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• Petrography, geochemistry, zircon U-Pb on Archean granitoids from the Chaillu inlier. • The granitoids include TTGs, sanukitoids, and potassic granites. • TTG magmatism between 3.02 and 2.92 Ga. • Coeval TTGs, sanukitoids, and potassic granites between 2.91 and 2.82 Ga. We present new geochemical and geochronological data for Mesoarchean to Neoarchean plutons of the Chaillu inlier of the Congo Craton that demonstrate an evolution of magma sources in relation with crustal growth. Four distinct plutonic suites were newly identified: (1) sodic low medium/high-pressure tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite, (2) Mg–K-rich monzogranite to monzodiorite (sanukitoids), (3) K-rich monzogranite–syenogranite, (4) K-rich granodiorite–monzogranite with medium/high-pressure TTG-like signatures. The TTGs are metaluminous to slightly peraluminous, silica-rich magmatic rocks (SiO 2 > 67.5 wt%) with high contents of Na 2 O (3.5 < Na 2 O < 6.2 wt%), and low contents of ferromagnesian oxides, and K 2 O contents (K 2 O < 2.6 wt%). The sanukitoids (s.l.) are metaluminous to slightly peraluminous, with a large range of silica contents (53 < SiO 2 < 69 wt%), high Mg# (42–74) and potassic with variable K 2 O contents (1.2 < K 2 O < 5.0 wt%). The high-K granites are slightly peraluminous, with high silica contents (SiO 2 > 67.7 wt%), low amounts of ferromagnesian oxides, and a clear potassic signature, with K 2 O contents (2.5 < K 2 O < 4.7 wt%), and K 2 O/Na 2 O ratios higher than 0.55. The zircon U–Pb dating results indicate that: i) TTGs emplaced between 3012 ± 16 Ma and 2840 ± 9 Ma; ii) sanukitoids between 2853 ± 14 Ma and 2832 ± 9 Ma; and iii) are K-rich biotite granites between 2893 ± 11 Ma and 2847 ± 16 Ma. Two main well-defined periods are identified: i) one of TTG-type magmatism between 3.02 and 2.92 Ga; and ii) one of sanukitoid-TTG-biotite granite-type association between 2.91 and 2.82 Ga. Such temporal evolution from TTG-domination through coexisting sanukitoids (s.l.) – TTGs – biotite granites during the late-Archean in the Congo Craton resembles other Archean cratons, such as the Dharwar, North China, Karelian, Superior Province, Pilbara, Kaapvaal, São Francisco and Amazonian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]