Colombian platinum traceability
Colombian platinum comes almost entirely from Chocó, often together with gold. This is how its transactions are recorded in the Mineral Traceability Platform (PTM).
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MinTrace is an Technology Operator for Mineral Traceability (OTTM) authorized by the National Mining Agency (ANM)
Why it matters
Platinum is concentrated in one region: in 2025, almost all the volume declared in royalties came from Chocó. The Mining Technical Glossary (opens in a new tab) names it, together with gold and silver, in placer deposits, masses of gravel and sand with minerals released from rocks and veins.
It is one of the export products named in Bulletin 26, "Minería en cifras", of Colombia's Mining and Energy Planning Unit (UPME), February 2026 (opens in a new tab), within the "other minerals" group, which accounted for 10.8 % of Colombia's mining exports in 2025.
A Technology Operator for Mineral Traceability (OTTM) is a company authorized by Colombia's National Mining Agency (ANM) to record and transmit mineral trading transactions to the Mineral Traceability Platform (PTM), under ANM Resolution 759 of 2024.
What it is and what it is used for
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (opens in a new tab), the main use of platinum-group metals in that country is catalytic converters that reduce vehicle emissions. They are also used in catalysts for the chemical industry and oil refining, dental and medical devices, electronics, glass manufacturing, investment, jewelry and laboratory equipment.
In jewelry, the glossary defines white gold as an alloy of 60 % gold and 40 % platinum by weight.
Where it comes from in Colombia
There are far more traders than titles, and the reason is in the Single Registry of Mineral Traders (RUCOM): of the traders counted for platinum, more than 1,370 are registered with the shared denomination "gold and platinum ores and their concentrates" and about 590 with "platinum ores and their concentrates" (RUCOM traders and consumers, open data (opens in a new tab)). Some hold both.
Production, on the other hand, is concentrated: Chocó holds about four out of ten mining titles with platinum, but declared 99.9 % of the grams in 2025 royalties.
How it is recorded in the PTM
If the material bought carries gold and platinum together, it is recorded with the shared denomination; if it is platinum only, with the platinum denomination. When a plant separates the two metals, it reports a transformation with two derived products (gold, AU, and platinum, PT) and the loss.
The international price of platinum is quoted per troy ounce, which the glossary sets at 31.103 grams, but the PTM receives quantities in a mass unit, so they are converted before reporting. Subsistence miners sell it within the "precious metals" category, capped at 420 grams per year, with a monthly average of 35, by Ministry of Mines Resolution 40103 of 2017 (opens in a new tab). For exports, the UPME separates two subheadings: "platinum, unwrought or in powder form" and "other platinum, semi-manufactured".
What MinTrace records for your supplier
MinTrace checks each supplier in the RUCOM and stores its certificate of origin, or the production declaration of the subsistence miner. For refiners, it calculates the loss between the material consumed and the gold and platinum obtained, and the inventory by mineral shows the balance of each metal.
For exports, MinTrace records the international closing with the currency, the representative market exchange rate (TRM) and the foreign buyer's details.
Questions to ask your Colombian supplier
Which OTTM do you use to record your transactions in the PTM?
Was this platinum bought together with gold, and how was the separation reported?
Which certificates of origin or production declarations support it?
Can you share the acceptance code of the international closing?
From what date is recording in the PTM mandatory for your category?
Authorized by Colombia's National Mining Agency (ANM)
MinTrace is a Technology Operator for Mineral Traceability (OTTM) authorized by Colombia's National Mining Agency (ANM) since December 17, 2025 (filing number 20253210663711).
Questions about a Colombian supplier?
Our team can explain what a MinTrace record contains and how to read it.
Frequently asked questions
Which RUCOM denomination applies to platinum?
It depends on the material. Platinum alone goes under "platinum ores and their concentrates"; platinum with gold, as in the placers described by the Mining Technical Glossary, under "gold and platinum ores and their concentrates". The seller's RUCOM registration should include the denomination it records.
In which unit is platinum recorded in the PTM?
In a mass unit, such as the gram, which is the one used in royalty declarations. Although the price is quoted per troy ounce, 31.103 grams according to the Mining Technical Glossary, the quantity reported to the PTM must be in one of the units accepted by the technical annex.