Copper systems guide
Copper Ore Grade and Contained Metal
Understand grade, tonnage, contained copper and recovery as different concepts.
Systems note: examples are educational; exact performance depends on the site, material, equipment and applicable standards.
Where this fits in the copper system
Understand grade, tonnage, contained copper and recovery as different concepts.
Core concepts
Grade expresses copper concentration in a mass of ore.
Contained metal is ore mass multiplied by grade.
Recovered metal is lower than contained metal because separation is never perfect.
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.