Iron (Fe) ore is recognised as a critical strategic commodity for South Africa (SA) with SA ranking as the seventh largest producer and third largest exporter. The life-of-mine (LOM) forecast for primary Fe ore production in SA suggests that high-grade material will be depleted within the next decade in the absence of further exploration and discoveries. Thus, with the depletion of high-grade iron ore resources, there has been a drive to explore low-grade hematite resources in a bid to extend life-of mine (LOM) and maximise resource utilisation. Banded Iron Formations (BIF) makes up approximately two thirds of future reserves in SA. At low Fe head grades (63 per cent Fe. The industrial benefit of pre-concentration is evident in upfront gangue reduction and in its ability to improve production capacity. In the case of the current study, >60 per cent mass can be rejected upfront ensuring more valuable material and hence an upgraded product is processed through the downstream plant resulting in smaller re-circulating loads and buildup. This results in a reduction in process costs ensuring that the upgrading process is economically feasible. Research included a comparative analysis of gravity separation versus magnetic separation, the latter involving: (i) medium intensity magnetic separation to recover paramagnetic hematite; versus (ii) conversion of hematite to magnetite via roasting and magnetic separation on a low intensity magnet to recover converted paramagnetic minerals.