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KNOWLEDGE BASE

Mineral Procurement Knowledge Base

We explain the concepts that trip people up in cross-border mineral procurement, so you avoid detours and keep costs under control.

Phosphate Ore Uses: Which Industries Buy It and What For
Procurement Guide

Phosphate Ore Uses: Which Industries Buy It and What For

Four end uses, four specifications. Why fertiliser buyers chase P2O5 while battery buyers chase magnetic particles, and how to match a parcel to the plant that will run it.

What Drives Phosphate Rock Prices? Four Key Drivers
Procurement Guide

What Drives Phosphate Rock Prices? Four Key Drivers

There is no single market price for phosphate rock. Two cargoes of the same tonnage can trade at very different numbers because grade, origin, specification and Incoterm all differ.

Phosphate Concentrate vs Rock Phosphate: Grade and Impurities
Procurement Guide

Phosphate Concentrate vs Rock Phosphate: Grade and Impurities

Same ore body, two products. This note explains how beneficiation raises P2O5 and cuts iron, aluminium and magnesium, and what to fix in a purchase order for each form.

Calcium Carbonate Formula and Natural Sources
Procurement Guide

Calcium Carbonate Formula and Natural Sources

Calcium carbonate is the compound CaCO3. Ground calcium carbonate is milled from limestone, calcite or marble; precipitated calcium carbonate is made by calcination and carbonation. Same chemistry, different product families.

Rock Phosphate HS Code and Export Documentation: What Global Buyers Should Fix Before Loading
Procurement Guide

Rock Phosphate HS Code and Export Documentation: What Global Buyers Should Fix Before Loading

A practical guide to classifying rock phosphate under HS 2510.10 or 2510.20, the COA and origin documents buyers should require before loading, and the specification parameters worth fixing in the contract.

How to Choose Iron Oxide Yellow: Grades, Specs and Uses
Procurement Guide

How to Choose Iron Oxide Yellow: Grades, Specs and Uses

Alpha-FeOOH, Pigment Yellow 42: how to compare iron oxide yellow grades, which certificate of analysis figures to verify, and where each grade is used.

Weight Disputes in Bulk Imports: Survey, Weighbridge, B/L
Procurement Guide

Weight Disputes in Bulk Imports: Survey, Weighbridge, B/L

A bill of lading says 5,000 tonnes and the weighbridge reads 4,950. This article unpacks the three weight figures, the 5‰ accuracy limit and moisture conversion.

Mineral Sampling and Preparation: Increments and Splitting
Procurement Guide

Mineral Sampling and Preparation: Increments and Splitting

Two reports on the same lot often disagree, and the cause is usually sampling. The article covers increments, sampling points, splitting and retained samples under GB/T 2007.

Choosing GCC and PCC for Plastics, Rubber and Coatings
Procurement Guide

Choosing GCC and PCC for Plastics, Rubber and Coatings

A tonne of calcium carbonate behaves differently in plastics, rubber and coatings. Mesh, whiteness and oil absorption drive the choice, and the traps are avoidable.

Phosphate Import Sourcing After the High-Grade Export Ban
Procurement Guide

Phosphate Import Sourcing After the High-Grade Export Ban

The ban on exporting high-grade phosphate rock makes buying the right ore harder, not impossible. How to widen source countries, match grades and negotiate landed cost.

FOB, CFR or CIF: Choosing Incoterms and Delivered Cost
Procurement Guide

FOB, CFR or CIF: Choosing Incoterms and Delivered Cost

FOB, CFR and CIF differ on who books the vessel, pays freight and buys insurance, but risk transfers at the same moment. Two-level cost formulas and eight hidden cost items.

Phosphate Rock to Phosphoric Acid to Phosphates: Where the Value Actually Sits
Procurement Guide

Phosphate Rock to Phosphoric Acid to Phosphates: Where the Value Actually Sits

From raw ore to phosphoric acid to fine phosphates, value rises step by step. How importers should pick their place in the chain.

FAQ

Common Procurement Questions

Which minerals do you mainly supply?

We source industrial minerals directly from mines in Egypt and Jordan — mainly phosphate rock, calcium carbonate and iron oxide yellow — and supply them on steady schedules to factories and traders.

What is the usual process for importing minerals?

The usual flow runs: sourcing at origin → third-party inspection → cross-border shipping → clearance at the discharge port → onward delivery. We handle the whole chain.

How do I confirm the specification before ordering?

Our standard ranges are listed on the product pages, and every shipment carries a Certificate of Analysis from an independent third party covering grade, particle size and impurities. Tell us the grade and volume you need and we will confirm what we can load for your window.

How do you guarantee mineral quality?

Every shipment is assayed for composition and quality by an independent third party, with the report attached to confirm the agreed specification.

What about minimum order quantity and lead time?

Minimum order quantity depends on the shipment mode: from 2,000 t for a container shipment, from 50,000 t for a bulk vessel. Lead time is approx. 10 days for a container shipment and approx. 15 days for a 50,000 t bulk cargo. Contact us via the details on this page and we will quote against your specification and tonnage.

BROWSE BY TOPIC

Browse by topic: fundamentals, selection, cost and documentation

Articles in this knowledge base cluster into a few themes. If you are new to importing minerals, start with fundamentals and process. If you already buy and need to solve a specific problem, go to selection and cost. If you handle documentation and disputes regularly, see the documentation and risk-control section.

LEARNING PATH

Understanding mineral imports in three steps

If your time is limited, read in this order — each step builds on the previous one, and skipping tends to miss key premises.

Step 1: understand the minerals and their indicators

Applications, indicator systems and processing differ completely across minerals. First separate the phosphorus source (phosphate), the filler (calcium carbonate) and the colorant (iron oxide yellow), then understand each set of indicators — CaO/MgO and heavy metals for phosphate, whiteness and particle distribution for calcium carbonate, tinting strength and dispersibility for iron oxide yellow. Without this step, price comparison is meaningless.

Step 2: understand the cost structure, not just the quote

The real cost of imported minerals combines the ore price, freight and insurance, duty and VAT, terminal charges, inland transport and FX. Looking at the ore price alone understates it. Normalising every quote to a delivered basis before comparing makes the conclusion reliable — and often reveals that a cheaper quote is not actually cheaper.

Step 3: move risk controls upstream

Sampling representativeness, analytical method, umpire laboratory, certificate-of-origin eligibility and loading windows should all be settled before signing rather than negotiated after a problem appears. Agree the arrival re-test mechanism and dispute path in advance. Most disputes are hard not because the amount is large, but because nothing was agreed upfront.