Extraction and processing of hard rock for road, rail and hydraulic engineering from the Toggenburg region.
Steinbruch Starkenbach AG
Alt St. Johann (Steinbruch Starkenbach), CHNew on Amplifa
Hard rock from Starkenbach – a tradition since 1919
Steinbruch Starkenbach AG operates the quarry in Starkenbach, in existence since 1919, between Alt St. Johann and Stein in the Obertoggenburg region (Canton of St. Gallen). In November 2024, the previously cantonally operated business was spun off from the cantonal administration as an independent public limited company (AG). The company extracts hard rock (Schrattenkalk limestone) using modern blasting technology and processes it into ballast, crushed aggregate, crushed sand, grain mixtures, armourstones and railway ballast to SBB requirements. The chain includes large-diameter blasthole blasting, primary crushing, crushing, screening and silo storage with a conveyor belt system and its own vehicle fleet. The products serve road construction, rail construction, hydraulic and landscape engineering, farm and forest track construction as well as horticulture; excavation acceptance (landfill type A) and backfilling are also offered. Since March 2025, Adrian Kocher has led the company; the expansion from interim to full operation is planned.
- Site
- Alt St. Johann
- Processes
- Rock extraction using blasting technology (large-diameter blasthole blasting), Rock processing: crushing/comminution (primary crushing plant, crushing plants), Screening/classification into grain sizes (screening plants), Material transport via conveyor belt system, Production of armourstones and bottom-layer stones for hydraulic engineering, road construction and, Production of railway ballast to SBB requirements, Production of ballast, crushed aggregate, crushed sand, gravel mixtures, unbound mixtures, grading, Excavation acceptance/backfilling (landfill type A per VVEA)
- Materials
- Hard rock, Siliceous limestone (Kieselkalk), Schrattenkalk, Limestone, Sandstone, Hard rock (Schrattenkalk), Large-diameter blasthole blasting, Screening, silo and crushing plants
- Certificates
- Material testing (Los Angeles coefficient, external testing laboratory)
- Founded
- 1919 (Stei
- Industries
- Road construction, Rail construction (railway ballast to SBB requirements), Hydraulic engineering, Garden and landscaping, Civil engineering, Farm and forest track construction
- 01
Blasting technology (large-diameter blasthole blasting)
- 02
Primary crushing (blocks < 0.5 m³)
- 03
Crushing
- 04
Screening/classification into grain sizes
- 05
Silo/depot storage
- 06
Mechanical loading and weighing
- 07
Delivery with own vehicle fleet
Rocks and processes
Hard rock (Schrattenkalk)
Main raw material for railway ballast, ballast, crushed aggregate and armourstones with high strength.
Siliceous limestone (Kieselkalk)
Original raw material of extraction until around 1980, among other things for hard ballast of the Bodensee-Toggenburg railway.
Limestone
Component of unbound mixtures for base layers in road and track construction.
Sandstone
Component of unbound mixtures in accordance with SN EN 13285 / SN EN 13242.
Large-diameter blasthole blasting
Rock extraction in wall benches up to 30 m high (total height approx. 60–70 m).
Screening, silo and crushing plants
Classification of grain sizes from 0–3 mm to 120–300 mm and armourstones up to >1400 kg.
Site
Alt St. Johann (Starkenbach)
CHQuarry, processing and administration (head office)
- Part weight / size
- Armourstones 10 kg to >1400 kg
- Lot size
- 20-tonne lot deliveries of railway ballast; transport from 24 t/load
- Materials
- Hard rock (Schrattenkalk)
- Primary crushing plant
- Crushing plants
- Screening and silo systems
- Conveyor belt system
- Dust extraction system
- Wheel loader
- Crawler excavator
- Dumper
- Trucks (2-, 3- and 4-axle)
- Hydraulic excavators
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock extraction using blasting technology (large-diameter blasthole blasting)Quarry/rock extraction | – | – | – | – | Hard rock, Schrattenkalk |
| Rock processing: crushing/comminution (primary crushing plant, crushing plants)Quarry/rock processing | – | – | – | – | Hard rock, Limestone, Sandstone |
| Screening/classification into grain sizes (screening plants)Quarry/rock processing | Grain sizes 0-3mm to 120-300mm | – | – | – | Hard rock |
| Material transport via conveyor belt systemQuarry/rock processing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Production of armourstones and bottom-layer stones for hydraulic engineering, road construction andQuarry/rock processing | Grain size 10-100kg to >1400kg | – | 10 kg | – | Hard rock |
| Production of railway ballast to SBB requirementsQuarry/rock processing | Grain size 32-50mm, 63-120mm | – | – | 20 t (lot delivery) | Hard rock |
| Production of ballast, crushed aggregate, crushed sand, gravel mixtures, unbound mixtures, gradingQuarry/rock processing | Grain size 0-3mm to 120-300mm | – | – | – | Hard rock, Limestone, Sandstone |
| Excavation acceptance/backfilling (landfill type A per VVEA)Other | – | – | – | – | uncontaminated excavated material |
| Mechanical loading and loading/weighing of productsOther | – | – | – | – | – |
| Material testing (Los Angeles coefficient SN EN 1097-2 / EN 13450, externally at the testingTesting | – | – | – | – | Railway ballast 30/50 mm |
| Delivery/transport with own vehicle fleet (delivery in tonnes, 20-tonne lot deliveries)Other | – | – | – | 24 t/load (transport) | – |
16 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conveyor belt system | – | – | – | – | Steinbruch Starkenbach, Alt St. Johann |
| Primary crushing plant | – | – | Comminution to blocks under 0.5 m³ | ca. 1969-1 | Steinbruch Starkenbach, Alt St. Johann |
| Crusher plant/crushing plants | – | – | – | – | Steinbruch Starkenbach, Alt St. Johann |
| Screening and silo systems | – | – | – | ca. 1969-1 | Steinbruch Starkenbach, Alt St. Johann |
| Dust extraction system (in the crusher building) | – | – | – | ca. 1950 | Steinbruch Starkenbach, Alt St. Johann |
| Wheel loader (tyred loader) | – | – | Bucket volume historically 2.5 m³; one tyred loader with 22 t operating weight | – | Steinbruch Starkenbach, Alt St. Johann |
| Crawler excavator | – | – | historically 34 t operating weight | – | Steinbruch Starkenbach, Alt St. Johann |
| Dumper | – | – | historically 12 m³ capacity | – | Steinbruch Starkenbach, Alt St. Johann |
| Trucks/lorries (two-, three- and four-axle) | – | – | – | – | Steinbruch Starkenbach, Alt St. Johann |
| Hydraulic excavator (20 t) | – | 1 | – | ca. 1975 | Steinbruch Starkenbach, Alt St. Johann |
| Tyred loader with 2.5 m³ bucket | – | 2 | – | ca. 1969-1 | Steinbruch Starkenbach, Alt St. Johann |
| Crawler excavator with 34 t operating weight | – | 2 | – | 1986 und | Steinbruch Starkenbach, Alt St. Johann |
| Tyred loader with 22 t operating weight | – | 1 | – | ca. 1986-1 | Steinbruch Starkenbach, Alt St. Johann |
| Dumper (12 m³ capacity) | – | – | – | 2000-2007 | Steinbruch Starkenbach, Alt St. Johann |
| Tractor with small tipper trailers (approx. 1 m³) | – | – | – | ca. 1950-1 | Steinbruch Starkenbach, Alt St. Johann |
| Ballast processing plant (solid reconstruction after fire) | – | 1 | – | ca. 1930-1 | Steinbruch Starkenbach, Alt St. Johann |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality and testing
Material testing such as the Los Angeles coefficient (SN EN 1097-2 / EN 13450) is carried out externally by the building materials testing laboratory VersuchsStollen Hagerbach AG. Products such as unbound mixtures comply with the standards SN EN 13285 / SN EN 13242.
| Evidence | Alt St. Johann (Starkenbach) |
|---|---|
| Material testing (Los Angeles coefficient, external testing laboratory) |
More than 100 years of quarry history
- 1919
Start of quarry operations in the Obertoggenburg; taken over by the Canton of St. Gallen in the 1920s to secure building materials for road construction.
- 1924
Start of extraction with production of siliceous limestone by 20–30 local workers.
- 1928
Production of hard ballast for the Bodensee-Toggenburg railway (until around 1950).
- ca. 1930–193
Fire at the wooden processing plant and reconstruction in solid construction.
- ca. 1950
Installation of a dust extraction system in the crusher building to improve occupational safety.
- ca. 1950–196
Mechanisation of internal transport routes with tractor and small tipper trailers.
- ca. 1969–197
Major modernisation: large-diameter blasthole blasting, primary crushing plant, conveyor belt system; workforce reduced to around 10 employees.
- ab 1975
Conversion to 30-m wall benches and production of armourstones for river and landscape engineering.
- ca. 1980
Raw material change from siliceous limestone to Schrattenkalk; discontinuation of hard ballast/hard grit production.
- 1996
Granting of a new extraction permit.
- ca. 2000–200
Renewal of the dumper fleet and trucks.
- 2024
Incorporation of Steinbruch Starkenbach AG (8 November 2024) as an independent public limited company.
- 2025
Adrian Kocher takes over management as of 3 March 2025; planned expansion to full operation.