Silicon metal social inventory hit a new low at 25,000 mt

South Africa's mining production fell 4% year-on-year in June 2026, according to Statistics South Africa, with platinum group metals (PGMs) the largest drag, down 8.4% YoY and subtracting 2.4 percentage points from the headline figure. Coal production declined 6.6% (-1.7pp) and iron-ore output fell 10.2% (-1.5pp). On a seasonally adjusted basis, production edged up 0.3% month-on-month in June, following a 5.2% drop in May and a 3% gain in April, leaving second-quarter production down 2.7% quarter-on-quarter. Against that backdrop, chromium ore stood out on the sales side of the report. Mineral sales at current prices rose 27.2% YoY in June, and chromium ore was the third-largest positive contributor, with sales value up 49% YoY, adding 3.7 percentage points to the headline gain. Only gold (+125.7% YoY, contributing 17.1pp) and PGMs (+27% YoY, contributing 7.3pp) contributed more. Iron-ore sales value fell 16.1% YoY (-1.7pp) and other non-metallic minerals dropped 35.5% (-1.3pp), the only negative contributors in the sales breakdown. The divergence is worth noting precisely: Stats SA's report does not break out chromium ore within its production-volume figures for June, meaning the sector's standout performance this month is a sales-value story rather than a confirmed rise in physical output. Combined with firmer chrome ore and ferrochrome pricing through H1 2026, the data points to a chrome segment that continues to generate disproportionate revenue for South Africa's mining sector even as broader production volumes soften, reinforcing chrome's role as a relative bright spot within an otherwise contracting mining base.