Mining and metals

Unit economics of a copper mine

Prints the prompt and every part you have revealed so far.

New to this industry?Start with its one-minute summary: Mining and metals

The prompt

Ridgecrest Copper (a fictional company) runs an open-pit mine in Chile. It processes 25 million tonnes of ore a year at a grade of 0.8 percent copper, with 90 percent recovery. Mining and processing cost USD 24 per tonne of ore. Transport, smelting charges and site overheads add USD 210 million a year. The copper price is USD 9,500 per tonne. What is the cash cost per tonne of copper and the yearly cash margin?

Practice with a partner

1. Send the interviewer link to a friend. They read the case aloud and hold the answers.

2. You open the candidate view: you see only the prompt, a timer and a notes box.

3. Speak the case out loud. Your partner shares data when you ask, then scores you with the rubric.

Interviewer view
For the person running the case
Open WhatsApp (share the interviewer view link, opens in a new tab)
Candidate view
For the person answering the case
Open WhatsApp (share the candidate view link, opens in a new tab)

Print interviewer sheet

Your turn first

Before you reveal anything, sketch your structure and your first move here.

Clarifying questions, with the interviewer's answers

My notes on this case

Write anything you want to remember. Only you can see it.

0 of 5,000 characters. Saves automatically.