A coarse ore bin is a large storage vessel or hopper situated within a mine's crushing and processing circuit, designed to receive and temporarily stockpile coarsely crushed or screened ore ahead of further size reduction or downstream processing. In bauxite, gold, iron ore, and diamond processing plants, the coarse ore bin serves as a critical buffer between primary crushing operations and secondary or tertiary crushing and milling stages, helping to decouple the variable feed rates of run-of-mine ore delivery from the steady-state throughput requirements of grinding circuits. By providing surge capacity, the coarse ore bin enables continuous, stable operation of downstream equipment even when primary crushing is interrupted for maintenance or due to fluctuating blast schedules. Coarse ore bins are typically fabricated from steel or reinforced concrete and are designed with consideration for ore flow characteristics — including angle of repose, abrasiveness, and stickiness — to prevent bridging and ensure reliable draw-down. Instrumentation such as level sensors and weightometers are commonly installed to enable real-time inventory management.
