margin-sensitive local production. “Since January, the price of tungsten carbide has soared by over 500% and continues to adversely impact businesses reliant on the material,” says Padayachee. “Our business is fundamentally about spillage control. If we can ensure that the product remains on the belt and prevent losses, we help our customers make money. A clean belt means better productivity, less material loss, and more profit for the customer. However, soaring tungsten carbide prices leave the industry in a quandary. Informing our customers that the price of a key input material has skyrocketed and that the price of the product has now doubled, immediately creates resistance, as the customer is also focused on maintaining profitability, which means that as suppliers to the mining industry we are caught between a rock and a hard place.” Tungsten carbide, used primarily for manufacturing durable cutting, drilling, and crushing tools, is prized for its extreme hardness, high density, and heat resistance properties. The composite material is used in cutting tools (machining steel, iron, and alloys); mining equipment (drill bits, top hammers, and roller cutters) and in construction products (tunnel boring cutters and road planning teeth).
In conveyor belt cleaning equipment manufacturing, tungsten carbide is the premier material for belt cleaner blade inserts and tips. For OEM’s supplying products to the mining sector, such as Brelko Conveyor Products, a proudly South African company that designs and manufactures conveyor belt cleaning equipment for a trouble-free flow of materials at transfer and load points, the steep price hike is a major blow. According to Pillay, tungsten carbide provides unmatched wear resistance against abrasive materials like coal, cement, platinum and iron ore. He explains that to enhance the performance
JULY 2026 | www.modernminingmagazine.co.za MODERN MINING 9
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