One refinery, every mineral.

From gold and rubies to graphite, lithium, rare earths and monazite — African Central Refinery processes precious metals, base metals and critical battery minerals under one roof in Johannesburg.

Call +27 70 424 9809See what we refine
Molten gold being poured at a refinery furnace
Molten metal pour — precious metals recovery line

Precious & base metalsGold, copper, nickel, lead, iron ore

Battery mineralsGraphite, lithium, spodumene, tantalum

Rare earthsREE concentrates and monazite

Heavy mineral sandsIlmenite, zircon, rutile, titanium

Accredited by the South African Diamond & Precious Metals Regulator (SADPMR) and registered with the Department of Trade and Industry.

What we refine

Five processing streams covering the full spectrum of African mineral output — metalliferous, critical, coastal and gemstone.

Precious & Base Metals

Recovery and refining of gold alongside the base metal suite — copper, nickel, lead, iron ore and limestone feedstocks �� with assay-backed reporting on every lot.

  • Gold
  • Copper
  • Nickel
  • Lead
  • Iron Ore
  • Limestone

Critical & Battery Minerals

Concentration and upgrading of the minerals the energy transition depends on — graphite, lithium and spodumene, tantalum, niobium, beryllium and rare earth elements including monazite.

  • Graphite
  • Lithium
  • Spodumene
  • Tantalum
  • Niobium
  • Beryllium
  • Monazite

Heavy Mineral Sands

Coastal mineral sands separation for ilmenite, zircon, rutile and titanium — sized, graded and prepared for downstream pigment, alloy and ceramic markets.

  • Ilmenite
  • Zircon
  • Rutile
  • Titanium

Precious Stones & Gold

Sorting, grading and valuation of coloured gemstones — including rubies — handled alongside our gold refining line, with secure chain of custody from intake to release.

  • Rubies
  • Gemstones
  • Gold
  • Coal

Other Minerals

Bulk industrial minerals processed to buyer specification — bauxite, copper concentrate, iron ore, nickel, lead, limestone and coal — with logistics support to port or smelter.

  • Bauxite
  • Copper
  • Iron Ore
  • Nickel
  • Lead
  • Limestone
  • Coal

Assay, Sampling & Logistics

Independent sampling, assay verification and documentation for every consignment, plus coordinated road and rail movement from mine gate to refinery or export terminal.

  • Assay
  • Sampling
  • Documentation
  • Export
Industrial refinery plant processing metals
Processing plant — Marshalltown, Johannesburg

Built in Johannesburg, working across Africa

African Central Refinery is a South African refining house headquartered at 49 Anderson Street, Marshalltown, Johannesburg. We take mineral concentrates and raw material from mining houses, traders and industrial buyers, and return refined, assayed product with the paperwork to move it.

Our capability spans the unusual breadth of the continent's geology. The same operation that recovers gold and precious stones also upgrades graphite, lithium, spodumene, tantalum, niobium, beryllium and rare earth elements, separates heavy mineral sands, and handles bulk industrial minerals such as bauxite, copper, iron ore, nickel, lead, limestone and coal.

That range means one relationship, one set of documentation and one point of accountability — whether you are shipping a single gemstone parcel or a multi-container mineral sands consignment.

  • Head office and processing facility in Marshalltown, Johannesburg
  • Five processing streams: precious, critical, coastal sands, gemstones and bulk minerals
  • Assay-backed reporting and secure chain of custody on every lot

How we are organised

Our reporting structure, from the board through to the plant floor and the desks that face our suppliers and buyers.

Board of Directors

Sets strategy, capital allocation and risk appetite; chairs the technical and responsible-sourcing committees.

Chief Executive Officer

Accountable for the refinery's operations, commercial performance and regulatory standing.

Chief Operating Officer

Runs the processing plant, maintenance, logistics and the assay laboratory.

Chief Financial Officer

Treasury, cost control, hedging and financial reporting.

Commercial Director

Offtake agreements, pricing, export sales and new business.

Head of Compliance & Risk

KYC, responsible sourcing, chain of custody and regulatory reporting.

Plant Management

Shift managers and process metallurgists covering smelting, refining, mineral separation and materials handling.

Technical & Assay

Sampling, laboratory analysis, grade verification and metallurgical test work.

Supply Chain & Logistics

Intake scheduling, road and rail movement, export documentation and customs.

Commercial & Procurement

Supplier registration, concentrate purchasing, offtake contracts and buyer liaison.

Support Functions

Finance and administration, human talent, health, safety and environment, and security.

Named role holders and full reporting lines are available to registered suppliers and contracted buyers on request — write to newbusiness@centralrefinery.africa.

Trusted by mines and traders

What our partners say about working with African Central Refinery.

We moved our graphite and spodumene concentrates to ACR after struggling to find one facility that could handle both. Assay results came back clean and on schedule, and the documentation cleared export without a hitch.

Thabo MokoenaOperations Director, Limpopo mining house

Gold and ruby parcels in the same consignment is unusual, and most refiners won't touch it. ACR handled the grading and the secure chain of custody properly. We've used them for three seasons now.

Naledi DlaminiManaging Partner, gemstone trading company

Their heavy mineral sands separation gave us consistent ilmenite and zircon grades for our pigment customers. Straight answers on turnaround times, which is rare in this market.

Johan van der MerweProcurement Manager, industrial minerals buyer

Our Shop

Browse our products and checkout via WhatsApp.

Gold Doré Bar (1 kg)

Gold Doré Bar (1 kg)

R 1250000

Assay-certified gold doré bar, refined and reported per lot.

1
Copper Cathode Bundle

Copper Cathode Bundle

R 185000

High-grade copper cathode bundle prepared for export markets.

1
Graphite Concentrate (1 t)

Graphite Concentrate (1 t)

R 42000

Upgraded graphite concentrate for battery and industrial use.

1
Zircon Sand (1 t)

Zircon Sand (1 t)

R 28500

Sized and graded zircon from heavy mineral sands separation.

1

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    South African Diamond & Precious Metals RegulatorAccredited to receive, hold, process and release precious metals and precious stones.

    Accredited and registered in South Africa

    African Central Refinery is accredited by the South African Diamond & Precious Metals Regulator (SADPMR) and registered with the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) of South Africa — the accreditations behind every certificate and chain-of-custody record we issue.

    • SADPMR accredited to deal in and process precious metals and precious stones
    • Registered with the Department of Trade and Industry for mineral and precious metal trade
    • Registered records and reporting on every precious metal lot

    Talk to our refining team

    Send us your mineral specification, tonnage and destination. We'll come back with a processing route, indicative terms and a turnaround estimate.

    Send an enquiry

    Tell us what you're shipping and where it needs to go.

    Register as a mineral supplier

    If you have mineral material that needs refining, upgrading, grading or assay verification, register it here. African Central Refinery processes precious and base metals, critical and battery minerals, heavy mineral sands and precious stones at our Marshalltown facility in Johannesburg.

    Start your registrationTalk to the supplier desk
    Geologist inspecting mineral ore samples before refining
    Sample intake and grading — Marshalltown, Johannesburg

    Who can register

    We work with anyone holding lawful title to mineral material in Africa — from a single artisanal parcel to multi-container consignments. There is no minimum tonnage to register, and no cost to submit your material for assessment.

    • Mines and mining housesOperating or developing operations with run-of-mine ore, concentrate or doré to place.
    • Traders and aggregatorsBuyers and consolidators holding stock, with documentation proving lawful acquisition.
    • Cooperatives and small-scale groupsRegistered co-ops and syndicates pooling production from members.
    • Artisanal and small-scale minersIndividual diggers and licensed artisanal groups with gemstone, gold or mineral parcels.

    What happens after you register

    Every registration is reviewed by our intake team. You will hear back from a named contact, not an automated reply.

    1. We review your submission. Your mineral type, volume and material form are checked against our processing streams within two working days.
    2. We confirm the processing route. You receive an indicative route, sampling requirements and a turnaround estimate for your material.
    3. Sampling and assay. Where needed, we arrange sample collection or accept your assay report for verification before pricing.
    4. Terms and delivery. We agree processing terms, delivery point and documentation, then schedule intake at the refinery.
    5. Refining and release. Your lot is processed, assayed and released with a certificate and full chain-of-custody records.

    What to have ready

    Registrations move fastest when these five things are in hand. If you are missing one, register anyway — we will tell you what is needed.

    Mineral specification

    The mineral or minerals you are supplying, the material form, and any known grade, sizing or impurity limits your material carries.

    Assay or grade report

    A recent assay, analysis or grade certificate from a recognised laboratory. If you have none, we can arrange sampling and assay on your behalf.

    Quantity available

    How much you hold now and how much you can supply monthly, with the unit of measure — tonnes, kilograms, grams or carats.

    Delivery point

    Where the material currently sits and where you intend to deliver it — mine gate, warehouse, port or our Marshalltown facility.

    Licence or permit

    Your mining, trading or export licence, or the permit that applies to your material, plus a certificate of origin where relevant.

    Proof of ownership

    Documentation showing lawful title to the material — purchase records, royalty receipts or a signed mandate if you are acting for the holder.

    South African Diamond & Precious Metals RegulatorAccredited to receive, hold, process and release precious metals and precious stones.
    Department of Trade and IndustryRegistered with the dti, Republic of South Africa, for the trade in minerals and precious metals.

    Accredited and registered in South Africa

    African Central Refinery is accredited by the South African Diamond & Precious Metals Regulator (SADPMR) — the statutory body that licenses and regulates the trade in diamonds, gold and other precious metals — and is registered with the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) of South Africa.

    Together these accreditations are what allow us to lawfully receive, hold, process and release precious metal and precious stone material, and they sit behind every certificate and chain-of-custody record we issue.

    • SADPMR accredited to deal in and process precious metals and precious stones
    • Registered with the Department of Trade and Industry for mineral and precious metal trade
    • Registered records and reporting on every precious metal lot
    • Accreditation and registration details available to registered suppliers on request

    Talk to our supplier desk

    Questions about what we can process, or whether your material qualifies? Contact the intake team directly — we answer supplier enquiries within two working days.

    Prefer to send documents first?

    Email your assay report, licence and specification to our supplier desk and we will come back with a processing route and indicative terms. Attachments are welcome.

    Email the supplier desk

    Register as a refining warehouse

    If you run a warehouse, depot or secure storage facility and want to hold, consolidate and dispatch mineral material for refining with African Central Refinery, register your facility here. We work with bonded warehouses, port and inland depots, and secure yards that can receive, weigh, sample and release mineral lots on our behalf.

    Start your registrationTalk to the logistics desk
    Mineral warehouse with stacked sacks and pallets ready for dispatch
    Bulk mineral storage and dispatch — intake, weighing and release

    Who can register a warehouse

    We register facilities that can lawfully receive, store and release mineral material, with the security, weighing and record-keeping to match. There is no minimum floor area to register, and no cost to submit your facility for assessment.

    • Bonded and customs warehousesLicensed facilities able to hold mineral material under bond, with customs release and export documentation in place.
    • Port and inland depotsDepots near ports, border posts or railheads that can consolidate lots and load for onward dispatch.
    • Secure yards and gated storesFenced, guarded storage with controlled access, CCTV and a documented chain of custody for every lot.
    • Third-party logistics operatorsFreight forwarders and logistics companies handling mineral cargo that want to offer refining-linked storage.

    What happens after you register

    Every facility registration is reviewed by our logistics and compliance team. You will hear back from a named contact, not an automated reply.

    1. We review your facility. Your location, capacity, security and handling capability are checked against our intake and dispatch requirements within two working days.
    2. We confirm the storage role. You receive an indicative role — intake point, consolidation hub or dispatch point — with the volumes we expect to route through you.
    3. Compliance and audit. We verify your licences, insurance and record-keeping, and where needed arrange a site visit or third-party inspection.
    4. Terms and onboarding. We agree storage terms, handling and sampling procedures, liability and reporting, then add your facility to our approved list.
    5. First consignment. Material is received, weighed, sampled and logged, then released to the refinery with full chain-of-custody records.

    What to have ready

    Registrations move fastest when these six things are in hand. If you are missing one, register anyway — we will tell you what is needed.

    Facility details

    Your address, covered and open floor area, racking or bulk capacity, and the unit of measure you work in — tonnes, square metres or containers.

    Licences and permits

    Your warehouse, bonded, trading or storage licence, plus any customs or port authority approval that applies to your facility.

    Insurance cover

    A current policy covering stored mineral material, with the insured value and the risks covered — fire, theft, flood and transit.

    Security and access control

    How the site is guarded, how access is recorded, and whether you have CCTV, weighbridge and sealed or segregated storage bays.

    Handling and sampling

    What you can do on site — weighing, sampling, bagging, container stuffing — and the equipment you have for each.

    Record keeping

    How you log intake, storage and release, and how you would produce a chain-of-custody record for every lot you hold.

    Talk to our logistics desk

    Questions about what we require from a storage facility, or whether your site qualifies? Contact the logistics team directly — we answer warehouse enquiries within two working days.

    Prefer to send documents first?

    Email your warehouse licence, insurance certificate and facility photographs to our logistics desk and we will come back with the storage role we have in mind and indicative terms. Attachments are welcome.

    Email the logistics desk

    Track your minerals

    Every lot we receive is logged, weighed and assayed, then moved through a documented processing route. Enter your lot reference below to see exactly where your material sits — the current stage, the assay and weight figures on record, and the documents released so far. Our smelting and refining lines are tracked on the same reference, so a furnace run is as visible as a laboratory result.

    Track a lot referenceContact the tracking desk
    Laboratory technician testing a mineral sample before assay
    Assay and grade verification — Marshalltown laboratory

    Check a lot reference

    Your lot reference appears on your intake receipt and on every email from our tracking desk. It looks like ACR-2025-0418. Enter it to pull up the current status of your consignment.

    Try the sample reference ACR-2025-0418 to see how a live lot is displayed. If your reference is not recognised, it may still be in intake — contact the tracking desk and we will locate it.

    Release documentation

    Every lot leaves with a complete document pack. These are the records issued against your reference, and what each one tells you.

    Intake receipt

    Issued the day your material is received. Records the lot reference, the weight and condition on arrival, the seals applied and the intake point that took delivery.

    Issued at intake

    Assay and grade report

    The laboratory result for your material — grade, impurities and the method used. Issued after sampling and again on the refined product at the end of the run.

    Issued after assay

    Certificate of analysis

    The formal statement of what your refined product is: purity, final weight and the specification it meets. This is the document your buyer or export agent will ask for.

    Issued at release

    Chain-of-custody record

    A dated log of every movement, seal and handover your material has been through, from intake to release. Required for export clearance and for buyer due diligence.

    Updated at every stage

    Release note

    Authorises collection or dispatch of the refined product, naming the party permitted to take delivery and the point of release. Nothing leaves without one.

    Issued before dispatch

    Processing statement

    A summary of the route your lot took, the recovery achieved and the weight reconciliation between feed and product — useful for your own reporting and royalty records.

    Issued with release

    Smelting, alongside refining

    African Central Refinery is a smelter as well as a refinery. Concentrates, doré, furnace matte and scrap metal are smelted in our furnace line to a homogeneous bar or ingot, then refined and assayed to specification.

    Smelting sits inside the same lot reference as every other stage. You see the charge date, the furnace run, the bar weight and the final assay on the same tracking record — no separate process to chase.

    • Furnace smeltingConcentrates, doré and matte charged to the furnace and tapped as a homogeneous bar or ingot.
    • Base and precious metalsCopper, lead, zinc and tin alongside gold, silver and platinum-group material.
    • Charge and recovery reportedFeed weight, flux and recovery reconciled against the bar weight before release.
    • Assayed before it leavesEvery smelted bar is sampled and assayed, with the result on your certificate of analysis.
    Molten metal being poured from an industrial smelting furnace
    Furnace line — smelting and refining, Marshalltown

    The six stages, explained

    What happens to your material at each stage, and roughly how long it takes. Timelines run from the day your lot is received at the refinery.

    1. Intake and registration

      Your material is received, weighed on a calibrated scale, sealed and photographed. A lot reference is issued and your intake receipt is emailed to you the same day.

      Day 1

    2. Sampling and preparation

      Representative samples are drawn from across the consignment, then dried, crushed and split. Retained splits are held so results can be independently verified if you ask.

      2 – 4 days

    3. Assay and grade verification

      The laboratory establishes grade and impurity levels, and checks the result against any assay report you supplied. You are told the outcome before processing begins.

      3 – 6 days

    4. Refining and processing

      Your lot runs through the processing route agreed for its mineral type — smelting in our furnace line, electrorefining, gravity or flotation separation, or gemstone sorting and grading. Concentrates and doré are smelted to a saleable bar before the final assay.

      5 – 15 days

    5. Final assay and quality release

      The refined product is assayed again, purity is certified, and the release weight is reconciled against the weight received. Any variance is explained in writing.

      2 – 3 days

    6. Documentation and dispatch

      Your document pack is issued and collection or onward dispatch is arranged to your nominated point. Tracking stays open until the material is signed for.

      1 – 2 days

    How we work

    African Central Refinery runs a modern, internationally aligned toll-processing and offtake model. We do not buy your material and we do not take title to it — we process it on your behalf under a tolling agreement, to internationally recognised standards, and hand back a refined, certified product with the paperwork to move it across borders.

    That means a mine, a cooperative or a trader keeps ownership of the value in the ground while we supply the plant, the laboratory, the compliance chain and the export-ready documentation. You are charged for the processing service, not for the metal — and where you want a buyer at the end of the route, we can place your refined product with an international offtaker under a pre-agreed offtake agreement.

    Refinery team reviewing a mineral processing plan in a modern office
    Processing route planning — Marshalltown, Johannesburg

    You keep ownership

    Your material stays yours from intake to release. We hold it under seal, insured and logged, and release it only against your instruction or a named mandate.

    One contract, one route

    Sampling, assay, smelting, refining, certification and dispatch sit under a single tolling agreement, drafted on international commercial terms, so you deal with one desk instead of five suppliers.

    Built for any scale

    A single artisanal parcel and a multi-container consignment follow the same route. There is no minimum tonnage to register and no cost to submit material for assessment.

    Published turnaround

    Each stage carries a stated timeline and every lot is tracked against it. If a stage runs long, the tracking desk tells you why and when it will close.

    Transparent reconciliation

    Weight received, weight after processing and recovery are reported side by side, and any variance is explained in writing before release.

    Regional by design, global by contract

    We work with suppliers, warehouses and logistics partners across Africa, so material can be consolidated near the source and moved on a documented route to international buyers and refiners.

    From your material to a certified product

    The commercial model in five moves. Each one is a step you can see on your lot reference, with the documents issued at that point.

    1. Register

      Submit your mineral, volume and material form. No fee, no minimum tonnage, no obligation.

    2. Assess

      We confirm the processing route, sampling requirements and an indicative turnaround.

    3. Agree

      Processing terms, delivery point and documentation are set out in one agreement.

    4. Process

      Your lot is weighed, assayed and refined, with the status visible on your reference.

    5. Release

      Certified product, release note and chain-of-custody pack, dispatched to your nominated point.

    How we charge

    A processing fee agreed per lot or per tonne, quoted before your material moves. No hidden deductions and no commission taken from your product.

    What you get back

    Refined or upgraded product — smelted bars, refined metal or graded mineral — with a certificate of analysis, a processing statement and the chain-of-custody record for export or onward sale.

    Who we work with

    Mines, traders, cooperatives, artisanal groups and registered warehouses — anyone holding lawful title to mineral material — alongside international offtakers, trading houses and end users.

    Run to international practice

    Our commercial model follows the way mineral is traded and processed internationally, so a lot refined in Johannesburg can be sold, financed, insured and shipped without the buyer having to re-do the work.

    Toll processing, not buying

    You retain title throughout. We charge a processing fee per lot or per tonne, quoted before your material moves, with no commission taken from your product.

    Independently verified assay

    Results are produced under recognised laboratory practice, with retained sample splits and the option of an umpire assay by an independent laboratory if you or your buyer require it.

    Responsible sourcing

    Intake, weighing, sealing and chain-of-custody records are kept to the standard international buyers and export authorities expect, including origin and licence documentation.

    Export-ready documentation

    Certificate of analysis, processing statement, release note and chain-of-custody pack are issued in the form banks, insurers, freight forwarders and customs accept.

    International commercial terms

    Delivery, risk, title and payment are set out on standard international trade terms, with delivery points at the refinery, port or a bonded warehouse.

    Confidential and compliant

    Commercial terms, grades and counterparties stay confidential, and every lot is processed against applicable mineral, customs and anti-money-laundering requirements.

    Offtake agreements with the international market

    If you would rather not carry the product to market yourself, we can structure an offtake agreement that places your refined or smelted output with an international buyer before the lot is released.

    The offtake sits alongside your processing agreement, not instead of it. You stay the owner of the material until the sale completes, and you see the terms before anything is committed.

    • Pricing referenced to the relevant international benchmark for the metal or mineral, with the quotation period stated.
    • Quantity, grade and specification defined against the certificate of analysis issued at release.
    • Delivery terms, Incoterms and the point of transfer of risk set out in writing.
    • Payment terms and, where required, a letter of credit or pre-payment arrangement through a recognised bank.
    • Assay and quality dispute procedure, including independent umpire assay.
    • Governing law, jurisdiction and confidentiality, with sanctions and compliance screening on both sides.
    • Buyers and trading housesInternational offtakers, metal traders and end users who want a documented, assayed supply of refined metal or graded mineral from a single accountable counterparty.
    • Producers who want a route to marketMines, cooperatives and traders who hold lawful title and want their output sold internationally without building their own export and compliance function.
    • Structured over a termOfftake can be agreed for a single lot, a monthly allocation or a multi-year term, with volumes and grades reviewed against what your operation actually produces.
    • One desk, both agreementsThe tracking desk coordinates your processing agreement and your offtake, so the release date, the certificate and the buyer's collection are planned together.
    Discuss an offtake agreement

    Offtake and export enquiries: export@centralrefinery.africa

    Talk to our tracking desk

    If a reference is not recognised, a smelt or a stage is taking longer than expected, or you need a document reissued, contact the tracking desk directly. We answer lot enquiries within one working day.

    Send us your lot reference

    Email your lot reference and what you need — a status update, a reissued certificate or a copy of the chain-of-custody record — and the tracking desk will come back to you with the detail.

    Email the tracking desk