Book excerpt: The maintenance and upgrading of our built environment, including large sections of coastal defences, relies heavily on natural construction materials. The text aims to highlight a range of pressing research issues in natural construction materials of direct relevance to an industry facing growing pressures for environmental sustainability and standardization of product quality within Europe. Tests and specifications given in the forthcoming Eurostandards for aggregates and armourstones are considered and correlated with older more widely used tests, including those which could impact upon current road safety. This text should be useful to: aggregate and amourstone suppliers and users; civil and engineering geologists; quarry companies; and Local and County Authority engineers and coastal engineers.