Curling Stone Price Guide: Current Values & Sales

A curling stone is a polished granite disc with a handle, and a club needs a full set to run a game. Most stones used at the top level come from a single Scottish island, which helps explain why they are expensive and why clubs often keep their stones for decades.

The figures below come from a news report on the stones used at the Milan Cortina Olympics, a sports explainer, and a curling supplier. They are estimates and quoted prices from different dates, and a club that orders stones will get its own quote.

The sports explainer cited above gives $600 for a typical new stone, calling the cost high because the granite is scarce. The Olympic maker Kays, which cuts granite from Ailsa Craig, is more expensive. NBC News reports a double-insert stone at $990 and a single-insert stone at $930.

The insert is the running surface, a ring of a different granite glued to the base. A double insert has one on each side, so the handle can screw into either side. The NBC report converts the British pound prices into dollars, so the totals move with the exchange rate.

A game needs a set of 16. NBC reports a Kays double-insert set at $15,860. Dakota Curling Supplies, a supplier, says a complete set of new rocks with handles ranges $8,500 – $13,000, and that a reconditioned set generally runs $4,000 – $7,500.

The gap between the Kays figure and the supplier range may come from the type of granite, the number of inserts, and the maker. The sources do not say, so treat each figure as a quote from that source and not as a market price.

Supply is limited. The stones used at the Olympics are cut from granite on Ailsa Craig, an uninhabited Scottish island, and the supply is limited. Making a stone also involves shaping, drilling, polishing, and attaching a handle, and the pieces must match closely within a set so the stones behave alike on the ice.

Shipping and import duties add to the bill for North American buyers, as suppliers often note, though the amount depends on the order.

Clubs commonly buy reconditioned sets to save money. The supplier above prices them below new ones, as the table shows. Reconditioning involves resurfacing the running band and checking each stone, and the quality varies with age and prior wear. Ask a supplier what work was done and whether the set is matched.

Some suppliers also rent rocks for short or long terms, so a new club can test the sport before buying. Ask about delivery, handles, and who pays for repairs. Clubs often raise money through member fundraising and sponsorships when it is time to replace an aging set.

Individual stones are used for practice and for replacing a damaged one. Ask whether a replacement can be matched to the rest of the set, since stones of different granite or wear may run differently.

Stones last a long time with careful handling. Avoid dropping them, and keep the running surface clean. Clubs typically schedule resurfacing when the stones start to run unevenly, which is a job for a specialist.