Skip to main content
Calcimator

Stripping Ratio Calculator

Calculate waste-to-ore ratio and break-even stripping ratio for open pit mine economics.

Inputs

t
t
$/t
$/t
$/t

Results

Stripping Ratio

5:1

Break-Even SR10.67:1
Economically Viable?Yes
Total Material6,000,000 t
All-In Cost/Ton Ore$33.00
Total Revenue$50,000,000.00
Total Cost$33,000,000.00
Net Value$17,000,000.00
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter waste tonnage (t) and ore tonnage (t) from the mine plan or block model.
  2. Set ore value per ton ($/t) and total mining cost per ton ($/t).
  3. Enter processing cost per ton ($/t) to calculate break-even stripping ratio.
  4. Review Stripping Ratio (waste:ore) and compare against Break-Even SR to assess project economics.
  5. Use Economically Viable (Yes/No) to make go/no-go decisions for open-pit mining phases.

How the result changes with Ore Tonnage

Ore TonnageStripping Ratio
100,000,0010.05:1
350,000,0010.01:1
650,000,0000.01:1
900,000,0000.01:1

What each input means

Waste Tonnage
Total waste rock tonnage to remove
Ore Tonnage
Total economic ore tonnage
Ore Value
Gross revenue per ton of ore processed
Mining Cost
Cost to mine and haul one ton of material (ore or waste)
Processing Cost
Cost to process one ton of ore through the mill

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Waste Tonnage = 5000000, Ore Tonnage = 1000000, Ore Value = 50, Mining Cost = 3 = 5 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Stripping Ratio
    Stripping Ratio
    5 = 5
  3. Calculate Break-Even SR
    Break-Even SR
    10.67 = 10.67
  4. Calculate Economically Viable?
    Economically Viable?
    Yes = Yes

Related Calculators

The questions that sit next to this one — chosen by subject, including calculators filed under a different category.

Mining

Ore Reserve Calculator

Estimate proven and probable reserves from drill data, cutoff grade, and metal price for mine planning.

Mining

Haulage Cost Calculator

Calculate per-ton haulage cost from distance, grade, truck specs, fuel, and labor rates.

Mining

Mine Ventilation Calculator

Calculate CFM requirements from mine volume, diesel equipment HP, personnel count, and altitude.

Geology

Ore Grade Calculator

Calculate recoverable metal tonnage from total ore tonnage, grade percentage, recovery rate, and cutoff grade.

More in Energy & Utilities.