Copper systems guide
Metallurgical Accounting
How mass and assay data become a consistent metal-production statement.
Systems note: examples are educational; exact performance depends on the site, material, equipment and applicable standards.
Where this fits in the copper system
How mass and assay data become a consistent metal-production statement.
Core concepts
Stream mass and grade must be considered together.
Inventory changes can distort short-period apparent recovery.
Measurement bias can create imbalance even when the process is stable.
What to watch in practice
Useful measures depend on the exact system, but operators and engineers generally combine material flow, quality, recovery or efficiency, equipment reliability, energy/water use, inventory and downstream requirements rather than optimizing one number in isolation.