Phrase of the month - bank cubic metres

Bank Cubic Metres (BCM) is a measure of volume representing one cubic metre of rock or material in the ground before it is excavated. When mining, the BCM of overburden which sits above a coal seam is calculated as this allows mine planners to estimate how long it will take to reach the coal beneath the surface.

A typical dragline, like Hail Creek Mine’s P&H9020 dragline, can move between 55-90bcm of material with one bucket load, making them an efficient and effective way to remove overburden during the mining process.

A term which is often confused with BCM is LCM, which stands for loose cubic metres – which is the amount of rock and air that fits into one cubic metre. This always weighs less than a BCM of rock because of the extra air in the volume.