Buyer Guides.
API 13A Drilling Mud Minerals: Barite SG 4.20 + Bentonite Yield
One standard governs both mud minerals — Section 7 barite for density, Section 9 bentonite for viscosity and fluid loss. Why the certs travel together, and why the sourcing should too.
Refractory Chromite Spec Guide: Cr₂O₃ 38–42%, Al₂O₃ Over 14%
The refractory buyer's value function inverts the smelter's — high Al₂O₃ earns money, Cr:Fe earns nothing, and SiO₂ is the enemy. The spec window, the brick applications, and the clauses that price it.
Chrome Concentrates vs Lumpy Ore: Cr₂O₃ 44–52% Buyer Guide
"Chrome concentrate" means three different products — smelter-lane UG2, chemical and tanning tiers at 44–52% Cr₂O₃, and specialty foundry sand. Which lane you are in decides spec, sizing, and price basis.
Chromite Price Per Ton: UG2 Basis 42%, Cr:Fe, Unit Arithmetic
A chromite price per ton means nothing without the Cr₂O₃ basis, the form, the Cr:Fe ratio, and the freight leg attached. How the UG2 index works and how a real quote is built off it.
LPG Procurement Pakistan: Saudi CP, OGRA Pricing, Cylinder vs Bulk
OGRA's August notification prices the tonne at Rs213,015 producer and the 11.8 kg cylinder at Rs3,000.92 — but bulk buyers price off the Saudi CP, not the cylinder chain. The two lanes, decoded.
RBD Palm Olein vs Soybean vs Sunflower: IV 56–141 Spec Decoder
Same COA layout, three different oils. PORAM's palm specs (FFA ≤0.1%, IV ≥56, melt ≤24°C), the Codex soft-oil ranges, and the paired checks that catch stearin blends before the cargo ships.
Copper Concentrate Pricing: From Assay to Final Invoice in 6 Steps
A concentrate cargo is settled, not priced. Dry tonnes, payable metal, TC/RC deductions, the quotational period, a 90% provisional invoice, then final settlement — the six steps walked end to end.
Talc Buyer Guide: Whiteness 90–95% & Asbestos-Free USP Grades
Buyer-side talc spec sheet — the asbestos-free certification chain, whiteness and particle-size specs, aspect ratio for polymer compounding, and why cosmetic and pharma grade costs 5–10× filler.
Foundry Chrome Sand: AFS GFN 45–60 for Steel Castings
Engineer's guide to chromite foundry sand — what AFS grain fineness number measures, why chrome sand chills steel and heavy-section castings, and how to match GFN to surface finish vs gas escape.
Antimony Procurement: Sb 5–35% Ore & 35–55% Concentrate Spec
Buyer-side spec sheet for antimony ore and concentrate — Sb grade tiers, the As/Pb/Bi penalty thresholds smelters enforce, ore-vs-metal-vs-trioxide, and China's export-licence exposure.
Bentonite Buyer Guide: API 13A Drilling, Foundry & Pelletizing
Buyer-side spec sheet for bentonite — API 13A drilling grade, AFS foundry green-sand, iron-ore pelletizing binder, activated bleaching earth, and when soda activation actually pays.
Pakistani Galena & Sphalerite: A Pb/Zn Concentrate Spec Guide
Buyer-side spec sheet for Pakistani galena and sphalerite — Pb 40–70%, Zn 15–30%, payable silver in g/t, penalty thresholds, and the contract terms that actually move cargo value.