THE PROBLEM IS NOT
SUPPLY. IT IS PROOF.
South Africa holds roughly 72% of world chrome reserves and exports more chrome ore than anyone. There is no shortage of ore, and no shortage of people offering it. The scarce thing is a counterparty who can prove the mine is theirs, the tonnage exists, and the terms will survive the document stage.
Most failed chrome deals do not fail on price. They fail because an offer circulated through four intermediaries, none of whom could name the mine; because an assay arrived with no laboratory letterhead or chain of custody; or because a deposit was requested before anyone was allowed on site. By the time that becomes obvious, the buyer has spent months and, sometimes, money.
Material Connect exists to remove that class of risk. We are a South African sourcing desk — not a mine, and not another link in a daisy-chain. Everything below is what we do before your name and a producer's ore end up on the same document.
THE VERIFICATION
CHECKLIST
Seven checks. A producer that fails any of them does not go on our supplier register, regardless of how attractive the parcel looks.
| Check | What We Confirm | Why It Matters to You |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Mining right or permit | A mining right or mining permit issued under the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, held in the seller's own name — not a relative's, not a defunct entity's | Ore mined without a valid right is a customs, sanctions and reputational problem that lands on the importer, not the seller |
| 2 · Company registration | Current CIPC registration, identifiable directors and shareholding, and that the trading name matches the registered entity | You need a real legal person to contract with, and to enforce an award against if it comes to that |
| 3 · Export standing | Customs registration, ability to produce a Certificate of Origin, and export documentation and permit standing where applicable to the grade | An exporter who cannot document origin will strand your cargo at your own customs clearance |
| 4 · Physical confirmation | The plant is operating, the stockpile exists, and the tonnage offered is real and unencumbered — confirmed on site, not from a photograph | Over-committed and double-sold stockpiles are the most common cause of a failed laycan |
| 5 · Assay history | A recent independent assay for the parcel from a named laboratory, with a traceable chain of custody from stockpile to certificate | An assay you cannot trace to a sampling event is a number, not evidence |
| 6 · Access for sampling | The producer agrees, in advance, that a buyer or an appointed inspectorate may sample before contract | A producer who will not be inspected is telling you something. We listen to it |
| 7 · Logistics reality | Haulage route, load-out rate, road or rail access and realistic port turnaround to Durban or Richards Bay | A mine that cannot move 5,000 t a month cannot serve a 60,000 t/year offtake, whatever the offer says |
Verification is not a one-off. A producer's standing, stockpile and assay are re-confirmed per parcel before it is released to the marketplace — which is why listings carry an availability state and a percentage-sold bar rather than sitting there indefinitely. See live listings →
SEVEN RED FLAGS
WORTH TESTING FOR
You do not have to take our word for any of this. These are the tests procurement teams use on South African chrome offers, and we would rather you ran them on every counterparty you speak to.
WHAT THE
CONTRACT FIXES
Every sale we place is documented in a written sale and purchase agreement before any cargo moves. These are the clauses that decide what happens when reality and the offer diverge — which, on a bulk mineral, they always do a little.
Quality & Inspection
Guaranteed Cr₂O₃ on a stated moisture basis, Cr:Fe and SiO₂ limits and sizing. The appointed independent inspectorate — SGS, Alfred H Knight or Intertek — sampling to ISO 3082 and analysis to ISO 3711, with an umpire laboratory named for tolerance disputes and the cost split agreed, commonly 50/50.
Price, Penalty & Rejection
The base grade and the pro-rata price adjustment per 1% Cr₂O₃ deviation, the penalty band below base, and the rejection threshold at which you may refuse or renegotiate. Minor deviations are compensated by price; materially off-spec cargo can be declined. Both the formula and the limit are explicit.
Quantity, Delivery & Laycan
Weight by draft survey at load port, the quantity tolerance (commonly ±10% at seller's option — your Letter of Credit must permit the same), whether partial shipments and transshipment are allowed, the Incoterm under Incoterms 2020, the laycan and its notice period, and demurrage or despatch per the charter party.
Payment Instrument
Irrevocable Letter of Credit at sight against compliant documents under UCP 600 is standard, with a confirming bank available. T/T structures (for example 30% advance, balance against documents) and Cash Against Documents are also used. Provisional invoicing on the Bill of Lading and final settlement on discharge analysis are stated where they apply.
Document Set
The exact documents required for payment: a full set of clean on-board Bills of Lading, Certificate of Quality and Weight, Certificate of Analysis, Certificate of Origin (South Africa), packing list and commercial invoice. The contract and the credit must list the same set, or the credit will not be honoured.
Law, Force Majeure & Disputes
A force-majeure clause defining qualifying events, notice, the duty to mitigate and a termination right; a stated governing law, commonly English law for its depth of trade case law; and binding arbitration under ICC rules at a named seat — enforceable across borders under the New York Convention.
Nothing here is unusual — it is the standard mechanics of international bulk mineral trade. What is unusual is how often a chrome "offer" contains none of it. If a counterparty cannot produce a draft with these clauses in it, there is no agreement to transgress.
WHY PRODUCER
CONTACTS STAY CLOSED
You can verify the mining right. You can walk the plant, measure the stockpile and sample it, or send an inspectorate to do it for you. You can read the draft contract before you commit to anything. What you will not get before contract is the producer's direct line — and the producer will not get yours.
That is deliberate, and it is symmetrical. The accountability you are buying depends on there being one counterparty on the agreement who is answerable for the grade, the tonnage, the laycan and the documents. A desk that hands over both sides' contacts has nothing left to be accountable for, and both parties lose the protection. It is also why our public marketplace listings carry the producing company's name and parcel data but never a supplier contact.
If you would rather buy from the mine directly, that is a legitimate choice — and this page should still be useful to you. Run the seven checks yourself.
VERIFICATION &
CONTRACT FAQ
At minimum: a mining right or mining permit under the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act held in the seller's own name, a current CIPC company registration with identifiable directors, export documentation standing including a customs code, a physically verifiable plant and stockpile, and a recent independent assay with a traceable chain of custody. A legitimate producer will also permit pre-contract sampling. Anyone who cannot evidence all of that is, at best, an intermediary.
An assay certificate with no laboratory letterhead or chain of custody. A mining right in a third party's name. Refusal to allow a site visit or independent sampling. Pressure to pay a deposit before any inspection. Prices far below the published index. A document set that appears only after an advance payment. And offers circulating through several intermediaries, where no one can name the actual mine.
The guaranteed Cr₂O₃ and the moisture basis it is stated on, Cr:Fe and SiO₂ limits, sizing, the price adjustment per 1% Cr₂O₃ deviation and the rejection threshold, the appointed inspectorate and who pays, weight determination by draft survey, the quantity tolerance, the Incoterm and laycan, the payment instrument, the full document set required for payment, force majeure, the governing law and the arbitration forum.
A full set of clean on-board Bills of Lading, the Certificate of Quality and Weight from the appointed inspectorate, the Certificate of Analysis, a Certificate of Origin for South Africa, the packing list and the commercial invoice. Under a Letter of Credit these are the documents payment is made against, so the contract and the credit must list exactly the same set.
Because disintermediation risk cuts both ways and destroys the accountability you are paying for. You can verify the mining right, see the operation, sample the stockpile and read the contract — but Material Connect remains the counterparty on the agreement, which is what gives you one party to hold to the terms. Producer contacts are equally protected from disclosure to third parties.
We are a South African sourcing desk. We do not own mines, and we are not a link in a broker daisy-chain: we verify producers, place buyers directly with them, structure and document the contract, and coordinate inspection and logistics. We are transparent about that because the alternative — pretending to be a producer — is exactly the behaviour this page exists to help you screen out.
VERIFY IT
FOR YOURSELF
Start with a soft offer against your spec, or go straight to the site and sample the stockpile.