A CRMA value-chain activity covering transformation of raw materials into pure metals, alloys or other economically usable forms.
Processing is the transformation stage in the CRMA raw-materials value chain. The definition names beneficiation, separation, smelting and refining as examples, and it explicitly excludes metal working and further transformation into intermediate and final goods.
This page is anchored in CRMA Article 2, point 8. Processing includes beneficiation, separation, smelting and refining, excluding metal working and further transformation into intermediate and final goods; it is not downstream manufacturing.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1252 establishing a framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials
all physical, chemical and biological processes involved in the transformation of a raw material from ores, minerals, plant products or waste into pure metals, alloys or other economically usable forms, including beneficiation, separation, smelting and refining, and excluding metal working and further transformation into intermediate and final goods
CRMA Article 2 source-specific definition layer.
Reference: Article 2, point 8
Use processing when classifying facilities, projects, capacity records or supply-chain evidence that transform raw materials into economically usable material forms. It helps distinguish refining and separation evidence from extraction records, recycling inputs and finished-product manufacturing data.
Processing is where raw-material evidence often becomes harder to follow: the material may change form, ownership, facility, batch structure and documentation. Keeping the CRMA processing boundary clear helps Minespider-style systems connect upstream extraction records to downstream material claims without treating every later manufacturing step as processing.