Mining & minerals

In just 2 years, Bureau Veritas has become one of the largest providers of mineral testing services worldwide. Bureau Veritas is now able to provide laboratory testing (geochemical and mineral processing) services to its mining clients wherever they are.


Bureau Veritas has built a network of mineral testing services following completion of 4 acquisitions over the past 18 months:

CCI, the leading provider of coal inspection and testing services in Australia;
Cesmec, one the leading providers of sample preparation and geoanalytical services in Chile;
Amdel, the leading provider of geoanalytical and mineral processing testing services for non-coal minerals in Australia; and
GeoAnalitica, one the leading providers of geoanalytical services in Chile.


Today, Bureau Veritas operates 36 mineral testing laboratories in 8 countries (Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Brazil, South Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, Namibia and Mozambique) through 5 brands:




A one stop-shop provider of mineral testing services


Bureau Veritas is a leading provider of one-stop-shop laboratory services to the mining industry. It offers a full suite of geoanalytical and mineral processing services across a broad range of commodities, including

-    Iron ore,
-    Coal,
-    Nickel,
-    Uranium,
-    Bauxite,
-    PGMs,
-    Copper,
-    Gold,
-    Silver,
-    Base metals,
-    Precious metals,
-    Rare earth minerals,
-    Base metals.


We help our customers assess the mineral content of their deposits and assess the optimal methodology or processing route available to extract the valuable minerals from the ore body.

Services are provided throughout the mine life cycle and include:

-    Sample preparation
-    Geoanalytical services, such as
  • Fire assay,
  • ICP-OES,
  • ICP-MS,
  • Wet chemistry,
  • TGA,
  • XRF,
  • AAS.

-    Mineral processing services, including but not limited to

  • Comminution,
  • Magnetic and gravity separation,
  • Flotation,
  • Hydrometallurgy,
  • Pyrometallurgy,
  • Ore characterization (including automated mineralogy QEMSCAN),
  • Pilot plant operation.

Our expertise is recognised by many of the world’s major mining houses, including BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Codelco, Vale, Xstrata and Anglo American.

A world leader in automation

Amdel is a world leader in the use of automation for mineral analysis, having developed several robotic solutions for the processing of mineral samples. For example, Amdel has developed robotic sample preparation cells capable of handling over 1000 samples a day. These cells, which are unique in the world, ensure clients the very best level of accuracy, combined with high throughput and the reduction of manual handling of samples. Automation is therefore key to reducing workplace accidents.

What Bureau Veritas can do for you?

With its international network comprising 900 offices in 140 countries, Bureau Veritas can answer your mineral testing needs in virtually all locations.

Bureau Veritas has already provided mineral testing services for clients in a number of locations, including:

-    Africa: Sierra Leone, Guinea, Egypt, Mauritania, Congo, Zambia, Mozambique, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania, Namibia.
-    Asia: Laos, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Fiji, China.
-    Other: Kazakhstan, Georgia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, Brazil, Uruguay, Greenland.


Please contact us for all needs related to:

-    Geoanalytical and mineral processing testwork,
-    Management of sample preparation facilities,
-    Outsourcing of your existing laboratories,
-    Set-up of new laboratories to serve your existing or future operations.


Additional services

In addition to testing services related to mining exploration and production, Bureau Veritas can also assess the quantity and quality of mineral commodities as they are shipped.

Services provided in this respect include:

-    Pre/post pad inspection for cleanliness and/or contamination of shipments
-    Quantity and quality inspection of commodities at truck and train discharge and on loading of export cargoes
-    Stockpile monitoring/surveillance
-    Temperature monitoring, moisture analysis, physical properties testing and chemical analysis.


Finally Bureau Veritas is also able to provide its mining clients with a full range of inspection and audit services, including:

-    Shop inspection,
-    QA/AC inspections,
-    Design review and Risk Safety Studies,
-    Non Destructive Testing & Inspection,
-    Condition monitoring,
-    Failure analysis / Asset optimization (RAM),
-    Health, Safety and Environment studies: HSE regulatory compliance / Environmental impact assessment / Safety & work / Occupational hygiene,
-    System certification (ISO 9000, ISO 14000, OHSAS 18000…),
-    Environmental (water, soil, air) testing.


Discover videos of our capabilities:


More information on:

Amdel website

Cesmec website

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Mining & Minerals business line

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