EP 170 | Part 1 of 2: Why the Most Expensive Mistake in Grade Control Isn't Low Grade

What if the most expensive mistake in grade control isn't mining low-grade material — but making the wrong decision about what is ore and what is waste?

In this two-part episode of Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro, Senzeni Matondi, Principal Consultant, joins Melanie Bully, Senior Consultant, to explore why grade control is fundamentally a decision-making discipline, not simply a grade estimation exercise. 

In Part 1, Senzeni and Melanie unpack the operational and financial consequences of misclassification, including:

• Ore loss — when valuable material is classified as waste and potentially lost forever
• Dilution — when waste enters the ore stream, reducing head grade and consuming valuable processing capacity
• Misclassification — and why it can result from accumulated uncertainty across sampling, geological interpretation, estimation, blast movement, survey accuracy and mining execution
• Reconciliation — and why poor reconciliation can reflect issues across the entire mining value chain, rather than the resource model alone

The key takeaway? A technically sound grade estimate is only useful if it supports the right operational decisions.