where do curling stones come from
Most curling stones come from just two very specific granite quarries in Great Britain: the island of Ailsa Craig in Scotland and the Trefor granite quarry in North Wales.
Quick Scoop: Where do curling stones come from?
The short version
- Modern curling stones are made from granite.
- Almost all top-level and Olympic stones use granite from:
- Ailsa Craig , a small uninhabited island off the Ayrshire coast of Scotland.
2. The **Trefor Granite Quarry** on the Llŷn Peninsula in North Wales.
These locations are famous because their granite has unusual properties that make it perfect for sliding, spinning, and surviving thousands of impacts on ice.
Why those places?
- Ailsa Craig granite (Blue Hone and Common Green) and Trefor granite absorb very little water, so repeated freezing and thawing does not crack the stone easily.
- The grain structure is extremely fine and tough, which helps the stone keep its smooth running band and predictable curl over many seasons.
- Because of this, Olympic curling stones are specifically made from Ailsa Craig granite, and many other elite stones are made from Ailsa Craig or Trefor.
A typical stone weighs about 38–44 pounds (around 17–20 kg) and is carefully shaped and polished from a rough block of this granite before the handle is added.
A tiny island with a big role
You can think of Ailsa Craig as the “birthplace” of the classic curling stone:
- It is a volcanic plug rising out of the sea between Scotland and Northern Ireland.
- One company, Kays of Scotland, has long held exclusive rights to quarry curling-stone granite there and has supplied many Olympic sets.
Meanwhile, Trefor Quarry in Wales provides an additional source of suitable granite, especially as Ailsa Craig stone is finite and carefully managed.
Curling gear origins at a glance (HTML table)
| Feature | Ailsa Craig (Scotland) | Trefor Quarry (Wales) |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Scotland, UK | [3][5][1]Wales, UK | [7][5][1]
| Granite types | Blue Hone, Common Green, Red Hone | [5][1]Trefor granite (pink, blue, grey shades) | [7][5]
| Key property | Very low water absorption, fine and tough grain | [1][7]Durable, low water absorption granite suitable for stones | [5][7]
| Usage level | Source for all Olympic stones and many elite sets | [3][1]Used widely for competition stones, including past Olympics | [7][5]
Little storyline: from rock to rink
Imagine a rough block of dark, dense granite being cut from a windswept island cliff or a Welsh hillside.
It’s hauled to a workshop, turned on lathes into a precise round shape, the running band is formed and polished, and finally a handle is bolted on. That once-rugged chunk of rock ends up gliding down a sheet of pebbled ice under bright arena lights, carrying Olympic hopes with it.
TL;DR:
When people ask “where do curling stones come from” , the real answer is:
mostly from Ailsa Craig in Scotland and the Trefor granite quarry in
Wales , using rare, ultra-tough granite that can handle decades of sliding
and smashing on ice.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.