QMS
QMS stands for Quality Measurement System. With it, we grade each stone quarry’s quality performance in three very important areas:
Sampling Frequency: A measure of how often product samples are taken. This ensures that everyone at Boxley is keeping a close eye on the quality of our products.
Consistency or Standard Deviation: This measures variation (changes in the size distribution of material) within a single product. Product consistency is crucial to a quality product.
Passing Samples: A measure of the percentage of all the samples run at each quarry that meets the customer specification.
A stone quarry’s QMS score is determined by averaging the grade (percent) of these three areas. The QMS goal for each plant is 90%.
Physical Property Testing
Boxley lab technicians also perform annual physical property testing of the products from each quarry. These include:
- Specific Gravity (useful for determining asphalt and concrete mixes)
- Unit Weight (useful in determining the amount of product needed)
- LA Abrasion Test (durability)
- Soundness Test (tests how freezing and thawing affects aggregate quality)
These test results are reported in the annual Product Data Sheet, which can be downloaded below.