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• A small-scale locked-cycle piston press test to provide design information closed-circuit HPGR. • The test ware inspired by the Bond ball mill grindability test. • Piston Work Index describes the samples' resistance to HPGR comminution. • The test results were within ± 20% range of HPGR tests for a fine feed. The increased energy efficiency of HPGR-based circuits as an alternative to AG/SAG mill circuits has been well established. However, assessing the HPGR technology involves pilot-scale testing requiring large samples, which is expensive and may be prohibitive, particularly for early-stage projects. As a result, the uptake of HPGR technology has been slow, emphasizing the need for small-scale tests for sizing and selection. A reliable small-scale test for preliminary HPGR circuit design is essential in garnering the mining industry's interest in the broader adoption of HPGRs. Inspired by the Bond ball mill grindability test, a small-scale locked-cycle piston press test was developed to estimate the circulating load and circuit-specific energy consumption for closed-circuit HPGR operation. The test introduces the Piston Work Index, which describes the ore samples' resistance to HPGR comminution and can be subsequently used to estimate the HPGR circuit-specific energy consumption. The test results indicated that the circuit-specific energy and circulating load obtained from the small-scale piston press test were within the ± 20% range of the locked-cycle pilot scale HPGR tests for a fine feed representing quaternary stage HPGR application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]