Mineral resource and reserve reporting codes exist to protect investors. They require that public statements about exploration results, mineral resources and ore reserves are transparent, material and prepared by appropriately qualified and experienced professionals.
JORC (Australasia), NI 43-101 (Canada), PERC (Europe) and SAMREC (South Africa) are all aligned with the CRIRSCO International Reporting Template. They share the same core resource categories - Inferred, Indicated and Measured - and the same reserve categories - Probable and Proved.
The differences lie mainly in format and disclosure. NI 43-101 prescribes a specific technical report structure, while JORC relies on the Table 1 checklist with an 'if not, why not' approach. Each code also has its own rules on who may sign reports and how professional bodies are recognised.
For project owners, the practical lessons are consistent: build a clean, auditable database from the first drill hole; document sampling, QA/QC and density procedures; and engage reporting specialists early so the evidence needed for classification is collected as the project advances, not reconstructed later.
Where governments or financiers use UNFC, CRIRSCO-aligned estimates can be mapped into the UNFC framework, which adds dimensions for socio-economic viability and project feasibility.