Chromite ore is always a combination of the mineral chromite and associated minerals. The economics of chromite ore recovery depend on the occurrence of the mineral and its chemical composition. Occurrence, for example, could range from small grains of chromite mineral imbedded in a large volume of host rock to large volumes of relatively pure chromite ore. Chemical composition of the ore depends on both the composition of the chromite mineral and the type of host rock. Mining usually results in the extraction of both the desired mineral and some of the host rock with which it is mixed, referred to as gangue.
Beneficiation is the physical process by which the quality of chromite ore is enhanced.
For example, ore can be sorted by size. Each resulting size fraction may have different chemical characteristics. By removing fractions with low chromite mineral content and retaining fractions with high chromite mineral content, the mineral content of the ore is concentrated. Generally, less beneficiation is required when more discriminating mining methods, such as hand picking, are used. More beneficiation is required when less discriminating mining methods, such as blasting, are used.