In mining, stripping ratio or strip ratio refers to the ratio of the volume of overburden in m3 (or waste material) required to be removed to the volume of ore in tonne recovered. For example, a 3:1 stripping ratio means that mining one cubic meter of ore will require mining three cubic meters of waste rock.[1]
All other factors being equal, mining at a higher stripping ratio is less profitable than mining at a lower stripping ratio because more waste must be moved (at a cost per unit volume) for an equivalent volume of revenue generating ore. If the ratio is too high given a particular price of ore and associated cost of mining then it may not be economical to conduct mining.