MINING AND MINERALS Standards Summary – October 2025 Retrospective Overview

Looking back at October 2025, professionals in the Mining and Minerals sector saw the release of two pivotal international standards addressing mineral analysis and process control. These publications—focusing on silver content determination in sulfide concentrates and the size analysis of coal—reflect the sector’s continued commitment to accuracy, safety, and comparability in raw material assessment. For industry leaders, engineers, quality managers, and anyone committed to global best practices, this monthly retrospective brings into focus the advances, themes, and compliance considerations that shaped the period’s standardization landscape.

Monthly Overview: October 2025

October 2025’s standardization activity in the Mining and Minerals field emphasized analytical rigor and enhanced traceability across mineral product supply chains. Unlike some busier periods characterized by broad technical updates or sweeping changes, this month’s publications targeted two fundamental—but frequently overlooked—pillars of mineral resource analysis:

• Accurate quantification of valuable elements (silver in base metal concentrates)
• Elaborate grain size characterization for coal processing

The focus on laboratory methodologies rather than purely operational or process standards signals an industry trend toward reinforcing the reliability of sample-based data, which underpins everything from trade contracts to compliance with environmental and safety obligations.

This selective but focused activity aligns with evolving demands for precision in commodity evaluation, regulatory scrutiny of reporting practices, and the widespread adoption of automated technologies within coal and non-ferrous concentrate laboratories. Compared to average monthly publication patterns—which often see a broader mix of standards (from mining safety to equipment)—October’s spotlight on analytical methods suggests a recalibration toward foundational quality control protocols, echoing wider industry trends in digital QA/QC and end-to-end traceability.

Standards Published This Month

ISO 11456:2025 – Silver Content Determination in Copper and Zinc Sulfide Concentrates

Copper and zinc sulfide concentrates – Determination of silver content – Acid digestion and flame atomic absorption spectrometric or inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometric method

ISO 11456:2025 specifies a robust set of laboratory procedures for the quantitative determination of silver in copper and zinc sulfide concentrates. Its core methodologies—acid digestion followed by either flame atomic absorption spectrometric (AAS) or inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometric (ICP-OES) analysis—are tailored to sample matrices encountered in global base metal mining operations.

The standard applies to concentrates containing silver ranging from 10 g/t to 800 g/t, covering the typical grades seen in both copper and zinc production streams. Laboratories and operators following this protocol are equipped to deliver precise, reproducible results required for commercial transactions, compliance reporting, and resource evaluation.

Key requirements and specifications:

• Complete sample preparation procedures, including both nitric-hydrochloric acid and nitric-perchloric acid matrix decomposition
• Meticulously specified instrumentation parameters (e.g., recommended wavelengths for silver and yttrium)
• Guidance on calibration, use of certified reference materials, and performance checks for trueness and precision
• Stepwise workflow for both AAS and ICP-OES approaches, with calculation methods for reporting mass fraction on a dry or air-equilibrated basis

Target audiences: Analytical labs in mining/metals, QA/QC personnel for concentrate trading, technical managers at smelters and refineries, third-party assay and certification providers, and regulatory compliance agencies.

Industry impact: This standard builds consistency and credibility into silver assay results, which are critical for contract settlement, resource evaluation, and process optimization in multi-metal mining complexes. With explicit attention to matrix effects, background correction, and calibration strategy, the document positions itself as an essential procedural reference for both established and emerging mineral laboratories.

Key highlights:

• Supports both AAS and ICP-OES, ensuring broad applicability regardless of lab instrumentation
• Integrates full precision and trueness validation procedures, promoting global comparability
• Directly references related ISO standards on sampling, moisture correction, and calibration

Access the full standard: View ISO 11456:2025 on iTeh Standards

ISO 1953:2025 – Coal Size Analysis by Sieving

Coal – Size analysis by sieving

ISO 1953:2025 details the reference methods for determining the particle size distribution of coal using manual sieving, applicable to a wide span of coal types and particle sizes ranging from 90 mm to 45 μm. By encompassing both wet and dry sieving methods, it ensures that coal preparation labs can address agglomerating, high-moisture, or dust-prone samples with suitable accuracy.

The standard is not applicable to coke, but sets the benchmark for all coal types—lignite, bituminous, anthracite—supporting both domestic sampling and international product certification.

Key requirements and specifications:

• Extensive apparatus specifications, including appropriate sieve aperture series for different coal size fractions
• Detailed procedures for gross sample division, drying, equilibration, and reduction to test sample
• Clear instructions on conducting both dry and wet sieving, with contingencies for sample mass, agglomerated material, and moisture re-equilibration
• Reporting and calculation rules to ensure test results are both accurate and reproducible
• Guidance on selecting sieve sets, sample sizes, and mass handling to achieve desired precision (1% or 2%), aiding both compliance and process control

Target audiences: Coal mining and preparation plants, laboratory assay and sampling professionals, power utilities, environmental regulators, QA/QC teams managing run-of-mine and export shipments.

Industry impact: ISO 1953:2025 underpins quality assurance for both routine plant operations and international coal trade. Its structured approach guards against errors stemming from improper sample division, worn sieves, or inconsistent moisture control, all of which carry major cost and contract risks.

This edition notably updates recommendations on drying temperatures, sample equilibration, and removes outdated calculation methods, reflecting advances in coal handling and laboratory best practices.

Key highlights:

• Comprehensive guidance for both dry and wet sieving across all coal types
• Revised reporting requirements and updated sample handling protocols
• Enables direct comparison of results across markets and regulatory environments

Access the full standard: View ISO 1953:2025 on iTeh Standards

Common Themes and Industry Trends

An analysis of October 2025’s publications reveals a clear emphasis on laboratory-based quality control and international comparability. Both standards are foundational for reliably characterizing material quality, supporting:

• Contractual transparency: Whether determining pay metals in concentrates or particle size fractions for blending/processing, accurate lab protocols drive confidence in commercial settlements.
• Regulatory alignment: Enhanced sampling and analytical requirements echo regulatory expectations for traceability and audit-readiness in mineral value chains.
• Process optimization: High-resolution analytics (as in ISO 11456) and rigorous sizing (per ISO 1953) enable operational improvements—better recovery, optimized reagent usage, and minimized out-of-spec shipments.
• Adaptability to new technologies: By specifying methods compatible with both traditional and newer analytical instruments (AAS and ICP-OES), as well as improved sample handling guidance in coal, the standards cater to a broad range of laboratory setups and evolving industry capabilities.

The focus on refining core analysis methods, rather than launching broad or prescriptive new requirements, signals that industry priorities may be shifting to maximize the value and reliability of existing infrastructure while supporting modernization in sampling and measurement workflows.

Compliance and Implementation Considerations

For organizations impacted by these standards, effective implementation involves:

1. Laboratory Validation: Review and, where necessary, recalibrate instruments (AAS, ICP-OES, sieve shakers) to confirm compliance with ISO parameters. Re-express quality control protocols to mirror the procedures and performance targets set out in the standards.
2. Personnel Training: Ensure laboratory and plant staff are familiar with updated sample preparation, digestion, and size analysis requirements. Where multiple decomposition or measurement routes are provided, select the protocol best suited to in-house capabilities and typical sample types.
3. Documentation and Traceability: Align internal reporting and test documentation practices to the updated requirements for data recording, sample identification, and reference to method editions. Implement or update LIMS (Laboratory Information Management Systems) to document compliance.
4. Third-party Collaboration: For entities that rely on external assay services or certification providers, explicitly reference these ISO standards in procurement documentation and verify laboratory adoption through audits or proficiency tests.
5. Transition Timelines: Set realistic internal deadlines for full implementation—especially where historical methods differ (e.g., in moisture determination or sample division). Communicate any timeline considerations to stakeholders, especially if results begin to differ due to improved precision or changed methodologies.

Priority recommendations:

• Begin gap analysis against current laboratory practices as soon as possible
• Pilot new procedures alongside existing ones to build familiarity
• Engage with relevant ISO, industry bodies, or quality assurance networks for technical support
• Leverage interlaboratory proficiency testing to verify alignment with the new standards

Conclusion: Key Takeaways from October 2025

October 2025’s standards in the Mining and Minerals sector delivered targeted yet highly impactful advancements in laboratory quality assurance. The release of ISO 11456:2025 and ISO 1953:2025 represents a substantive step forward in ensuring the integrity and comparability of mineral assay and size analysis procedures worldwide.

Professionals across the sector—whether working in chemical analysis, laboratory QA/QC, plant operations, or regulatory compliance—should prioritize reviewing and integrating these standards into their workflows. Doing so not only maintains commercial competitiveness but also safeguards against transaction disputes and regulatory non-conformity.

Staying current with such standards is foundational to long-term success in the Mining and Minerals industry, where data accuracy drives both profit margins and compliance outcomes. For a deeper dive into the specifics of each standard, be sure to explore them in full on iTeh Standards via the links above.