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HPM Nickel Ore — Indonesian regulatory price calculator

Compute Harga Patokan Mineral (HPM) — the mandatory minimum export/domestic reference price for Indonesian nickel ore and its downstream products under KEPMEN ESDM 144/2026 (effective 15 April 2026, replacing 268/2025). Seven products: Bijih Nikel (ore), Feronikel, NPI (Nickel Pig Iron), MHP (Mixed Hydroxide Precipitate), MSP (Mixed Sulphide Precipitate), Nickel Matte, Ingot Nikel. Live HMA (Harga Mineral Acuan) reference from minerba.esdm.go.id — biweekly cadence (Periode Pertama + Periode Kedua). Fastmarkets clarified inclusion of HPM in its Indonesia nickel-ore assessment (notice).

OTSFA — One True Source For All. All formulas from the primary KEPMEN PDF; all HMA values from minerba.esdm.go.id. Defaults preloaded from July 2026 Periode 1 (Kepmen 274/2026). No third-party estimates, no invented values. All terms cross-linked to the TrueGlossary.
OTSFA · Primary sources only KEPMEN ESDM 144/2026 · in force from 15 Apr 2026 HMA · biweekly 7 products · 5 sensitivity tabs
Ore composition — as-shipped basis
Enter the wet-basis assay of the nickel ore. All four elements contribute to HPM per KEPMEN 144/2026 (Ni base + Fe, Co, Cr credits). Moisture Content (MC) discount applied at the end (WMT basis).
% Ni
% Fe
% Co
% Cr
% MC

Preset examples — click to load: Limonite (Ni 1.20, Fe 45, Co 0.10, MC 35) · Saprolite (Ni 1.80, Fe 20, Co 0.08, MC 30) · High-grade Sap. (Ni 2.20, Fe 15, Co 0.05, MC 25)

HMA reference — July 2026 P1
Editable defaults from minerba.esdm.go.id. HMA updates biweekly (Periode Pertama + Periode Kedua).
USD/dmt
USD/dmt
USD/dmtu
USD/dmtu

Refresh from minerba.esdm.go.id ↗

HPM Bijih Nikel — result (WMT basis)
HPM per wet metric ton
USD/WMT
HPM per dry metric ton
USD/DMT (pre-MC)
Effective per-ton Ni value
USD per 1% Ni · WMT
Ni credit share
of pre-MC HPM
Component breakdown
Component Assay CF HMA Contribution (USD/DMT)
Formula — KEPMEN 144/2026 Lampiran
HPM (USD/WMT) =
  [ (%Ni × CF_Ni × HMA_Ni)
  + (%Fe × CF_Fe × HMA_BijihBesi × 100)
  + (%Co × CF_Co × HMA_Kobalt)
  + (%Cr × CF_Cr × HMA_BijihKrom × 100) ]
  × (1 − MC)
CF (Corrective Factor) rules per KEPMEN 144/2026:
ElementCF baseScale ruleThreshold
Ni30% @ 1.60%±1% per 0.10% grade step
Fe30%flatonly if %Fe ≤ 35%
Co30%flatonly if %Co ≥ 0.05%
Cr10%flatnone
Downstream product HPM — one-page table
KEPMEN 144/2026 sets HPM for six downstream products in addition to Bijih Nikel. Fill assays where relevant; HMA values are inherited from Tab 1 (edit there if needed). Products with fixed formulas (Ingot Nikel = HMA_Ni; Feronikel CF=95%; NPI CF=85%) do not need assay input.
% Ni
% Co
Product Formula (KEPMEN 144/2026) HPM (USD/DMT) Notes

Reading the table. FeNi CF=95%, NPI CF=85% — reflects lower recovery losses vs pure metal. Matte assumes combined Ni+Co payable at 78% of HMA_Ni (Co not paid separately). MHP pays 60% Ni + 100% Co; MSP pays 60% Ni + 30% Co. Ingot Nikel = 100% HMA_Ni (LME cathode equivalent).

HPM vs market-clearing price
HPM is the minimum reference for royalty and export duty purposes — actual invoices can (and usually do) settle above HPM to reflect true market premium/discount vs Fastmarkets, Argus, or SMM Chinese CIF quotations. Enter the actual settlement to see royalty base vs market gap.
USD/WMT
%

Nickel-ore royalty in 2026 is a tiered rate (10–19%) based on HMA Ni band per PP 15/2022 & PP 19/2025. 14% is illustrative for the mid-tier band around HMA_Ni ≈ USD 17,500/dmt.

HPM (regulatory floor)
USD/WMT · Tab 1 result
Market premium/discount
— vs HPM
Royalty (base = HPM)
USD/WMT
Net to producer (after royalty)
USD/WMT · market − royalty

Fastmarkets clarifies inclusion of HPM in Indonesia nickel-ore assessment — since April 2026, its published low/mid/high range references HPM as the regulatory anchor when spot transactions are sparse. Chinese SMM CIF Ni 1.5% is another common benchmark.

Sensitivity — Fe, Co, MC sliders
Move sliders to see how HPM changes vs Tab 1 baseline. Ni, Cr, and HMA values held constant. Useful for negotiating mining/purchase contracts where Fe/Co grades vary across lifts.
%Fe 20.0%
%Co 0.080%
Moisture Content 30.0%
HPM at sliders
USD/WMT
Delta vs Tab 1 baseline
Fe contribution
USD/DMT · pre-MC
Co contribution
USD/DMT · pre-MC

Rule of thumb. Fe credit vanishes above 35%. Co credit vanishes below 0.05%. Every +5 pp of MC destroys ~5% of HPM (because (1−MC) multiplier applies to the whole result). Saprolite (low Fe, high Ni) rewards Ni content; Limonite (high Fe, low Ni) benefits materially from the Fe credit — but only up to the 35% threshold.

Version diff — KEPMEN ESDM 144/2026 vs 268/2025
144/2026 replaced 268/2025 on 15 April 2026. The changes below materially affect royalty base and export-duty valuation for every Indonesian nickel miner and smelter. Sources: KEPMEN 144/2026 PDF · Sosialisasi announcement.
Aspect KEPMEN 268/2025 (old) KEPMEN 144/2026 (in force) Impact
CF_Ni base (Bijih Nikel) 17% @ 1.60% Ni 30% @ 1.60% Ni ~+13 pp Ni credit
Fe/Co/Cr credits (Bijih Nikel) None (Ni only) Explicit Fe, Co, Cr terms with CF + thresholds Limonite: higher HPM; Saprolite: modest lift
Base unit USD/DMT (dry basis) USD/WMT (wet basis, (1−MC) multiplier) Lower headline; matches actual shipments
MC discount Implicit / off-form Explicit (1−MC) at end of formula Transparent moisture accounting
Bauxite formula Al2O3 only Al2O3 credit ± R-SiO₂ deduction Reactive silica penalized (refractory-grade metric)
Product coverage ~15 minerals 19 metal minerals + 4 coal grades Adds Chromite Concentrate, Titanium Concentrate, more
HMA cadence Monthly Biweekly (Periode Pertama + Kedua) since Feb 2025 Faster market-tracking

Practical worked example. A Sulawesi saprolite with Ni 1.80, Fe 20, Co 0.08, Cr 1.5, MC 30% under 268/2025 priced roughly at USD 30/WMT (Ni-only, 17% CF). Under 144/2026 the same lift prices closer to USD 50–55/WMT — driven by (a) 30% CF for Ni and (b) new Fe + Co + Cr credits. Fastmarkets adopted this uplift in its April 2026 methodology (notice).

Cross-links. HPM · HMA · HBA · Corrective Factor (CF) · KEPMEN ESDM 144/2026 · Kementerian ESDM · Nickel deep-dive → Section 11 · How to Tokenize.