1. Frac sand is a special sand is one of the keys to producing oil and natural gas from tight shale formations

Crush-Resistant Sand for Oil and Gas Wells. "Frac sand" is a high-purity sand with very durable and very round grains of a specific size. It is a highly specialized, crush-resistant material produced for use by the petroleum industry. It is used in thehydraulic fracturing process (known as "fracking") to produce petroleum fluids, such as oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids from rock units that lack adequate pore space for these fluids to flow to a well. Frac sand can be a natural material made from high purity sandstone. An alternative product is ceramic beads made from sintered bauxite.