Buying chrome ore by Cr₂O₃ percentage alone produces three reliable failure modes: smelters reject a "metallurgical" cargo with Cr:Fe below their charge-chrome spec, refractory makers reject a "low-silica" cargo whose alumina content was never measured, and chemical buyers pay metallurgical prices for ore the dichromate plant can't process. The four commercial grades — metallurgical, refractory, foundry, chemical — are not points on a quality spectrum; they are distinct products with distinct specifications. This guide walks the spec sheet a procurement team should hand to its assay lab before any shipment leaves origin. For how each grade maps to its end-use — and the spec each application demands — see the ten chromite applications and their specifications.
The Five Numbers That Actually Price Chromite
Cr₂O₃ is the headline number but never the whole story. Smelters, refractory makers, foundries, and dichromate plants each value different fields on the same assay certificate. The five parameters that move the price most:
- Cr₂O₃ content (%): Commercial range 36–52%. Metallurgical 42–48%, refractory 38–42%, foundry 46%+, chemical 44–46%.
- Cr:Fe ratio: The critical metallurgical-grade variable. Charge chrome (low-grade ferrochrome for stainless) accepts ≥ 1.6; high-carbon ferrochrome typically needs ≥ 2.0; specialty alloys reach for ≥ 2.5. Pakistani Waziristan ore frequently delivers ≥ 2.5.
- SiO₂ (silica) %: A penalty element for almost every end-use. Each percentage point of silica reduces effective Cr₂O₃ in metallurgical pricing (the "85% effective" calculation referenced in some contracts: effective Cr₂O₃ = Cr₂O₃ − 2.5 × SiO₂). Chemical-grade buyers want SiO₂ < 1%.
- Al₂O₃ (alumina) %: A value-add for refractory grade (a thermal-stability constituent) and a penalty everywhere else.
- Moisture %: Affects wet-vs-dry tonnage in contracts. The moisture cap is a core commercial term that procurement teams routinely overlook until a shipment arrives 2% over and the demurrage clock starts.
Metallurgical Grade — Where ~85% of Chromite Demand Lives
Approximately 85–90% of global chromite is consumed as ferrochrome for stainless steel (ICDA statistical bulletin, multi-year average). Global mine production is in the 40–45 Mt/yr range (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026), dominated by South Africa (~40–45% of mine production), Kazakhstan, Turkey, India, Finland, and Pakistan. The seaborne metallurgical-grade benchmark is the Fastmarkets MB UG2 Chrome Ore Concentrate 42% Cr₂O₃ CIF China index (weekly, paywalled); ferrochrome itself is benchmarked by the quarterly European Charge Chrome Benchmark.
Standard metallurgical specification: Cr₂O₃ 42–48%, Cr:Fe ≥ 2.0 (≥ 2.5 for premium charge), SiO₂ < 6%, lumpy 10–150 mm or sized concentrate. Bare Syndicate's Waziristan metallurgical-grade consistently delivers in this band.
Refractory Grade — Buyer Cares About Al₂O₃, Not Just Cr₂O₃
Refractory chromite is used in chrome-magnesite bricks lining steel furnaces, cement kilns, and glass tanks. The buyer's value function inverts the metallurgical priorities: high Al₂O₃ becomes a positive (it improves thermal shock resistance), and low SiO₂ matters as much as Cr₂O₃. Typical refractory spec: Cr₂O₃ 38–42%, Al₂O₃ > 14%, SiO₂ < 4%, FeO controlled to a narrow band. Confusing this grade with metallurgical sells refractory ore at metallurgical prices — a recurring procurement loss because the spec sheet looks similar at a glance.
Foundry Grade — Grain Shape Matters As Much As Chemistry
Foundry chromite sand is used in precision casting for aerospace, automotive cylinder heads, and pump components. Buyers reference AFS (American Foundry Society) Grain Fineness Number — typically AFS 40–60 — alongside Cr₂O₃ content (≥ 46%). Sub-angular to rounded grain shape, low thermal expansion, and consistent particle-size distribution distinguish casting-grade product from crushed metallurgical material. A foundry-grade contract that omits AFS GFN and grain-shape specification is incomplete on its face.
Chemical Grade — Lowest Volume, Highest Spec Discipline
Chemical-grade chromite feeds the sodium dichromate / chromic acid / chromium pigment chain. Producers (LANXESS, Soda Sanayii, Chinese chemical plants) require Cr₂O₃ ≥ 44%, very low SiO₂ (< 1%), controlled alkalinity, and low chromium-VI precursor content. Chemical-grade trades at a premium of $20–80/t over metallurgical UG2 on the Fastmarkets index (as of 2026-04-14, source: Fastmarkets IM chemical-grade chromite assessment, indicative range). The premium reflects both the tighter spec and the smaller addressable market.
Where Chrome-Ore Buyers Get the Spec Wrong
- Saying "ferrochrome is priced on the LME." There is no LME ferrochrome or chrome ore contract. The references are the quarterly European Charge Chrome Benchmark and the Fastmarkets CIF China spot indices. Memos that cite "LME" mislabel the entire price-discovery mechanism.
- Interchanging chrome ore (HS 261000) and ferrochrome (HS 7202.41/49/50). Different customs codes, different end-customers (ore goes to smelters; ferrochrome goes to stainless mills), different price formation.
- Stating a Cr:Fe threshold without naming the downstream product. Charge chrome accepts ≥ 1.6; high-carbon ferrochrome needs ≥ 2.0; low-carbon and specialty alloys reach for ≥ 2.5. A "Cr:Fe ≥ 2.5 required" clause arbitrarily excludes commercially viable cargoes if the buyer's smelter is charge-grade.
- Quoting chromite as "South Africa controls X%" without a year. South Africa runs ~40–45% of global mine production but its share has shifted year-on-year as Kazakhstan and Turkey have ramped (ICDA, 2024 vs 2026 bulletins).
- Claiming chromite ore contains hexavalent chromium (Cr⁶⁺) as mined. The ore is trivalent (Cr³⁺). Cr⁶⁺ is generated downstream during pyrometallurgical roasting and certain chemical processes — a process-safety issue, not a mining-stage issue. Compliance memos that conflate them are technically wrong.
- Omitting moisture caps from any chromite contract. Wet-vs-dry tonnage and the moisture cap (typically 3–5% maximum for lumpy, 8–10% for concentrate) are core commercial terms; a 2% moisture overshoot can erase a 5% Cr₂O₃ premium.
The One-Page Spec Sheet a Buyer Should Hand Origin
For every chrome ore enquiry, the procurement-side spec needs six explicit fields, not the headline Cr₂O₃ alone: (1) grade designation (metallurgical / refractory / foundry / chemical), (2) Cr₂O₃ range, (3) Cr:Fe minimum, (4) SiO₂ maximum, (5) for refractory: Al₂O₃ minimum; for foundry: AFS GFN and grain shape; for chemical: alkalinity and sulphur limits, (6) moisture cap with the wet-vs-dry tonnage clause referenced. Independent assay by SGS, Alfred H Knight, or Bureau Veritas is the contract gate; umpire-assay clauses cover dispute resolution.
Next step: Request a current assay and delivered-cost indication for the grade your operation actually consumes, or explore the Chrome Ore product page for the full Bare Syndicate spec range across metallurgical, refractory, foundry, and chemical grades.
Additional Market Context
The named authorities referenced above — USGS, ICSG, ILZSG, ICDA, LME, Fastmarkets, Argus, Platts, and IEA Critical Minerals Outlook — publish monthly bulletins and annual reports that procurement teams use to track market direction. The USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries series (annual, January release) is the foundational reference for production and reserve data across most industrial minerals; ICSG and ILZSG cover copper / lead / zinc respectively with monthly bulletins; ICDA tracks chromite; Fastmarkets, Argus, and Platts publish indexed pricing across mineral categories. Subscribing to and reading these sources is the basic operational discipline that distinguishes informed procurement from generic supplier engagement.
For traders managing multi-mineral books, the cross-correlation between commodities matters. LME copper movements drive concentrate TC/RC dynamics that affect zinc and lead concentrate markets indirectly. Steel demand drives chromite and iron-ore consumption together. Battery-mineral demand pulls fluorspar acidspar alongside lithium and nickel. The named-authority sources track these correlations in their published commentary, providing the multi-market view that single-commodity sources miss.
Last reviewed: 2026-05-16. Spec ranges and benchmark references current as of this review; index prices subject to weekly Fastmarkets movement.
