Two quotations arrive. Both say magnetite. One is cheaper.

That is enough information to compare the totals at the bottom of the page. It is not yet enough to choose a supplier for a dense media separation plant.

When comparing magnetite suppliers, check the product specification, consistency between deliveries, delivered cost, supply capacity and technical support. The quoted material also needs to suit the plant’s separation and recovery requirements.

For procurement teams, the aim is a contract the operation can rely on. That starts with making sure the two quotations actually describe the same requirement.

Are Both Suppliers Quoting Against the Same Specification?

A description such as “magnetite for coal washing” leaves plenty of room for differences. Before comparing prices, issue the specification that the plant has approved and ask each supplier to identify any exceptions.

The comparison should include particle size distribution, magnetic content, Fe content, and material density. Agree on the applicable limits and how they will be measured.

Grade names are useful shorthand once everyone understands the product. They are less useful when two suppliers use similar names for different sizing ranges.

If one quotation offers an alternative grade, treat it as an alternative. Ask the technical team to assess it rather than assuming that a lower price makes it equivalent.

Martin & Robson’s magnetite product range sets out grades and sizing information that buyers can use in a specification discussion. The appropriate grade still depends on the plant.

What Evidence Supports the Quality Claim?

“High quality” is easy to put in a proposal. Ask what is tested, how often it is tested, and how a delivery can be traced back to the relevant results.

A sample can help establish suitability, but the purchasing decision also needs evidence of consistency during routine supply. Ask how the supplier samples production, identifies batches, and handles material that falls outside specification.

Useful documents include the agreed product specification, recent representative test results, and any batch-specific certificates included in the proposed supply arrangement. If a certificate of analysis is required for each shipment, make that part of the agreement.

A safety data sheet, or SDS, serves a different purpose. It provides safety and handling information; it does not prove that a particular batch meets the plant’s performance specification.

That distinction can save a fairly unproductive email exchange later.

An applicable quality management certification gives buyers information about the supplier’s management system. It does not replace product testing or guarantee the result of a particular batch in your circuit.

Check the certificate’s scope, covered operations, and current validity as part of supplier qualification. Then ask how the system is used to control the product being quoted.

Martin & Robson describes an ISO 9001:2015 quality management approach supported by raw-material checks, sampling during milling, finished-product analysis, and independent laboratory testing. Its quality and support information provides a basis for asking specific questions about those controls.

The useful conversation is about evidence and traceability, rather than simply whether a logo appears on the quotation.

Can the Supplier Maintain the Volumes You Need?

A successful first delivery is encouraging. An operating plant needs confidence in the deliveries that follow it.

Give potential suppliers a realistic demand profile, including expected monthly volumes, seasonal variations and any planned ramp-up. Ask what stock, processing capacity and transport arrangements will support that requirement.

Clarify normal lead times as well as what happens when demand changes. Emergency supply should not be assumed just because routine supply is available.

For remote sites or international deliveries, ask who manages each part of the journey and where responsibility changes. Port access, transport availability and the final trip to the plant can all affect the delivery programme.

The proposal should also explain how a disruption will be communicated. Finding out that a shipment is late after the plant has already planned around it is a poor substitute for an agreed escalation process.

What Is Included in the Delivered Price?

Compare quotations on the same basis. Identify freight, packaging, handling and any other charges that affect what the buyer pays to receive usable material at site.

Confirm the unit as well. A tonne is 1,000 kg; other markets may use a different ton. Where moisture forms part of the commercial terms, establish whether the quoted and invoiced quantities use a wet or dry basis.

Also check delivery quantities and receiving arrangements. A loose bulk delivery and a shipment in bulk bags create different unloading and storage requirements. Those requirements belong in the evaluation if the site has to provide additional handling equipment or labour.

The quotation becomes much easier to compare once all suppliers are pricing the same destination, quantity basis, and scope.

How Does Consumption Affect the Buying Decision?

Delivered price tells you the cost of the incoming magnetite. Consumption helps determine what that material costs per ton processed.

For a simple purchase-cost comparison, multiply delivered price per ton of magnetite by the kilograms of magnetite consumed per ton of feed, then divide by 1,000. Use the same currency, tonnage basis, and reporting period for both suppliers.

That calculation does not capture every operating cost, but it shows why the cheapest tonne may not produce the lowest magnetite purchase cost per tonne of feed.

Be careful about assigning all consumption differences to the product. Recovery equipment, operating conditions, and handling losses also influence the result. A credible trial records those factors instead of treating every change as a supplier effect.

What Technical Help Is Actually Included?

If separation performance changes or magnetite losses rise, who will help investigate?

Ask whether support includes a review of sample results, plant visits, training, or an audit of the magnetite circuit. Clarify what is included in the commercial offer, what needs separate arrangement, and how support is accessed in your region.

Martin & Robson lists training, workshops, plant audits, and research among its magnetite support activities. For buyers, the next step is to establish which services suit their operation and how they will be delivered.

Access to technical support is particularly useful when the plant and supplier need to distinguish an incoming material issue from a problem elsewhere in the process.

Agree the Acceptance Process Before the First Shipment

Supplier qualification should lead to a clear supply agreement. Define the approved product, sampling and testing arrangements, required documents, delivery responsibilities and the process for reporting a non-conformance.

If material arrives outside specification, both parties should know what happens next. Agree how it will be identified, assessed and resolved, including the records needed to investigate the issue.

For a new supplier or grade, a controlled trial may be appropriate before routine supply begins. Define the acceptance criteria with the plant team so procurement is not left to make a technical decision from a price comparison alone.

Put the Plant Requirement Into the Enquiry

A useful magnetite enquiry includes the approved specification, forecast volume, delivery location, packaging needs and required documentation. Add any performance problem or grade trial that the supplier needs to understand.

Martin & Robson supports magnetite supply through sourcing, processing, quality control and logistics. Discuss the required product and delivery arrangement with the team, then compare the proposal against the same criteria used for every supplier.

Price belongs in the decision. It becomes far more useful once you know exactly what the price buys, how the material will perform, and whether the supplier can keep it arriving.