We investigated the effect of dry grinding of laterite on the extraction of nickel and cobalt. The major chemical compositions of the sample for this work were $SiO_2$, $Fe_2O_3$ and MgO. The sample contained 0.81% Ni and 0.02% Co. The major minerals of the sample were lizardite and quartz with minor amounts of forsterite and enstatite. The mean particle size, specific surface area and density of the ground sample decreased with increasing grinding time, while the amorphization of lizardite increased as identified by XRD analysis. The grinding enabled the extraction ratio of Ni and Co to increase by the breakdown of Mg-OH bonding in the lizardite structure. However, physical properties of quartz were not changed by grinding. The extraction ratio of Ni and Co increased with increasing grinding time. Approximately 80% of Ni and Co were extracted regardless of the kind of acid solutions when the sample was ground for 60 minutes.