Chrome Concentrate 40–42%: What Buyers Should Actually Check

Chrome concentrate is one of the most actively traded metallurgical raw materials out of Southern Africa, and 40–42% Cr2O3 is the workhorse grade for ferrochrome and stainless steel production. Yet many first-time buyers focus on price per tonne and overlook the specifications that actually determine whether a parcel performs — and whether it clears inspection at all.

Grade is only the headline number

A "40–42% Cr2O3" figure tells you the chromium oxide content, but a metallurgical buyer is buying a whole chemistry. The Cr:Fe ratio matters as much as the grade — 2.3:1 or better is typically what smelters want, because it drives the chromium content of the finished ferrochrome. The impurity caps — silica, iron oxide, alumina — are the other half of the story. Ask for the full assay, not just the headline grade.

Source traceability decides whether the deal is real

The single biggest risk in chrome trading is not quality — it is whether the material exists and can be delivered. The commodity attracts a large volume of "soft offers": forwarded price sheets from intermediaries who have never seen the stockpile. A serious supplier can trace the concentrate from the washing plant through to the delivery point, name the inspection agency, and show how the parcel moves.

• A full assay: Cr2O3, Cr:Fe ratio and impurity caps — not just the grade.
• Independent inspection (SGS, Intertek or Bureau Veritas), scope agreed before loading.
• Clarity on delivery basis (FOB, CIF, CFR) and load or delivery point.
• Evidence the supplier can trace the material to source.

If your counterparty cannot tell you the source, you are buying a grade, not a parcel.