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Iron Ore

Iron ore is a mineral commodity from which metallic iron can be economically extracted, serving as the primary raw material for steel production. The ore consists of iron oxides, most commonly hematite and magnetite, which are mined from surface and underground deposits worldwide. Major iron ore producers include Australia, Brazil, China, India and South Africa, with the Pilbara region of Western Australia and Brazil's Carajás mine ranking among the world's largest sources. The commodity is typically traded in the form of fines, lump ore or pellets, with iron content ranging from about 60% to 67% for high-grade material. Global seaborne iron ore trade is dominated by shipments to China, which accounts for more than two-thirds of world imports to feed its vast steel industry. Benchmark pricing is set through quarterly or monthly negotiations between major miners such as BHP, Rio Tinto and Vale and steelmakers, with spot prices also playing an increasing role. Iron ore is graded by iron content, with higher-grade ores commanding premium prices owing to lower impurities and reduced processing costs for steelmakers. The industry is capital intensive, requiring substantial investment in mining infrastructure, rail networks and port facilities to move ore from mine to market. Demand for iron ore is closely tied to construction activity, infrastructure development and manufacturing output, making it sensitive to economic cycles and particularly to growth trends in China. Environmental considerations, including mine rehabilitation, water management and carbon emissions from steel production, are increasingly shaping the iron ore sector's operational and investment decisions.
Weba Chute Systems & Solutions

Press Office - Weba Chute Systems & Solutions

Iron Ore News


Image of Capanema mine
Capanema mine, Brazil
Updated 5 hours ago By: Sheila Barradas

An iron-ore mine in Vale's Mariana integrated operation in the Southeastern System, in the Iron Quadrangle, between the municipalities of Santa Bárbara, Ouro Preto and Itabirito, in Minas Gerais,... 


Fortescue's Eliwana iron-ore operation
China restricts some Fortescue iron-ore cargoes as talks drag, sources say
2nd July 2026 By: Reuters

China's State iron-ore buyer has asked some domestic steel mills not to take delivery of certain portside iron ore products from Fortescue, industry sources said, the latest Australian miner to... 


Fortescue vessel
Fortescue ships 220m tonnes of iron-ore in one year
29th June 2026 By: Marleny Arnoldi

Iron-ore major Fortescue has reached the milestone of shipping 200-million tonnes of iron-ore in a single year, for the first time in the company's history. The first Fortescue shipment left Port... 


Kolomela iron-ore mine in South Africa
Iron-ore heads for seventh weekly loss on swelling inventory, falling steel demand
26th June 2026 By: Reuters

Iron-ore prices fell on Friday and were headed for a seventh straight weekly loss, weighed down by swelling portside inventory and faltering steel consumption in top consumer China, as well as... 


a mini excavator
Automation, efficiency drive equipment demand
26th June 2026 By: Devina Haripersad

Productivity, automation, safety and sustainability initiatives are increasingly shaping investment decisions in South Africa’s earthmoving and surface mining equipment sector, says diesel engine... 


BHP CEO Brandon Craig
Strikes, soaring costs and M&A await BHP's new CEO Craig
25th June 2026 By: Reuters

Newly minted BHP CEO Brandon Craig faces a crowded in-tray as he takes mining's top job on July 1, from threatened iron ore strikes and ballooning costs to a potential uranium push and a febrile... 


Vedanta's aluminium smelter in India
Vedanta completes historic demerger, lists four new companies in India
25th June 2026 By: Marleny Arnoldi

Global diversified miner Vedanta Group has passed a defining milestone in Indian corporate history with the successful listing of four newly demerged companies on the Bombay Stock Exchange and... 


Drilling on Kallak project
Mine investor confident in upsized share valuation of Beowulf after uncertainty
23rd June 2026 By: Marleny Arnoldi

Mining investment bank SP Angel says in an updated note on Aim-listed Beowulf Mining that the company is well-funded through to the end of 2027, particularly to deliver a prefeasibility study (PFS)... 


Rio Tinto's Gudai Darri iron-ore mine
Iron-ore nears four-month low on prospects of rising supply, tepid demand
23rd June 2026 By: Reuters

Iron-ore prices extended declines on Tuesday to hit a nearly four-month low, weighed down by prospects of rising shipments from major suppliers in the run-up to the end of the second quarter and... 


Jimblebar mine
BHP and Rio Tinto test Caterpillar's electric haul trucks in Pilbara
23rd June 2026 By: Reuters

Mining majors BHP and Rio Tinto on Tuesday said they are testing Caterpillar's battery-electric haul trucks at BHP's Jimblebar iron-ore mine in Western Australia, as the top miners look to cut down... 


Fortescue iron-ore operation
Fortescue says China president Liu Qing leaves after four months
23rd June 2026 By: Reuters

Fortescue's president of China resigned earlier this month, just four months after taking over the position, the company confirmed on Tuesday. His departure comes as the world's fourth-largest... 


CMB Tech Vessel
Fortescue accelerates zero-emission iron-ore shipping
22nd June 2026 By: Marleny Arnoldi

Iron-ore major Fortescue and maritime group CMB Tech have signed an agreement for the charter of up to 12 ammonia-capable vessels, which marks a big step towards decarbonising Fortescue's global... 


Vale's Moatize mine
Vale board resists shareholder Previ’s bid to oust chairperson
22nd June 2026 By: Bloomberg

Boardmembers of Vale, the world’s top iron-ore producer, voted against a proposal by one of the company’s largest shareholders to remove Daniel André Stieler as chairperson, according to people... 


Mine truck on coal heap
China coking coal prices extend loss on prospects of rising supply
22nd June 2026 By: Reuters

China's coking coal futures prices extended their decline on Monday, weighed down by prospects of rising supply amid continued production resumption after a deadly mine accident in coal-rich Shanxi... 


BHP offices
BHP shares head for worst day in months on Jansen project cost overruns
19th June 2026 By: Reuters

Shares of BHP Group slid on Friday after the world's largest listed miner flagged cost overruns at its Jansen Stage 2 potash project in Canada and disclosed a $2.3 billion charge. The... 


Image of iron-ore stockpile
Gongo Soco circular mining project, Brazil
19th June 2026 By: Sheila Barradas

Vale announced the implementation of the Gongo Soco circular mining project in April 2026 as part of its Circular Mining Program – Waste to Value. 


NEW TIPPLER: A R4-billion infrastructure expansion at the Saldanha Iron Ore Terminal, which included the installation of a new tippler (pictured), has been completed. The investment milestone was marked earlier this month. The terminal is also celebrating 50 years of operation this year, with the first shipment of iron-ore having been made in 1976. Photograph: Transnet
NEW TIPPLER
19th June 2026

NEW TIPPLER: A R4-billion infrastructure expansion at the Saldanha Iron Ore Terminal, which included the installation of a new tippler (pictured), has been completed. The investment milestone was... 


An image of a logistics channel for a ship transporting modular buildings and containers
Modular camp rapidly set up for iron-ore mine
19th June 2026 By: Trent Roebeck

A major iron-ore operation in West Africa is rapidly expanding, and modular building solutions company Bolt Modular is helping it keep pace, reports Bolt Modular MD Nick Alexander. Bolt Modular is... 


Steel
Iron-ore industry sees a bright future, but green steel fades - Reuters
18th June 2026 By: Reuters

The most persistently bullish part of the commodities sector in recent years has been metals associated with the energy transition, such as copper, lithium and rare earth elements. Iron-ore miners... 


Weir secures significant order for its GEHO® PD pumps
Weir secures significant order for its GEHO® PD pumps
17th June 2026 By: Dimpho Madiba

Lloyds Metals and Energy Limited has awarded Weir an order to supply 14 GEHO® TZPM 2000 positive displacement (PD) pumps equipped with GLORES (GEHO® Load Reduction System).  Lloyds Metals holds... 


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