I'm sorry. But enough is enough. I'm getting mighty tired of...

I'm sorry. But enough is enough. I'm getting mighty tired of reading post after post on other HC forums with posters incorrectly bragging about their cr*p ore. BCI isn't getting credit where credit is due. I won't commit suicide and try and correct these half wits on their forums. It only brings you grieve. What's that saying,"Ignorance is bliss."

So I thought I'd pick on you lot, on the BCI forum to highlight to the intellegent IO readers about the importance of low P.


IOH is a classic example of what I mean. Hi P Ore.

Everyone concentrates on Fe grade as they don't know any better. I have done a lot of research on Iron Ore. And you learn VERY quickly how critical low P is.

Iron grade is important, but the grade of the other elements is also very important. It is frustrating that the ASX does not enforce the reporting of the other elements, called Deleterious Elements (DE) such as SiO2 (silica), Al2O3 (Alumina), P (phosphorus), S (Sulphur), and LOI (Loss on ignition). several other elements can also be considered DE but the ones above are by far the most common.

Silica and Alumina are DEs that affect the blast furnace. P and S affect the quality of the steel. P is especially bad as it makes steel brittle.

Steel makers can blend different ores with different DEs to achieve a proper blend for their furnace. The usual specifications they are after for furnace feed is <2.5% Al2O3, <5.5% SiO2, (or Al2O3 + SiO2 <8%), <0.07% P, and <0.1% S. LOI needs to be low for lump ore but can be high for fines ore as it is burnt off in the sinter process resulting upgrading the iron grade!

If an ore falls outside these specs, it can still be sold as the steel mill normally blends ores from different sources to acheive the desireable feed grade.

However if ore falls outside the specs, the buyer may require a discount for the DEs.

Hi P ores, any ore over 0.07%, can be a problem to sell. Pilbara Blend is a RIO product at 0.10% P but is used as a sinter feed blend. Higher P can be sold, but only in smaller consignments as the mills have to find low P ores to blend which means holding stocks of Hi P ore which costs money.

Hi P ores have to be sold at a discount and ore of IOH's P grade might need to be sold at between 10 and 25% discount. I've never seen anything in IOH's material explaining what if any discount they expect nor how they propose to sell hi P ore into the market.

Some people talk about "de-phossing" but this can only be done by acid leach or akali-leach and is obviously expensive. Some chinese ores are >1% P so they are obviously working on it.

So no IOH for me. Even at these prices.

Stick with the quality stuff. BCI. It has ONE TENTH the P reading of IOH.