Production Bonus* $ 12.09/hour $ 12.09/hour
Burden Rate 41% of wages 41% of wages
Drilling and Blasting Supplies
Explosives $ 1.02/pound $ 2.249/kilogram
Caps $ 1.84/cap $ 1.84/cap
Boosters $ 3.35/booster $ 3.35/booster
Detonating Cord $ 0.238/foot $0.781/meter
Drill Bits (1¼-inch to 1¾-inch diameter) $ 55.00 to $ 67.00/bit $ 55.00 to $ 67.00/bit
Drill Steel (6-foot to 8-foot length) $ 140.00 to $ 187.00/rod $ 140.00 to $ 187.00/rod
Pilot Bits (9-inch to 13¾-inch diameter) $ 6,700 to $ 17,200/bit $ 6,700 to $ 17,200/bit
Reamer Cutters $ 9,750 to $ 17,000/cutter $ 9,750 to $ 17,000/cutter
Borer Drill Steel (8-inch to 11¼-inch diameter) $ 1,200 to $ 1,360/foot $ 3,937 to $4,462/meter
Utility Materials
Water Pipe (1-inch to 3-inch diameter) $ 2.06 to $ 6.08/foot $ 6.76 to $ 19.95/meter
Compressed Air Pipe (¾-inch to 2-inch diameter) $ 1.94 to $ 5.82/foot $ 6.37 to $ 19.09/meter
Ventilation Tubing (12-inch diameter) $ 14.21/foot $ 46.62/meter
Electric Cable $ 12.81/foot $ 42.03/meter
Ladders $ 6.26/foot $ 20.54/meter
Ground Support Materials
Rock Bolts (3-foot to 5-foot length) $ 6.50 to $ 8.30/bolt $ 6.50 to $ 8.30/bolt
Rock Bolt Mats $ 13.27/mat $ 13.27/mat
Timber $ 0.71/board foot $ 300.88/cubic meter
Lagging $ 0.60/board foot $ 254.27/cubic meter
Equipment Operation**
Diesel Fuel $ 3.002/gallon $ 0.793/liter
Electricity $ 0.081/kWh $ 0.081/kWh
Lubricants $ 8.36/gallon $ 2.21/liter
* Applies only to the wage of the raise miner and is not subject to burden.
** Maintenance and repair parts, ground engaging components, and ownership costs are specific to each machine and
based upon manufacturer recommendations.

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A significant portion of the costs of driving raises is attributable to labor. Because of their significance, labor costs
are further delineated in the following table. Costs for surveyors and administrative personnel are not included.

Labor Costs - Conventional Raises (percent of total cost)

Face Dimensions Unsupported Rock Bolted Cribbed/Timbered

4 feet x 5 feet (1.22 meter x 1.52 meter) 60.94% 59.62% 50.02%

6 feet x 6 feet (1.83 meter x 1.83 meter) 63.11% 61.53% 48.45%
5 feet x 10 feet (1.52 meter x 3.05 meter) 64.20% 62.50% 47.45%
7 feet x 16 feet (2.13 meter x 4.88 meter) 72.57% 70.81% 57.12%

Labor Costs - Bored Raises (percent of total cost)

Rock Strength

10,500 psi 28,500 psi 49,500 psi

3 feet (0.91 meter) 30.00% 26.93% 21.95%

6 feet (1.83 meter) 25.40% 22.89% 17.81%
8 feet (2.44 meter) 21.44% 19.74% 16.39%
12 feet (3.66 meter) 18.19% 16.40% 14.93%

Reported Costs
Costs for raises at specific projects vary over broad range. The following represent values reported for recent
projects.

Development Costs for Recent Conventional Raise Projects (English units)

Reported Costs Average Cost

Face Area (per foot of advance) (per foot of advance)

20 to 29 square feet $ 199.55 $ 199.55

30 to 39 square feet $ 235.83 to 386.76 $ 298.15
40 to 49 square feet $ 284.45 to 325.09 $ 304.77
50 to 59 square feet $ 446.27 $ 446.27
100 to 109 square feet $ 694.07 to 907.05 $ 800.56

Development Costs for Recent Conventional Raise Projects (metric units)

Reported Costs Average Cost

Face Area (per meter of advance) (per meter of advance)

1.86 to 2.69 square meters $ 654.72 $ 654.72

2.79 to 3.62 square meters $ 773.76 to 1,268.96 $ 978.23
3.72 to 4.55 square meters $ 933.28 to 1,066.62 $ 999.95
4.64 to 5.48 square meters $ 1,464.21 $ 1,464.21
9.29 to 10.1 square meters $ 2,277.24 to 2,976.03 $ 2,626.64

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Development Costs for Recent Bored Raise Projects (English units)
Reported Costs Average Cost

Face Area (per foot of advance) (per foot of advance)

2.5 to 3.5 feet $ 290.25 to 312.75 $ 301.50

3.5 to 4.5 feet $ 210.07 to 320.01 $ 268.00
4.5 to 5.5 feet $ 425.38 $ 425.38
5.5 to 6.5 feet $ 435.38 to 507.95 $ 471.67

Development Costs for Recent Bored Raise Projects (metric units)

Reported Costs Average Cost

Face Area (per meter of advance) (per meter of advance)

0.76 to 1.06 meter $ 952.31 to 1,026.13 $ 989.22

1.06 to 1.37 meter $ 689.24 to 1,049.95 $ 879.31
1.37 to 1.67 meter $ 1,395.67 $ 1,395.67
1.67 to 1.97 meter $ 1,428.48 to 1,666.58 $ 1,547.55

Several factors contribute to the variability of the
reported costs. Most notably are differing
requirements for the type and amount of rock support.
However, the distances that the development muck
must be transported also change from one operation to
the next, as does the need to include pipes (for water,
compressed air, drainage, and backfill), ducts (for
fresh or return air), and electrical cable, all of which
impact overall costs. In addition, variations in the
hardness of the rock have a direct impact on the costs
of raise boring.
Accounting practices are also inconsistent from
one operation to the next, which adds to the
variability. For instance, the costs associated with
general mine services (such as providing light,
compressed air, fresh water and air, etc.), project
overhead, or equipment ownership may or may not
report as a portion of the individual development (in
this case raising) costs.

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