01
You tell us what you hold
A short enquiry is enough. The commodity, roughly what grade, roughly how much, and where it sits. No documentation pack, no exclusive mandate, nothing signed.
Est. 2019 · Sandton, South Africa
You have the
material. We have
the buyers.
Commodities Agency places Southern African chrome concentrate, copper, thermal coal, manganese and iron ore, and Russian origin grain, with named international buyers. If you are a producer or you are holding stock without a route to market, tell us what you have. Inside one trading day you will know whether we have somebody for it.
We place Chrome · Copper · Coal · Manganese · Iron ore · Grain
Buyers in China · India · Turkey · The Gulf · South and Southeast Asia · North and East Africa
Routes Richards Bay · Maputo · Coega · Beira · Durban · Dar es Salaam
The problem we exist to solve
Most Southern African material never reaches a real buyer.
It circulates through open broker groups instead, picking up an intermediary at every forward, until it arrives at a smelter or a mill with four commissions stacked on it and no credible chain of title behind it. The buyer ignores it. The producer never finds out why, and concludes there is no market for their product.
There almost always is. What there is not is a route to it. We take material to one named buyer at a time, chosen because their furnace, mill or import programme actually fits the product, under non circumvention protection for both sides. Off market does not mean secretive. It means one seller and one buyer having a real conversation instead of a broadcast.
And if we do not have a buyer for what you hold, you will hear that within a trading day rather than waiting out a season on a maybe.
Core book
Three commodities we place every week.
Chrome, copper and coal are where our buyer relationships, our logistics knowledge and our contract templates are strongest. If you are holding any of these, this is the fastest answer you will get anywhere.
Metals
Chrome Concentrate
Metallurgical chrome concentrate from the Bushveld Complex and Zimbabwe's Great Dyke, 40 to 42% and 46 to 48% Cr₂O₃, moving on FOT, DAP and FOB terms.
Specification and terms ›
Metals
Copper
LME Grade A equivalent copper cathode and blister out of the Central African Copperbelt, routed through Dar es Salaam, Beira and Durban.
Specification and terms ›
Energies
Thermal Coal
South African RB1, RB2 and RB3 thermal coal at 5,500 to 6,000 kcal/kg NAR, FOB Richards Bay and Maputo, priced against API4.
Specification and terms ›
Also traded
Manganese, iron ore and agricultural.
Established chains with real counterparties, worked on the same terms as the core book.
Metals
Manganese Ore
Kalahari Manganese Field ore at 36 to 44% Mn, lumpy and fines, delivered mine gate to FOB Coega and Port Elizabeth.
Specification and terms ›
Metals
Iron Ore
South African hematite fines and lumpy on a 62% Fe basis, offered FOB with substantial fines volume standing on the floor.
Specification and terms ›
Agricultural
Agricultural Commodities
Russian origin grain and oilseed products, plus Southern African maize and soya, on FOB and CFR terms with GAFTA standard contracts.
Specification and terms ›
How selling works
Four stages. You know where you stand at each one.
02
We tell you whether we have a buyer
Within a trading day. Either we have somebody for that grade at that volume, or we do not and we say so. A fast no costs you nothing; a slow maybe costs you a season.
03
Your material goes to a named buyer
Not to a broadcast list. To the specific buyer whose furnace, mill or import programme fits your product, and you are told who that is under the non circumvention agreement.
04
We structure, paper and settle it
Specification, assay basis, premium schedule, Incoterm, inspection body and payment security, papered back to back through the chain. On running supply you draw against delivered tonnage.
On enquiry
Handled, but not our focus.
We will look at these where a client relationship warrants it. We will also say plainly when a request sits outside what this desk can deliver.
Platinum
Sponge and ingot from the Bushveld Complex, on enquiry.
Cobalt
Cobalt hydroxide from the Central African belt, OECD due diligence documentation.
Emeralds
Rough, uncut Zambian parcels with independently verified origin and quality.
Crude Oil
Spot and term crude for refinery buyers, on enquiry.
LNG
DES and FOB structures for industrial and power generation offtake.
Insights
Written for people who trade this material.
Grade structures, terminal choices, Incoterms and payment mechanics, explained by the desk that uses them.
Copper · 12 Oct 2026
Copper's Tight Market Opens a Window for Copperbelt Sellers
Copper finished last week near record levels, with Chinese import demand at a four-year high and prompt metal trading above forward metal. For Copperbelt producers…
Read ›
Chrome · 10 Oct 2026
Chrome Exports Slow and Zimbabwe Tightens: What Sellers Should Do
South Africa's chrome ore exports slipped in August with Chinese port stocks above 5 million tonnes, and Zimbabwe is tightening controls on every consignment.…
Read ›
Markets · 9 Oct 2026
Minerals Council Growth Strategy: What It Means for Producers
The Minerals Council South Africa has launched an investment and growth strategy built around faster permitting and a working mining cadastre. It is a welcome shift…
Read ›
Questions
About this desk
I have material to sell. How do I approach Commodities Agency?
Send a short enquiry with the commodity, roughly what grade, roughly how much you hold and where it sits. The desk reads it and replies, usually the same trading day, and tells you whether there is a buyer for that material at that volume. You do not need a full documentation pack to make first contact.
What commodities does Commodities Agency trade?
Chrome concentrate, copper and thermal coal are the core book, all sourced in Southern Africa for export. Manganese ore and iron ore out of South Africa, and Russian origin agricultural commodities, make up the secondary book. Platinum, cobalt, rough emeralds, crude oil and LNG are handled on enquiry.
Where is Commodities Agency based?
Building C, Little Fourways Office Park, Fourways, Sandton, Gauteng, South Africa. The company is registered in the Republic of South Africa as Commodities Agency SA (Pty) Ltd, registration number 2026/111580/07.
Is Commodities Agency a trader or a broker?
Both, depending on the transaction. On some chains the company contracts as principal and takes title. On others it acts as an introducing and structuring intermediary and is paid a stated commission by the party that engaged it. The role is set out in the paperwork before any deal proceeds, never left ambiguous.
What are the minimum order quantities?
Chrome concentrate and copper open at a 500 MT trial parcel. Thermal coal starts at 55,000 MT, which is a Panamax cargo, or 30,000 MT through Maputo. Manganese ore starts at 30,000 MT. Agricultural parcels are Handysize and Supramax, with containerised lots possible for smaller volumes.
How does Commodities Agency handle payment security?
The preferred structure is a drawdownable escrow that permits the seller to draw against delivery documents, sized to a defined period of offtake and revolving. Instruments that block seller drawdown are not accepted in place of it. For copper and seaborne cargoes a confirmed letter of credit payable on arrival is standard.
Next step
Tell us what you are holding.
The commodity, roughly what grade, roughly how much and where it sits. That is enough for us to say yes or no, and you will have the answer inside a trading day.