Fuel & diesel Diesel price Australia
Australian diesel prices for mining: September 2026
Diesel price in Australia, 25 September 2026: terminal gate 261.9 c/L in Perth to 277.6 c/L in Darwin; national 269.0 c/L, up 24.9 c/L on a month.
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Load, haul & blast Glossary
Bench in open pit mining: height, parts and blasting
A bench is one working level of an open pit, dug from its face. Its height follows the loading machine and sets the depth of every blasthole on it.
Load, haul & blast Glossary
Burden in blasting: the distance to the free face
Burden is the distance from a row of blastholes to the free face, or between rows. Rules of thumb set it at 24 to 39 hole diameters. Methods compared.
Fuel & diesel Regulation Australia
Fuel tax credits for mining contractors in Australia
Fuel tax credits for mining: from 3 August 2026 diesel used off-road on a mine earns 53.7 cents a litre; heavy vehicles on public roads earn 21.3 cents.
Safety & compliance Regulation Australia
Mine safety laws for contractors in Australia, state by state
Mine safety legislation in Australia for contractors: the model WHS Act, then NSW, Queensland and WA mine laws, each needing a contractor safety plan.
Load, haul & blast Guide
Powder factor and fragmentation: the basics for contractors
Powder factor is explosive mass per bank cubic metre or tonne blasted. The formula, a worked blast pattern, and what fragmentation does to load and haul.
Load, haul & blast Glossary
Spacing in blasting: the distance between holes in a row
Spacing is the distance between neighbouring blastholes in a row. It is usually 1 to 2 times the burden. How to set it and what it does to drilling.
Load, haul & blast Glossary
Stemming in blasting: length, material and why it matters
Stemming is inert material packed into the top of a blasthole to hold the explosive gases in. Rules of thumb put its length at about 0.7 times the burden.
Load, haul & blast Glossary
Tonne-kilometre: measuring haulage work
A tonne-kilometre is one tonne moved one kilometre. Multiply tonnes by haul distance to see haulage work that tonnes alone hide; tyres use it per hour.
Load, haul & blast Glossary
Grade resistance: what a ramp costs a haul truck
Grade resistance is the force to climb a slope: 10 kg per tonne of gross weight for each 1% of grade. Formula, degrees to percent, a pit ramp example.
Load, haul & blast Glossary
Match factor: sizing trucks to loaders
Match factor = trucks × loading time per truck ÷ (loaders × truck cycle time). Below 1 the loader waits; above 1 trucks queue. Worked excavator example.
Safety & compliance Regulation United States
MSHA rules for surface mining contractors
A contractor at a US mine is an operator under MSHA: it can be cited, needs a contractor ID for most site work, and trains under Part 46 or Part 48.
Fuel & diesel Regulation United States
Off-highway diesel tax credit for US mining
Undyed diesel burned off-highway on a mine earns back $0.243 a gallon of federal excise tax on Form 4136 or Form 8849. What qualifies and how to claim.
Safety & compliance Guide
Shift handover in mining: a practical standard
A good shift handover is face to face, two-way and backed by a written record. What a surface mine handover must cover, with a template and checklist.
Technology Guide
Telematics on mine sites: what OEM portals show and miss
Machine telematics records engine hours, fuel, location, idle time and fault codes. What manufacturers' portals show, ISO 15143-3 and what the data misses.
Load, haul & blast Guide
Truck payload: what overloading and underloading cost
Truck payload under Caterpillar's 10/10/20 policy: no more than 10% of loads over 110% of target, none over 120%, mean at or below target, and the costs.
Fuel & diesel Diesel price United States
US diesel price for mining contractors: September 2026
US on-highway diesel averaged $6.529 a gallon in the week of 21 Sep 2026 (EIA), up $0.877 in four weeks, a series high. Regional prices and cost per ton.
Maintenance Glossary
Utilisation in mining: which hours, over which total
Utilisation is the share of time a machine is actually used. The GMG model gives four versions with different bases. Formulas and a haul truck month.
Fuel & diesel Glossary
Wet stock: counting the diesel you actually hold
Wet stock is the fuel physically in your tanks and bowsers, measured by dip. Compare it with book stock each period; the gap is your stock variance.
Load, haul & blast Glossary
Berm: the safety bank along a haul road
A haul road berm is a bank of material along the road edge or centre. Thompson sets height at 50% to 66% of truck wheel diameter, sides at 1.5V:1H.
Safety & compliance Guide
Fatigue management on mine sites: the code of practice
Fatigue management on SA mines runs on a mandatory code of practice written to guideline DMR 16/3/2/4-B2. What it requires, roster risks, a checklist.
Maintenance Guide
Hour meters and engine hours: which to service and bill on
Service on engine hours from the hour meter, where OEM intervals are set. Bill on the hours your hire terms name, and reconcile the two weekly.
Maintenance Glossary
Job card: what it is and what a mine workshop must record
A job card records one maintenance job on one machine: hour meter, fault, work done, parts, labour, lockout and sign-off. The fields a workshop needs.
Markets Briefing Africa
Mining in Botswana: a briefing for South African contractors
Botswana mining: about 13 million carats of gem diamonds in 2025 and a copper expansion. Citizen rules, permits, tax and border posts for SA contractors.
Markets Briefing Africa
Mining in Namibia: a briefing for South African contractors
Namibia mining: uranium output rose 20.8% in 2025 as diamonds fell. Where contractors work, ownership policy, permits, tax and border posts for SA firms.
Markets Briefing
Mining in Zambia: a briefing for South African contractors
Mining in Zambia: 824,425 tonnes of copper in 2024. Where it is mined, the 2026 local content rules, permits, tax basics and logistics for SA contractors.
Markets Briefing Africa
Mining in Zimbabwe: a briefing for South African contractors
Zimbabwe mining: a record 50.5 tonnes of gold in 2025, Great Dyke PGMs and a lithium export ban. Rules, permits, tax and Beitbridge for SA contractors.
Load, haul & blast Glossary
Rolling resistance on haul roads, with a worked example
Rolling resistance is the force a haul truck overcomes to roll, as a % of gross weight: 1% is 10 kg per tonne. Formulas, typical values, a ramp example.
Economics Glossary
Strip ratio and overburden explained
Strip ratio is the waste removed for each unit of ore or coal mined. SA opencast coal often quotes it in BCM of waste per tonne. Formula and examples.
Maintenance Guide
Availability and utilisation in mining: the KPI formulas
Availability is the share of required time a machine was fit to work; utilisation, the share it worked. Formulas, a worked month and why figures differ.
Fuel & diesel Diesel price Africa
Diesel prices in Southern Africa for mining: September 2026
Official diesel prices for September 2026: South Africa R29.11/l wholesale, Zambia K26.86, Zimbabwe US$2.08 and Mozambique MT116.25 a litre.
Fuel & diesel Regulation
Diesel refund: eligible and ineligible mining activities
Which mining activities earn the diesel refund under Schedule 6 Note 6(f), which do not, and a checklist for mines and contractors on dry and wet work.
Fuel & diesel Guide
Fuel theft on mine sites: where diesel goes missing
Fuel theft is one of several ways diesel leaves a mine site's record, at six points from delivery to machine. How to find each loss and reconcile a month.
Economics Glossary
Load factor: turning loose volume into bank cubic metres
Load factor converts loose cubic metres to bank cubic metres: LF = 100% ÷ (100% + % swell). Formula, handbook values and a truck load example.
Economics Guide
Month-end in contract mining: last load to invoice
Month-end in contract mining turns loads, hours and delays into a signed invoice: survey against truck counts, standing time, sign-off and a checklist.
Safety & compliance Guide
Pre-start checks on mine sites: what the law requires
Pre-start checks on SA mines: regulation 8.10.24 requires operators to inspect trackless mobile machines before use and complete a checklist each shift.
Economics Glossary
Swell factor: how much rock grows once it is dug
Swell factor is the % by which rock or soil grows in volume once dug. Sandstone swells about 67%. Formula, material table and a site check.
Load, haul & blast Glossary
TKPH explained: tyres, heat and haul speed
TKPH is a tyre's heat limit in tonne-kilometres per hour. Site TKPH = mean tyre load × average speed × K1 × K2; it must stay below the tyre's rating.
Markets Briefing
Coal mining in South Africa: a contractor's briefing
Coal mining in South Africa: about 236 million tonnes a year, mostly in Mpumalanga. Where it is mined, Eskom and exports, rail, rehabilitation and risks.
Safety & compliance Regulation
DMRE to DMPR: what changed for mining, 2024 to 2026
The DMRE is now the DMPR. Mining law, the Inspectorate and SAMRAD stayed with it; electricity moved to a new department on 1 April 2025.
Load, haul & blast Guide
Haul truck cycle time: the parts and how to measure them
Haul truck cycle time is queue, spot, load, haul, dump and return, plus delays. How to measure each part, with a worked trucks and tonnes per hour example.
Fuel & diesel Guide
Idle time in mining: what it costs and how to measure it
Idle time in mining is engine hours with no work done: 30% to 60% of running time on earthmoving machines in published data. How to measure and cost it.
Maintenance Glossary
MTTR for mining equipment: measuring repair time properly
MTTR is total repair time divided by the number of repairs. Which clock to start and stop on a mine breakdown, with a worked example.
Safety & compliance Regulation
PDS in mining: what the collision avoidance rules require
PDS in mining: on SA pits with significant collision risk, diesel machines must warn, then slow and brake by themselves (reg 8.10.2.1(b), since Dec 2022).
Markets Briefing
Platinum mining in South Africa: a contractor's briefing
Platinum mining in South Africa: about 256 tonnes of PGMs in 2024 and most world reserves. Where, how, rules, logistics and risks for surface contractors.
Economics Glossary
Standing time in mining contracts: meaning and records
Standing time is when a contractor's machine is on site and ready but cannot work for a reason it does not control. What it means and what to record.
Economics Glossary
BCM (bank cubic metre): meaning and converting to tonnes
A bank cubic metre (BCM) is one cubic metre of rock or soil in the ground, before it is dug. How swell, load factor and density convert BCM to tonnes.
Markets Briefing
Chrome mining in South Africa: a contractor's briefing
Chrome mining in South Africa: 22.9 million tonnes of chromite in 2024, more than any country. Where and how it is mined, the rules, logistics and risks.
Economics Guide
Cost per tonne in contract mining: what goes into the number
Cost per tonne is the hourly cost of a fleet divided by the tonnes it moves in that hour. What goes into the hourly cost, with a worked example in rand.
Fuel & diesel Diesel price
Diesel price in South Africa for mining: September 2026
South Africa's wholesale 0.05% diesel price from 2 September 2026: 2,911.11 c/l in Gauteng, 2,823.91 c/l at the coast, up 293.90 c/l. 2026 history.
Fuel & diesel Regulation
Diesel rebate for mining: what changed on 1 April 2026
Diesel rebate for mining: from 1 April 2026 the diesel refund covers 100% of eligible litres on land, up from 80%. Since 1 July it is 382.2 c per litre.
Markets Directory
Mining contractors in South Africa: the directory
Mining contractors in South Africa: 36 companies in contract mining, load and haul, drill and blast, crushing and plant hire, dated from public sources.
Maintenance Glossary
MTBF for mining equipment, with a worked example
MTBF is total operating hours divided by the number of failures. How to count both on a mining fleet, with a worked haul truck example.
Safety & compliance Regulation
The Mine Health and Safety Act for mining contractors
Under the Mine Health and Safety Act the mine owner is the employer, even when a contractor does the mining. Contractor duties, appointments and reporting.