The separation of the constituent minerals of an ore is never achieved in one stage. It is carried out in multiple stages incorporating recycling of streams to increase the recovery of the required mineral. This paper outlines a methodology for designing a separation process system consisting of nonsharp separation stages and involving recycles and mixtures instead of pure component as products.For given technical and economic criteria the regions of optimal configurations on the grade versus flowrate diagram have been recognised. This diagram is used for the selection of the optimal circuit configuration for given feed flow, feed composition and separation characteristics. The minimum economically processable grade of the feed has been identified. This allows a decision to be made about an ore deposit as to whether it carries potential value for further processing or not. The maximum economically achievable grade has also been identified. This places a limit on the upgrading of the product for maximum profit.The paper reports a number of case studies from the View point of application perspective, using the grade-flowrate diagram, and compares this work with the work of Chan and Prince. This comparison provides essentially the same results as the work of Chan and Prince. Sensitivity analysis in regard to the use of parameter values is another key aspect of this paper. The effects of various technical and economical parameters on the grade-flowrate diagram have been studied in this particular paper.Results obtained from different case studies show that the present study offers an effective means for design engineers to make an initial selection of a process configuration for stagewise separation processes prior to the detailed flowsheet design.