Stripping ratio

In surface mining, stripping ratio or strip ratio refers to the amount of waste (or overburden) that must be removed to release a given ore quantity.^[1]^[2] It is a number or ratio that express how much waste is mined per unit of ore. The units of a stripping ratio can vary between mine types. For example, in coal mining the stripping ratio is commonly referred to as volume/weight.^[3], whereas in metal mining, stripping ratio is unitless and is expressed as weight/weight.^[2] A stripping ratio can be expressed as a ratio or as a number.

Equations[edit]

The equations for stripping ratio are,

for coal:

{\frac {Overburden(volume)}{Coal(volume)}}

for metal:

{\frac {Waste(weight)}{Ore(weight)}}

where volume is typically expressed as m³ or yd and weight is typically expressed as tonne or ton.

Use[edit]

It is common for the stripping ratio to be used as an indicator of economic value for an open pit mine.^[1] This is because removal of waste is a cost to the mine whereas mining ore leads to revenue. A stripping ratio is commonly used as a quick method to evaluate a mine’s or a design’s value. High stripping ratios are not desired because they are indicating that large amounts of waste must be moved to access ore.

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b Runge, Ian C. (Ian Charles), 1952- (1998). Mining economics and strategy. Littleton, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration. p. 188. ISBN 978-1-61344-104-6. OCLC 742590272.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ ^a ^b Hustrulid, W. A. Open pit mine planning & design. Kuchta, Mark,, Martin, Randall K. (Revised and extended 3rd ed.). Boca Raton, Fla. p. 392. ISBN 978-1-4665-7512-7. OCLC 815365897.
^ SME mining engineering handbook. Darling, Peter, 1956-, Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (U.S.) (3rd ed.). [Englewood, Colo.]: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration. 2011. p. 1016. ISBN 978-0-87335-264-2. OCLC 694679184.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

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[:0-1] Runge, Ian C. (Ian Charles), 1952- (1998). Mining economics and strategy. Littleton, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration. p. 188. ISBN 978-1-61344-104-6. OCLC 742590272.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

[:1-2] Hustrulid, W. A. Open pit mine planning & design. Kuchta, Mark,, Martin, Randall K. (Revised and extended 3rd ed.). Boca Raton, Fla. p. 392. ISBN 978-1-4665-7512-7. OCLC 815365897.

[3] SME mining engineering handbook. Darling, Peter, 1956-, Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (U.S.) (3rd ed.). [Englewood, Colo.]: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration. 2011. p. 1016. ISBN 978-0-87335-264-2. OCLC 694679184.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

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