Mineralogical studies and laboratory tests were conducted on the Kalvia ilmenite ore sample to determine its performance at various mineral processing stages. Mineral separation procedures were designed on the basis of the physical and chemical properties, grain sizes, the relative proportions. compositions, and textures of the minerals. Laboratory tests confirmed that these factors affect the separation process, grade and recovery of the products. The ore sample studied is composed mainly of ilmenite, magnetite, plagioclase, hornblende and sulphides in varying proportions. The ore minerals rarely exceed 1 mm in diameter. The grain boundary relationships are generally simple, but one phase may occur as inclusions in the other, commonly ilmenite in hornblende. The sample contains about 23% ilmenite (12% TiO2). However, the recoverable ilmenite is only about 19% (10% TiO2), due to the ilmenite inclusions and exsolutions in silicates and magnetite, and due to the TiO2 bound in solid solution in these minerals. Microscopical observation revealed that the middling particles are usually plagioclase and ilmenite, and that the slime is mainly composed of hornblende and ilmenite. Hornblende tends to float with ilmenite probably because it is an iron-rich mineral and contains ilmenite and magnetite inclusions. Depressing hornblende in flotation resulted in low recovery of ilmenite. A high intensity magnetic separator (HIMS) was therefore used and an ilmenite preconcentrate was produced by removing large amounts of hornblende, sulphides, other gangue minerals, and slime. Flotation after HIMS resulted in high recovery of ilmenite with a TiO2 content of commercial grade (44-45.6%). Taking into account the unrecoverable ilmenite (about 17%), 72.7-75% recovery in laboratory batch tests, which corresponds to about 87.8-90% of the recoverable ilmenite is acceptable.