Context :

Aims : Our goal is to provide a robust estimate of the metal content of the ICM in massive clusters .

Methods : We make use of published abundance profiles for a sample of \sim 60 nearby systems , we include in our estimate uncertainties associated to the measurement process and to the almost total lack of measures in cluster outskirts .

Results : We perform a first , albeit rough , census of metals finding that the mean abundance of the ICM within r _ { 180 } is very poorly constrained , 0.06Z _ { \odot } \lesssim Z \lesssim 0.26Z _ { \odot } , and presents no tension with expectations .
Similarly , the question of if and how the bulk of the metal content in clusters varies with cosmic time , is very much an open one .

Conclusions : A solid estimate of abundances in cluster outskirts could be achieved by combining observations of the two experiments which will operate on board Athena , the XIFU and the WFI , provided they do not fall victim to the de-scoping process that has afflicted several space observatories over the last decade .