Fine coal cleaning has come a long way in South Africa in the past decade, as evidenced by the installation of 5 Mtpa of spiral plant capacity, the re-appraisal of froth notation technology resulting in major modifications to most operating flotation plants, and vigorous research into column flotation and oil agglomeration. This paper reviews the developments which have been made, and the reasons, both metallurgical and economic, which have given rise to these developments. In particular, the nature of South African coals makes it preferable to treat the fines in separate size fractions, comprising −0.5 +0.1 mm “fines” and −0.1 mm “ultrafines”, using equipment of different separating efficiency, depending on the desired quality of the final product.