Dear Industry Colleagues,
Zimbabwe's chrome ore deposits are concentrated within the Great Dyke, with Midlands Province standing as the country's primary chrome mining and trading hub. Chrome ore is typically collected by traders directly from mine-site yards on an ex-works basis, making Midlands the true point of price formation for Zimbabwean chrome concentrate. A price assessment anchored at this point offers the market a cleaner, more direct benchmark — one that reflects domestic trading conditions and value at the source, ahead of the freight, handling and other costs layered on further down the value chain. As Zimbabwe's chrome sector continues to expand, supported by growing mine output and improving rail infrastructure, a transparent Midlands price point gives producers, traders and downstream buyers a more accurate reference for production scheduling, cost accounting and trade pricing decisions.
In response to these market developments, and to meet strong industry demand for transparent price discovery on Zimbabwe chrome concentrate at the point of domestic trade, SMM hereby announces:
Effective 9th September 2026, SMM will publish the Zimbabwe 46-48% Chrome Concentrate Ore (Midlands) price assessment.
Price assessment specifications are as follows:
• Description: Chrome Concentrate Ore, Zimbabwe 46-48%, in-whs Zimbabwe, USD /tonne
• Quality: Cr2O3 46-48%, 0-4 mm, Cr/Fe 1.5-1.7
• Definition: In Major Warehouses in Zimbabwe
• Unit: USD /tonne
• Quantity: Min 100 tonnes
• Timing: Prompt
• Publication: Weekly by Wednesday 11:30 am Harare Time
• Payment Terms: EFT/TT and any other standard terms
Shanghai Metals Market (SMM)
Chromium Research Team
3 September 2026