This page shows the current applicable minimum wage for workers engaged in Stone Breaking and Crushing in Karnataka, set out by skill category in the rate table below. Use it to check the notified rate an employer in Karnataka must pay a stone breaker, crusher operator, or quarry helper in this employment.
Minimum wage rates for Stone Breaking and Crushing in Karnataka
| Category of worker | Zone I | Zone II | Zone III | Zone IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Un-skilled | ₹620.66 | ₹599.43 | ₹579.22 | ₹559.97 |
| Semi-skilled | ₹665.22 | ₹641.88 | ₹619.65 | ₹598.47 |
| Skilled | ₹714.25 | ₹688.57 | ₹664.11 | ₹640.82 |
| Highly-skilled | ₹768.18 | ₹739.93 | ₹713.03 | ₹687.41 |
Rates effective 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.
What counts as Stone Breaking and Crushing
Stone Breaking and Crushing is a notified scheduled employment covering the manual and mechanised work of breaking, sizing, and crushing stone, boulders, and rock into aggregate, gitti, grit, and other graded material. It takes in quarry-face and hand-hammer breaking of boulders, feeding and running stone crushers, and the screening, grading, and stacking of the crushed output.
- Stone quarries and rock-blasting sites where boulders are extracted and broken
- Stone crusher plants and mechanised crushing units
- Aggregate, gitti, and metal yards supplying construction material
- Roadwork, highway, and civil-project sites where stone is broken on location
- Sand, grit, and dust screening and grading units
- Railway ballast and construction-contractor supply yards
Typical roles and skill categories
- Stone breaker or hammerman (manual boulder breaking)
- Crusher operator or plant operator
- Crusher feeder and hopper loader
- Screening and grading worker
- Aggregate loader and stacker
- Quarry mazdoor or general helper
- Plant fitter or mechanic
- Weighbridge and tally clerk
- Site supervisor or mukadam
In this employment, the unskilled category usually covers manual stone breakers, feeders, loaders, and general quarry helpers, while semi-skilled covers crusher feeders and screening or grading hands who work directly with plant material. Skilled typically maps to crusher and plant operators and fitters, and highly-skilled to those running or maintaining large mechanised crushing lines or overseeing plant operations.
Who fixes this wage
Stone Breaking and Crushing is a notified scheduled employment under the minimum wage framework, so the Karnataka government fixes and revises minimum wages for it by skill category, and in many cases by geographical zone or area class. Any employer engaging workers in this employment in Karnataka, whether on a daily, monthly, or piece-rate basis, must pay at least the applicable notified rate.
How Karnataka sets minimum wages
Karnataka fixes minimum wages under its Shops and Commercial Establishments schedule, dividing the state into four zones numbered I to IV. Rates are set for four categories of worker and are kept current through a variable dearness allowance rather than a fresh base notification each period. The dearness-allowance revision applies from 1 April 2026 and runs through to 31 March 2027.
Common questions
What is the current minimum wage for Stone Breaking and Crushing in Karnataka?
In Karnataka, the minimum wage for Stone Breaking and Crushing currently runs from about ₹559.97 to ₹768.18 per day, depending on skill category and zone, effective 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. The exact figure by category is in the table below. Confirm the exact rate for your worker's skill category and zone in the table above, and against the latest official notification.
Does the minimum wage for Stone Breaking and Crushing cover piece-rate and daily-wage workers?
Yes. In Karnataka, the notified minimum wage applies to workers in this employment whether they are paid per day, per month, or on a piece-rate basis such as per truckload or per unit of stone broken or crushed, and piece rates must be set so that an average worker earns at least the applicable time rate.
How do I decide which skill category applies to a crusher operator versus a manual stone breaker?
The category follows the nature of the work, not the job title alone. A manual stone breaker or helper is generally treated as unskilled, while a worker who operates or maintains crushing plant and machinery falls into a higher skill category, so check each role against the skill definitions used in the Karnataka notification.
Do zone or area differences change the rate in Karnataka?
Often yes. Many Karnataka notifications fix different minimum wages by zone or area class, so a stone crusher unit in one area may carry a different applicable rate from one in another, and employers should apply the rate for the zone where the work is actually carried out.
Never underpay in Karnataka
ZeniaHR maps every worker to the correct minimum-wage notification by state, skill and zone, and flags anyone paid below it.
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