Chromite Ore Price Per Ton: Chart and Drivers

A South African metallurgical chrome concentrate on the usual 42% Cr₂O₃ basis sold for an average of US$285 per tonne, delivered to China (cif), in July to September 2026 under Tharisa plc’s contract pricing (Miningmx, 13 October 2026), down from US$306 in April to June (Tharisa production report, 14 July 2026). The US Geological Survey (USGS) puts the average 2025 price of chromite ore, by gross weight, at US$290 per metric ton, down from US$331 in 2024 (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026). Those two numbers are both “the chromite price per ton”, and they differ because they describe different grades, delivery terms and averaging periods. This page shows how buyers and sellers connect them: a benchmark price per unit of chromium oxide, an assay, a moisture adjustment and freight.

Below you will find a dated price table, a price history from two sources, a calculator that turns a price per unit into a cargo value, a country-by-country supply chart, and the policy changes in South Africa and Zimbabwe that traders watch. Every price carries its source and date, because a chromite quote is only useful with its grade and terms attached. This page is for information only and is not investment advice.

How buyers turn a benchmark into a chromite price per ton

Chromite is the main ore of chromium, which hardens steel and is used mainly in stainless steel alloys, according to the Minerals Education Coalition. The USGS states that chromium has no substitute in stainless steel, which is why stainless mills and ferrochrome smelters (plants that melt chromite with carbon into a chromium-iron alloy) are the main buyers. Because the ore is traded in large cargoes, prices are quoted against a standard grade and then adjusted for the actual assay of the lot.

The unit is the dry metric ton unit, written dmtu or mtu. One unit is one percentage point of Cr₂O₃ (chromium oxide) in one dry tonne of ore, which is 10 kilograms of Cr₂O₃. A price quoted in US dollars per dmtu is multiplied by the assay percentage to give a price per dry tonne for that grade. The arithmetic is simple, and it explains most of the gap between quotes you find online:

• Price per tonne = price per dmtu × Cr₂O₃ assay (%). Tharisa’s Jul–Sep 2026 average of US$285 per tonne on a 42% basis works out to about US$6.79 per dmtu (285 ÷ 42, our arithmetic).
• A higher assay lifts the price per tonne. At the same US$6.79 per dmtu, a 44% lot would be about US$299 per tonne and a 38% lot about US$258 (our arithmetic, before any penalties).
• Basis matters. Tharisa reports a contract price for metallurgical-grade concentrate on a 42% basis, cif China. That means cost, insurance and freight to a Chinese port are inside the price. A price quoted fob (on board at the port of loading) is lower by the sea freight.
• Moisture is deducted. The dmtu is a dry weight, so a wet cargo is paid on its dry tonnes.

Contracts can also add premiums or penalties for the chromium-to-iron ratio and for impurities such as silica, but the rates are set in each contract and are not published as a market-wide figure. Read your own offtake terms before using any benchmark.

To try the formula with your own numbers, use the calculator in this section. It starts from example values only: enter your own price per dmtu from a current assessment or offer.

Chromite ore price per ton: dated figures and what they cover

The table lists the dated price points we could trace to an open source. Weekly benchmark assessments from price-reporting agencies are mostly behind subscriptions, so the table uses a producer’s reported contract prices and the USGS annual series, which draws on Argus Media data. Check an agency or a broker for this week’s number before you sign anything.

Chart

Tharisa average metallurgical-grade chrome price

US$ per tonne; 42% basis, cif China to June 2026 (Tharisa reports); July–September as reported by Miningmx

Tharisa plc (JSE share code THA) mines chrome concentrate and platinum group metals at its Tharisa mine in South Africa, and it reports a contract price for its metallurgical-grade product every quarter. The company’s output was 1.56 million tonnes of chrome concentrate in its financial year to September 2026, according to BusinessDay on 13 October 2026, which also quotes the chief executive saying chrome prices softened late in the year amid weaker stainless steel demand and cautious mill buying. Tharisa’s own fourth-quarter report, covered by Miningmx, 13 October 2026, gives US$285 per tonne for July to September 2026 and US$290 for the full financial year. A single producer’s realised price is not the market, but it is a dated, company-reported reference point.

One more thing the table shows: the USGS number is a yearly average of a gross-weight price, while Tharisa’s is a quarterly contract average on a 42% basis. Do not subtract one from the other to estimate a premium or a discount.

Price history: the USGS series and one producer’s contract prices

The USGS price series shows how far the market has moved over five years. Chromite ore rose from US$199 per metric ton in 2021 to US$331 in 2024, then fell to US$290 in 2025, a drop of about 12% from the 2024 level (USGS, 2026). In the same USGS table, ferrochromium fell from US$3.19 per pound of contained chromium in 2022 to US$1.76 in 2024 and US$1.60 in 2025. Alloy prices have swung widely: the USGS Mineral Industry Survey for July 2022 put US high-carbon ferrochromium at 370 cents per pound of contained chromium, more than double the July 2021 average (USGS, September 2022). The ore price held up much better than the alloy price in 2024 and 2025, which fits the USGS comment that oversupply and weaker demand in Chinese stainless steel production may have pushed ferrochromium lower.

Chart

Chromite ore price, 2021 to 2025 (USGS, Argus data)

US$ per metric ton, gross weight; USGS does not state grade or delivery terms; 2025 is an estimate

Tharisa’s contract prices tell a different story over a shorter period. They rose for two quarters, from US$276 in October–December 2025 to US$306 in April–June 2026 (about 11%, our arithmetic from the company reports), then fell about 7% to US$285 in July–September 2026. The October–December figure was level with the quarter before it (US$276), and the average for the previous financial year was US$266. When the two series diverge, check the vintage first: they cover different months and different bases.

Price per kg, per gram and per pound of chromium

Many searches ask for the price of chromite per kilogram or per gram. The conversion is simple. One metric tonne is 1,000 kilograms, so US$290 per tonne is US$0.29 per kilogram and about US$0.00029 per gram, for ore of the average grade in the USGS series. A kilogram of lumpy ore is not a retail product, and these small-unit numbers only help for scale or for sample and assay costs.

Searches for the price of “chromium per ton” mix several products:

• Chromite ore: about US$290 per metric ton in 2025, by gross weight (USGS, 2026).
• Ferrochromium: US$1.60 per pound of contained chromium in 2025 (USGS, 2026). At 2,204.6 pounds per tonne, that is about US$3,530 per tonne of contained chromium (our arithmetic). The alloy price is quoted on the chromium inside it, not on the gross weight.
• Chromium metal: US$5.90 per pound, gross weight, in 2025 (USGS, 2026).

The chromium in a chromite ore is only part of the oxide. Cr₂O₃ is about 68% chromium by mass, so a 42% Cr₂O₃ ore holds roughly 29% chromium, or about 287 kilograms of chromium per tonne (our arithmetic from atomic masses). That is why an ore price per tonne cannot be compared directly with an alloy price per pound of chromium: the alloy price covers smelting, power and reductant costs as well.

What moves the chromite price

Five drivers account for most of the changes in the quotes above. We list each with the evidence available in open sources.

Chart

Mine output change, 2024 to 2025 estimate

Million tonnes, selected countries

1. Chinese stainless steel and ferrochrome demand. The USGS names China as the leading producer of ferrochromium and stainless steel and the leading consumer of chromium. China took South African chrome ore in volume: exports to China were about 12.5 million tonnes in 2025, a record and up 23.8% on 2024 (SMM analysis, 6 July 2026).
2. South African power costs. South African smelters have struggled with electricity prices. SMM reports that high-carbon ferrochrome exports from South Africa were 123,795 tonnes in May 2026, 48.76% below May 2025. Our reading is that less domestic smelting leaves more raw ore to ship to Chinese smelters.
3. Logistics and port costs. Tharisa’s April 2026 report said prices of about US$315 per tonne were supported by higher logistics and freight costs after an increase in global oil prices, and a cif price includes that freight.
4. Policy on raw ore exports. South Africa has a proposed export tax and quota; Zimbabwe restricts raw chrome exports. Both are covered below.
5. Grade and quality. A cargo’s Cr₂O₃ grade, chromium-to-iron ratio, impurities and lump or fines mix set its price relative to the benchmark.

On the supply side, the USGS expects investment, expansions and new mines to raise production in Brazil, Kazakhstan and Zimbabwe, and warns that deep-level mining, labour costs and unreliable electricity could weigh on South African output. The estimated change in mine output between 2024 and 2025 for those growing suppliers is plotted in the chart in this section, using the USGS table.

Where chromite comes from: output and reserves by country

World chromite mine production was estimated at 51 million tonnes in 2025, up from 49.6 million in 2024, according to the USGS (2026). The USGS revised its 2024 figures upward for South Africa and other producers using government reports, so older tables that show 44 million tonnes for 2024 are out of date. South Africa mined an estimated 23 million tonnes in 2025, about 45% of the world total. Together with Turkey (9 million) and Kazakhstan (7 million), the top three supplied about 76% of the estimated 2025 output (our arithmetic from the USGS table).

Chart

Chromite mine production by country, 2025 estimate

Million tonnes; selected countries plus all other producers

Reserves are concentrated even more. The USGS lists South Africa with 350 million tonnes of ore reserves, Kazakhstan with 230 million and Zimbabwe with 140 million, out of a world total above 1.2 billion tonnes. Its resource estimate is more than 12 billion tons of shipping-grade chromite, with about 95% of chromium resources in Kazakhstan and southern Africa. In the United States, the main resource is the Stillwater Complex in Montana, and no chromite was mined domestically in 2025 or 2024.

Chromite from southern Africa comes mostly from layered igneous complexes, where thick chromitite seams sit in the host rock; the Bushveld Complex in South Africa is the best-known example. The hero image on this page is a Sentinel-2 satellite view of the Steelpoort area of the Bushveld. Our overview of the metal’s end uses is in Chromite Ore: Powering Global Steel and Defense Futures, and the chemistry is explained in Chromium Oxide Formula, Ores of Chromium, Zinc and Uses.

▶ Explains what mining contributes to economies and why energy-transition minerals are in demand. · 5:03

South Africa’s export tax and quota plan

South Africa is the swing supplier, so its policy decisions matter more than any other single factor. As of the sources we opened, the export tax is still a proposal and not a law. Miningmx reported on 9 June 2026 that the revised Industrial Development Strategy, approved by Cabinet and published that week, sets a target to “institute an export tax and quota for the chrome industry”, to be run by the trade department and the International Trade Administration Commission (Miningmx, 9 June 2026). The same article records that the government had earlier planned a 25% levy on chrome exports, and that the mines minister told Parliament in October 2025 that the tax on its own was a “blunt instrument” that needed complementary measures, thought to include lower power tariffs. It also reports that the electricity regulator Nersa approved a ferrochrome tariff of 62 cents per kilowatt-hour, down from an earlier preferential agreement at 87 cents.

The Minerals Council South Africa opposes export tariffs on chrome ore. Its chief executive said beneficiation cannot and must not be imposed on mining, and the council says electricity tariffs have risen more than 900% since 2008 and are the main reason smelters struggle (TimesLIVE, 9 June 2026). The USGS also notes that potential export controls and tariffs on South African chromite may affect ferrochromium production in China.

For anyone pricing cargoes, the practical point is this: no rate, quota or start date had been fixed in the sources we opened, so any model that assumes a specific tax rate is a scenario. The calculator on this page lets you test one by entering a lower or higher price per dmtu.

Zimbabwe: export controls on raw chrome ore

Zimbabwe holds the third-largest chrome ore reserves in the USGS table (140 million tonnes of ore), after South Africa (350 million) and Kazakhstan (230 million). SMM reported in August 2025 that Zimbabwe’s Minerals Marketing Corporation (MMCZ) planned to ask the Ministry of Mines to push for a full ban on raw chrome ore exports, adding that the country has partly restricted raw ore exports since 2021 and can still grant special licences with quotas (SMM, 8 August 2025). On 9 October 2026, SMM reported that MMCZ had taken 19 suspected mineral-export violation cases to court, 13 of them involving lithium and chrome, that it now requires full mineral assays on export consignments, and that the Great Dyke has 33 registered chrome wash plants, 36 unregistered and 10 under construction (SMM, 9 October 2026). That report does not show that legitimate shipments were delayed. Buyers of Zimbabwean material should confirm the exporter’s licence, the assay certificate and the destination rules before agreeing a price.

What this means for United States buyers and investors

The United States mines no chromite and relies on imports and recycling. The USGS puts net import reliance for chromium at 79% of apparent consumption in 2025, with 21% of apparent consumption met from recycled stainless-steel scrap. Between 2021 and 2024, South Africa supplied 96% of US chromite ore imports. The value of US chromium material consumption was estimated at US$720 million in 2025, a 15% decrease from US$852 million in 2024. US tariff lines for chromium ores and concentrates carry no duty under normal trade relations as of 31 December 2025, at any Cr₂O₃ grade, while ferrochromium with more than 4% carbon carries 1.9% ad valorem.

For investors, the facts to track are the producer’s contract price (Tharisa publishes one every quarter), South African export policy, Chinese stainless output and power tariffs for smelters. For equity research you need the company’s filings. This page gives no price targets and no buy or sell view, and a listed company’s share price is not the chromite price. Tharisa’s reports are the source for its own results; check the exchange announcements for later quarters.

A five-step check before you trust a chromite quote

1. Find the grade. Ask for the Cr₂O₃ percentage and the chromium-to-iron ratio, and whether the figure is an assay from a named laboratory or a seller’s estimate.
2. Find the terms. A cif China price and an fob South Africa price differ by freight and insurance. Convert both to the same basis before comparing.
3. Find the unit. Is the price per tonne, per dmtu, or per gross weight? Use the formula above to convert and the calculator to check the cargo value.
4. Find the date. A quote older than a few weeks is history. Tharisa’s contract price rose about 5% in each of two quarters to April–June 2026, then fell about 7% in July–September 2026.
5. Find the legal status. Confirm the seller holds the mining right, any export licence the origin requires, and the assay and weight certificates. This page is not legal advice; confirm the rules with the regulator and a lawyer.

Satellite screening for chromite projects

Price decides whether a deposit is worth developing, but it does not say where the ore is. Farmonaut offers satellite-based mineral screening of a licence area as an early exploration step, in days rather than months. It produces exploration targets, not a resource estimate, and it does not replace sampling, drilling or a qualified person’s report. Chromite is not on Farmonaut’s listed mineral set, so ask before assuming a specific commodity is covered.

▶ A short explainer on screening ground from space before drilling. · 4:26

Frequently asked questions

What is the chromite price per ton?

Tharisa’s average contract price for metallurgical-grade concentrate on a 42% Cr₂O₃ basis, cif China, was US$285 per tonne in July to September 2026 (US$306 in April to June). The USGS average for chromite ore in 2025 was US$290 per metric ton, gross weight. Check a price-reporting agency for this week’s number.

What is the chromite ore price per ton for high-grade ore?

Higher Cr₂O₃ lifts the price per tonne in proportion to the assay when the price per dmtu is held constant. We found no open, dated benchmark for specific high-grade categories in 2026, so use a current quote for the exact grade you plan to trade.

Why do chromite price quotes disagree?

They differ in grade, delivery terms (cif or fob), moisture basis, averaging period and date. Convert each to the same dry basis and the same terms before comparing.

How much is chromite worth per kilogram?

At US$290 per tonne, ore is worth about US$0.29 per kilogram. That figure is for run-of-mine or concentrate sold by the shipload, not for a retail sample.

What is the chrome ore price per ton today?

The open reference points we could verify are Tharisa’s contract prices (US$285 in July–September 2026, down from US$306 in April–June) and its April 2026 remark that current prices were about US$315 per tonne, with no grade or terms stated. In October 2026 the company said chrome prices softened late in the year. For this week’s number, check a price-reporting agency.

What is a dmtu in chrome ore pricing?

It is a dry metric ton unit: one percentage point of Cr₂O₃ in one dry tonne of ore. Price per tonne equals the price per dmtu times the assay percentage.

Which countries produce the most chromite?

South Africa produced an estimated 23 million tonnes in 2025, Turkey 9 million and Kazakhstan 7 million, out of about 51 million worldwide (USGS, 2026).

Will South Africa tax chrome ore exports?

The government’s June 2026 industrial strategy sets a target to institute an export tax and quota, but the sources we opened show no final rate or start date, and the Minerals Council opposes it.

How is the chromite price different from the chromium price?

Chromite is the ore, priced per tonne of ore by grade. Ferrochromium is an alloy priced per pound of contained chromium (US$1.60 in 2025), and chromium metal is priced per pound (US$5.90 in 2025), all from the USGS.

How dependent is the United States on imported chromium?

The USGS puts net import reliance at 79% of apparent consumption in 2025, and notes that chromium has no substitute in stainless steel or in superalloys.

Where can I find the weekly chromite price?

Weekly assessments for South African and Turkish ore are published by price-reporting agencies such as Argus Media and Fastmarkets, mostly by subscription, and by Chinese market reporters such as SMM and Mysteel. Producers like Tharisa publish quarterly averages.