The development of chromite mining depends largely on the state of chromite resources. China now possesses relatively small reserves of chromite and on the whole it is poor in chromite resources, so its chromite mining is not well developed. China started to exploit chromite in 1958, but the production has long been at a low level with unstable yields. Table 3.4.2 presents the output of crude ores of chromite in China from 1958~1997.

Table 3.4.2 Output of crude ores of chromite from 1958-1997(t)

3.4.2.1 Production     

At present the major chromite-producing mines are the Luobusa and Xiangkashan Mines in Tibet, Sartokay in Xinjiang, Dadaoerji in Gansu and Hegenshan Mine in Inner Mongolia. In addition there are some local mines or mining sites. The total mining capacity is 178,000 tons. In the year of 1997, 200,000 tons of crud ores were produced, a record output in the history, which was increased by 70,000 tons (53.8%) compared with 1996. 89.5% of the output was yielded by township collective and privately-owned enterprises.     

According to Metals & Minerals Annual Review (1998), the world's output of chromite (lumps and concentrates) in 1998 was 12.104 million tons. South Africa took the first place, yielding 5.9 million tons of chromite, followed by Kazakhstan and India (1.4 million tons for each), Turkey (1 million tons), Finland (611,000 tons), Zimbabwe (500,000 tons) and Brazil (400,000 tons). It can be seen that China is far behind these countries in terms of the output of crude ore.     

Chromite is mainly used in the production of chromium-series alloys, including carbon ferrochrome, medium-low-carbon ferrochrome, micro-carbon ferrochrome, vacuum ferrochrome, Si-Cr alloy, chromium nitride and metallic chromium. The total output of 1997 was 478,000 tons,  increased by 12.2% compared with 1996, among which were 351,000 tons of carbon ferrochrome, 60,000 tons of medium-low-carbon ferrochrome and 67,000 tons of micro-carbon ferrochrome.

3.4.2.2 Distribution of Production     

China falls short of chromite resources and the chromite deposits are usually mined soon after they are discovered. Since 1958 chromite mining has been carried out in Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Shaanxi, Beijing, Hebei, Tibet and Gansu. In 1996, totally 130,000 tons of crude ores were produced in China, among which 50,600 tons were output in Xinjiang, 46,500 tons in Tibet, 19,100 tons in Gansu, 10,300 tons in Qinghai and 3,600 tons in Inner Mongolia. In 1997, the total output of crude ores was 200,000 tons, mainly in Tibet, Xinjiang and Qinghai.     

There are 7 major chromite-producing mines in China, which are listed bellow.

(1) Luobusa mine in Qusum, Tibet

Its construction started in 1988 (opencut mining) with a designed annual mining capacity of 50,000 tons and was completed in 1993. The mine went to operation in 1994. The mined and lost ores were 87,000 tons in 1997.

(2) Xiangkashan Mine in Qusum, Tibet

44,000 tons of ores was mined in this area from 1988~1993. The mine was first built in August 1995 and the designed annual mining capacity was 20,000 tons. It is presently in operation.

(3) Dongqiao mine in Adoi, Tibet     

It was built in 1967 as a small manually-mining open pit with a designed annual production capacity of 10,000 tons. The designed annual output was 30,000 tons for a period of 1968~1970 and it produced 20,000 tons of chromite in 1968. The mine was extended in 1992 with an annual output of 50,000 tons and went into normal production in 1979, yielding 30,000 tons of chromite in that year. Since 1980 the yearly output has reached 50,000 tons and the production was ended up in 1984. In this period the designed chromite yield was 310,000 tons and the real output was 340,000 tons.

(4) Sartokay mine in Toli, Xinjiang
     
Ore mining was set forth in 1971 in No.4 mining district. At present there are 5 mining districts in operation and their total production capacity is 38,500 tons per year.

(5) Whale chromite mine in Toli, Xinjiang     

This mine was built in 1970 with a designed production scale of 100 t/d. It was closed in 1982 and the real cumulative output was 176,000 tons.

(6) Hegenshan mine in Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia     

Small-scale mining was started in 1958 and it was put into regular production in 1971 (underground mining). The original designed annual output was 60,000 tons, but the mine was closed in 1986 due to technical and economic problems. In early 1995 a local enterprise erected a small shaft (83.5 m deep) to try to dig rich ores and the mining is now under way.     

(7) Dadaoerji mine in northern Gansu     

Ore mining was conducted after 1971 by enterprises under the local government. The present production capacity is estimated at 20,000 t/a.     

There are altogether 10 major ferrochrome alloy enterprises in China: the Iron Alloy Factory under the Capital Iron and Steel Company, Jinzhou Iron Alloy (Group) Co., Ltd. and Liaoyang Iron Alloy Group Company in Liaoning Province, Jilin Iron Alloy Factory in Jilin Province, Shanghai Shenjia Iron Alloy Co., Ltd. in Shanghai, Nanjing Iron Alloy Factory in Jiangsu Province, Hengshan Iron Alloy Factory in Zhejiang Province, Hunan Iron Alloy Factory in Hunan Province, Emei Iron Alloy (Group) Co., Ltd. in Sichuan Province and Chongqing Iron Alloy Factory in Chongqing.