What Ore Research & Exploration does

Ore Research & Exploration Pty Ltd (OREAS), founded in 1988 and headquartered in Bayswater North, Victoria, Australia, produces Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) for the global mining and exploration industry. The company operates what it describes as the world's largest facility dedicated to CRM production, offering 300+ reference materials—including 160+ Gold CRMs, SuperCRMs (up to 180 certified analytes in a single product), Pressed Pellet CRMs, Black Mass CRMs for Li-NMC battery recycling, and custom matrix-matched CRMs prepared from client-supplied materials. Its core technical differentiator is a homogeneity guarantee for all gold and PGE CRMs, verified through instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), supported by ISO 17034 and ISO 9001 accreditations and batch sizes up to 12,000kg.

OREAS monetises through one-time catalogue sales of CRMs at unit prices ranging from roughly $5.70 for small phosphate sachets to $745 for specialised Black Mass jars, plus higher-touch custom CRM manufacturing. The company reaches customers through three complementary GTM motions: enterprise field sales to global mining majors, a regional distributor network spanning Australia, North America, West Africa, Mongolia, Peru, Turkiye, CIS countries, and Mexico, and a direct e-commerce storefront at gate.ore.com.au. Primary customer segments are mining exploration companies (QA/QC during drilling campaigns) and operating mines (grade control), with secondary use cases in geochemical characterisation and laboratory proficiency testing. Named enterprise customers include Rio Tinto, BHP, Newmont, Vale, Anglo American, Barrick, Freeport-McMoRan, Glencore, Newcrest, Teck, MMG, and lab services majors SGS, Intertek, and Bureau Veritas, across 130+ countries.

In 2021 OREAS became part of AnalytiChem, a global analytical chemistry products and reference materials group, broadening its portfolio and channel access while retaining its brand identity. The company continues to extend its catalogue into critical-minerals categories (uranium, rare earth elements) and battery-materials recycling, and maintains ongoing ISO 17034 scope extensions to widen its accredited analyte coverage.

Name

Ore Research & Exploration

Legal name

Ore Research & Exploration Pty Ltd

Website

https://ore.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OREAS (Ore Research & Exploration) is an Australian producer of Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) for the global mining and exploration industry. It operates the world's largest dedicated CRM facility, supplying 300+ reference materials with homogeneity guarantees to miners and laboratories across 130+ countries, and has been part of AnalytiChem since 2021.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Certified Reference Materials

SIC

Abrasive, Asbestos & Misc Nonmetallic Mineral Prods (3290)

akta.pro primary industry

Mineral Exploration & Geoscience Services (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Resource Modeling) (IMAKAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

ESG, Traceability & Certification Services (Responsible Sourcing) (IMAKAFAN)

Keywords

• Certified reference materials
• Mining QA/QC
• Geochemical standards
• Reference material production
• Mining exploration

Headquarters

HQ city

Bayswater

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Certified Reference Materials Sales: OREAS generates revenue through the sale of Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) to the global mining and exploration industry. The product range includes standard OREAS CRMs (300+ products), Gold CRMs (160+ products), SuperCRMs, Pressed Pellet CRMs, Black Mass CRMs, and Custom CRMs. Batch sizes up to 12,000kg provide exceptional continuity of supply.
2. Custom CRM Manufacturing: Custom Certified Reference Materials are prepared from client-supplied materials with guaranteed homogeneity, creating nearly any composition to match target material grades. This premium service provides additional revenue from specialized client requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Ore Research & Exploration (OREAS) manufactures and distributes Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) used as quality control standards for geochemical analysis in the mining and exploration industry. The product range includes 300+ matrix-matched CRMs covering gold, base metals, battery materials, uranium, rare earth elements, and other commodities, supplied with Certificates of Analysis and DataPacks for laboratory QA/QC programs.

Product overview

OREAS operates as a specialized provider of Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) for the global mining and exploration industry, offering a comprehensive portfolio centered on its core OREAS® CRMs line of 300+ products. The portfolio includes Gold CRMs (160+ variants), SuperCRMs® with up to 180 analytes, Custom CRMs, Pressed Pellet CRMs, and Black Mass CRMs for battery recycling. Commodity-specific offerings span Uranium, REE, Copper, Nickel, Lithium, Zinc-Lead-Silver, and Iron Ore CRMs. The company serves customers in 130+ countries and became part of AnalytiChem in 2021.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Homogeneity guaranteed for all gold ore CRMs regardless of coarse gold presence
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Australia DistributorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional distribution partners in Australia providing localized sales and support for OREAS Certified Reference Materials to Australian mining companies and laboratories.
• North America DistributorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partners across North America serving mining operations and exploration companies in the US and Canada with OREAS CRM products.
• West Africa DistributorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution network in West Africa supporting the growing mining sector in countries such as Ghana, Mali, and Senegal with access to OREAS Certified Reference Materials.
• Peru DistributorsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional distribution partner in Peru serving South American mining operations and exploration activities.
• Mongolia DistributorsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner in Mongolia supporting mining operations in one of Asia's key mining jurisdictions.
• Turkiye DistributorsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional distribution partner in Turkiye (Turkey) serving mining companies in the region.
• CIS Countries DistributorsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partners across Commonwealth of Independent States countries supporting mining operations in Russia, Kazakhstan, and neighboring regions.
• Mexico DistributorsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional distribution partner in Mexico serving Mexican mining operations and exploration companies.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Intertek Group plc: Global testing and quality assurance firm with mineral laboratory services and internal reference materials used for mining QA/QC. Comparable to OREAS as a large enterprise customer with parallel internal CRM capabilities.
• SGS SA: Global testing, inspection and certification company operating mining laboratory services and consuming/producing internal reference materials. Overlaps OREAS as both a major customer and a peripheral competitor in QA/QC standards for mining.
• Bureau Veritas: Global TIC company with a minerals and metals laboratory business that uses and develops internal certified reference materials. Comparable to OREAS as a major CRM-consuming laboratory operator with internal standards capability.
• ALS Limited: Australian-headquartered global laboratory services company with a substantial minerals and geochemistry business. Comparable to OREAS as an enterprise customer and adjacent producer of laboratory standards in the mining QA/QC ecosystem.
• Bruker Corporation: Major analytical instrumentation vendor whose XRF and PhotonAssay instruments are commonly validated using OREAS-style CRMs. Comparable as a broader analytical chemistry incumbent driving and shaping demand for certified reference materials.

Others

• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): US government agency producing Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) used across analytical chemistry, including mining and metallurgical applications. Comparable as an adjacent reference material producer and ecosystem participant, though not a commercial competitor.

Direct peers

• Geostats Pty Ltd: Australian-based Certified Reference Material producer focused on gold and base metal CRMs for the mining industry. Closest head-to-head competitor to OREAS, particularly in gold and base metal standards distributed to Australian and African mining customers.
• CDN Resource Laboratories Ltd: Canadian producer of matrix-matched Certified Reference Materials for gold and base metal mining. Directly competes with OREAS in North American mining markets and offers a parallel portfolio of homogeneous, certified ore standards.
• Alpha Resources LLC: US-based manufacturer of Certified Reference Materials, inorganic standards and consumables for analytical laboratories. Competes with OREAS in serving North American mining and exploration labs requiring certified mineral standards.
• Rocklabs (Scott Technology): New Zealand-based producer of Certified Reference Materials for gold and precious metals mining, now part of Scott Technology. Directly competes with OREAS' Gold CRM franchise and serves overlapping gold mining customers globally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ore Research & Exploration