What is the minimum order quantity to buy chrome ore?

Trial shipments start at 2,000 metric tons and scale to full annual offtake contracts. Most smelter and mill buyers contract 10,000 tons per year or more.

What Incoterms and load ports do you offer?

FOB Durban or Richards Bay, CFR/CIF to destination, or EXW ex-mine — Incoterms 2020. We coordinate inspection, freight and insurance through established logistics partners.

How do you handle inspection and quality assurance?

Independent inspection by SGS, Alfred H Knight or Intertek at the load port: sampling and analysis to ISO standards, weight by draft survey, and a binding Certificate of Quality & Weight. Cr₂O₃ is certified per shipment.

Buy South African Chrome Ore Direct

Q: What grades and Cr2O3 content are available?

ROM, lumpy, concentrate and fines. Cr₂O₃ ranges from about 40% to 46% depending on grade and beneficiation, with a Cr:Fe ratio of 1.5:1 or better. Exact chemistry is fixed on the Certificate of Analysis per parcel.

Q: What payment terms do you accept?

Irrevocable Letter of Credit at sight against shipping documents is standard; T/T (e.g. 30% advance, balance against documents) and CAD are also used. Terms are fixed in the sale contract under UCP 600.

Q: Do you work with traders and brokers?

Yes, on a verifiable LOI/ICPO basis. Firm pricing, assays and past-performance documents are released only against a Letter of Intent or ICPO from the end-buyer — this protects every party and keeps deals off broker daisy-chains.

Smelter-Critical Data

CHROME ORE SPECIFICATIONS

Indicative chemistry and sizing across the grades we place. Buyers decide on chemical analysis — so here it is up front. Exact figures for your cargo are fixed on the independent Certificate of Analysis before shipment.

Grade Metric	Concentrate / Fines	Lumpy / ROM
Cr₂O₃ Content	42% – 46% (basis 44%)	38% – 42% (basis 40%)
Cr : Fe Ratio	1.5 : 1 minimum	1.5 : 1 minimum
SiO₂ (typical)	≤ 4.5%	≤ 6%
Physical Sizing	Concentrate < 1mm · fines 0–6mm	Lumpy 10–150mm · sized 10–40mm
Moisture	Certified at load port (wet/dry basis stated)	Certified at load port (wet/dry basis stated)
Load Logistics	Bulk vessel / containers — FOB Durban	Bulk cargo — FOB Richards Bay

Indicative ranges only. South African UG2 and metallurgical concentrates (≈40–44% Cr₂O₃) are the standard feed for ferrochrome smelters; higher Cr:Fe lumpy, chemical, foundry and refractory grades are available on request. Every parcel's Cr₂O₃, Cr:Fe, SiO₂, sizing and moisture are analysed by an independent inspectorate and fixed on the Certificate of Analysis before shipment — send us your target spec and we match a parcel from a licensed mine or wash plant.

Why Buy Through Material Connect

ONE COUNTERPARTY,
VERIFIED SOURCE

We are a South African sourcing desk. We place verified buyers directly with licensed mines and wash plants and manage the parts that go wrong in commodity trade — so you deal with one accountable party, not a chain of intermediaries.

Direct to Licensed Source

Ore placed from licensed South African mines and wash plants in the Bushveld Complex — the origin, not the fifth link in a broker chain.

QA Before It Ships

Independent lab certification and load-port inspection (SGS / Alfred H Knight / Intertek) — Cr₂O₃, Cr:Fe, silica and moisture certified per shipment.

Coordinated Logistics

Inspection, freight and insurance coordinated through established partners under Incoterms 2020 — FOB SA ports or CIF to your destination.

Operational Compliance

INSPECTION, TERMS & DOCUMENTS

The security-of-supply detail procurement teams check before a first cargo. These are the standard contract mechanics we build every deal on.

A neutral, internationally accredited inspectorate — SGS, Alfred H Knight or Intertek — samples, weighs and analyses the cargo at the load port. Sampling and analysis follow ISO standards (e.g. ISO 3082 sampling, ISO 3711 chromium-ore analysis), and a referee/umpire lab is agreed for tolerance disputes. Their Certificate of Quality is contractually binding on both parties, so there is no later argument over what was shipped. Who appoints and pays the inspector (often 50/50) is fixed in the contract.

Cargo weight is determined by draft survey — measuring the vessel's displacement before and after loading — by an independent surveyor, the maritime standard for bulk minerals. Contract tonnage carries a normal operational tolerance (commonly ±10% at seller's option) to match vessel capacity and mine output; the final invoice is based on the quantity actually loaded, and your Letter of Credit must permit the same tolerance.

Every shipment carries a lab certificate stating the Cr₂O₃ percentage on a defined moisture basis. A standard quality clause sets the guaranteed grade, a pro-rata price adjustment per 1% Cr₂O₃ deviation, a penalty band, and a rejection threshold — so minor deviations are compensated by price and materially off-spec cargo can be declined. You pay for actual metal content, documented.

Standard is an irrevocable Letter of Credit payable at sight against compliant shipping documents, issued by a reputable bank under UCP 600 — the most balanced cross-border instrument, with a confirming bank available for extra security. T/T structures (e.g. 30% advance, balance against documents) and Cash Against Documents are also used. The instrument, tolerances and document set are all fixed in the sale contract.

A full set of clean on-board Bills of Lading (the document of title), Certificate of Quality & Weight from the appointed inspectorate, Certificate of Origin (South Africa) for your customs clearance and responsible-sourcing checks, and a packing list. These form the core payment documents under the L/C and the agreed reference for invoicing and any claim.

Contracts include a force-majeure clause, are typically governed by English law, and resolve disputes by binding arbitration under ICC rules at a named seat — the international norm for commodity trade, because awards are enforceable across borders under the New York Convention. A neutral, enforceable forum for both the buyer and the source.

Request Offer

CAPABILITY STATEMENT
& SOFT OFFER

Tell us your grade, volume and destination. Real buyers get a fast, specific response from our sourcing desk. We work with end-users, procurement teams and — on an LOI/ICPO basis — traders.

How we release offers

Indicative specifications and our capability statement are shared on enquiry. Firm pricing, chemical assays and past-performance documents are released against a verifiable Letter of Intent (LOI) or ICPO from the end-buyer or an authorised procurement officer. Genuine buyers expect this — it protects the end-buyer, the mine, and every party in between, and keeps deals off broker daisy-chains.

End-users & smelters — fastest track to a soft offer and trial parcel
Corporate procurement officers — capability statement + indicative pricing on enquiry
Traders / brokers — welcome with a verifiable end-buyer LOI or ICPO

First Name *

Last Name *

Business Email *

Phone / WhatsApp

Company *

Job Title

I am a *

Country of Operation *

Grade / Form

Target Cr₂O₃

Intended Use

Annual Volume

Incoterm

Destination Port

Requirement Detail

I can provide a verifiable LOI or ICPO from the end-buyer on request (unlocks firm pricing & assays).

Your details are used only to assess and route your enquiry to our sourcing desk. We never publish or sell them, and supplier/mine contacts are never disclosed to third parties. Free-domain and disposable inboxes are de-prioritised — a corporate email speeds verification.

Qualifying your enquiry…

Export Destinations

WHERE WE SHIP

South African chrome ore for the world's ferrochrome and stainless hubs — shipped FOB Durban / Richards Bay or CIF to your destination port.

China → ferrochrome & stainless India → stainless & alloys Kazakhstan — ferroalloys Türkiye — ferrochrome Indonesia — stainless Japan / Korea — specialty steel UAE — trading & re-export EU — alloy production

Already sourcing spot parcels? Browse live chrome ore listings on the marketplace → or see how our sourcing process works →

Buyer Questions

CHROME ORE BUYING FAQ

What is the minimum order quantity?

Trial shipments start at 2,000 metric tons and scale to full annual offtake. Most smelter and mill buyers contract 10,000 tons per year or more.

What grades and Cr₂O₃ content are available?

ROM, lumpy, concentrate and fines. Cr₂O₃ ranges from roughly 40% to 46% depending on grade and beneficiation, with a Cr:Fe ratio of 1.5:1 or better. Chemical, foundry and refractory grades are available on request. Exact chemistry is fixed on the Certificate of Analysis per parcel.

Which Incoterms and load ports do you offer?

FOB Durban or Richards Bay, CFR/CIF to your destination, or EXW ex-mine — all Incoterms 2020. We coordinate inspection, freight and insurance through established logistics partners.

How is quality inspected and certified?

Independent inspection by SGS, Alfred H Knight or Intertek at the load port — ISO-standard sampling and analysis, weight by draft survey, and a binding Certificate of Quality & Weight. Cr₂O₃ is certified per shipment with a price-adjustment and rejection clause.

What payment terms do you accept?

Irrevocable L/C at sight against shipping documents is standard; T/T (e.g. 30% advance, balance against documents) and CAD are also used. All terms are fixed in the sale contract under UCP 600.

Do you work with traders and brokers?

Yes — on a verifiable LOI/ICPO basis. Firm pricing, assays and past-performance documents are released only against a Letter of Intent or ICPO from the end-buyer. This keeps deals off broker daisy-chains and protects every party.