What is it?
Rust-coloured rock that is roughly one-third to two-thirds iron, and the single largest tonnage the mining industry moves.
Why does it matter?
Steel is about ninety-five percent of all metal used by weight. Everything else on this site is, by tonnage, a rounding error next to iron.
Deeper written sections for this material have not been published yet. Everything below is drawn straight from the source datasets and is complete.
Where it comes from in the rock
All ore minerals →These are the minerals that actually carry iron ore. A deposit is only an orebody if one of them is concentrated enough to pay for digging it up.
Hematite
70% iron when pure. Direct-shipping hematite ore needs little processing, which is why it built the Pilbara and Carajás.
Magnetite
72% iron when pure but usually low grade in the ground; it is upgraded by magnetic separation into high-purity pellet…
Who produces it
See it on a map →Mine production: Iron content
Mine production: Iron contentthousand metric tons 2025 (estimated)
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · USGS iron-ore figures are usable ore (gross weight); a separate line gives iron content. Do not compare the two. · source ↗
Scroll the table sideways for the remaining columns.
| Country | Production | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 600,000 | — |
| Brazil | 260,000 | — |
| India | 190,000 | — |
| China | 180,000 | — |
| Iran | 61,000 | — |
| Russia | 50,000 | — |
| South Africa | 42,000 | — |
| Canada | 41,000 | — |
| Other countries | 36,000 | — |
| Ukraine | 32,000 | — |
| United States | 24,000 | — |
| Sweden | 18,000 | — |
| Peru | 14,000 | — |
| Chile | 12,000 | — |
| Kazakhstan | 11,000 | — |
| Turkey | 11,000 | — |
| Mauritania | 9,300 | — |
| Mexico | 4,800 | — |
Mine production: Iron content, rounded
Mine production: Iron content, roundedthousand metric tons 2025 (estimated) World total 1,600,000 thousand metric tons
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · USGS iron-ore figures are usable ore (gross weight); a separate line gives iron content. Do not compare the two. · source ↗
Scroll the table sideways for the remaining columns.
| Country | Production | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| World total | 1,600,000 | 100% |
Mine production: Usable ore
Mine production: Usable orethousand metric tons 2025 (estimated)
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · USGS iron-ore figures are usable ore (gross weight); a separate line gives iron content. Do not compare the two. · source ↗
Scroll the table sideways for the remaining columns.
| Country | Production | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 980,000 | — |
| Brazil | 420,000 | — |
| India | 310,000 | — |
| China | 290,000 | — |
| Iran | 93,000 | — |
| Russia | 86,000 | — |
| Canada | 69,000 | — |
| South Africa | 66,000 | — |
| Other countries | 64,000 | — |
| Ukraine | 52,000 | — |
| United States | 38,000 | — |
| Kazakhstan | 35,000 | — |
| Sweden | 26,000 | — |
| Peru | 21,000 | — |
| Chile | 19,000 | — |
| Turkey | 18,000 | — |
| Mauritania | 15,000 | — |
| Mexico | 7,700 | — |
Mine production: Usable ore, rounded
Mine production: Usable ore, roundedthousand metric tons 2025 (estimated) World total 2,600,000 thousand metric tons
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · USGS iron-ore figures are usable ore (gross weight); a separate line gives iron content. Do not compare the two. · source ↗
Scroll the table sideways for the remaining columns.
| Country | Production | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| World total | 2,600,000 | 100% |
“Withheld” means the USGS suppressed the figure to avoid disclosing an individual company's data — it does not mean zero. Country rows do not always sum to the world total because the source rounds each figure independently and does not always break out an “other countries” line.
Who holds the reserves
Reserves (million metric tons): Crude ore
Reserves (million metric tons): Crude oremillion metric tons 2025
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗
| Country | Reserves | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 59,000 | — |
| Russia | 35,000 | — |
| Brazil | 34,000 | — |
| China | 17,000 | — |
| Other countries | 11,000 | — |
| Mauritania | 10,000 | — |
| Ukraine | 6,500 | — |
| Canada | 6,000 | — |
| India | 5,500 | — |
| Iran | 4,200 | — |
| Kazakhstan | 3,800 | — |
| United States | 3,600 | — |
| Chile | 3,000 | — |
| Peru | 1,800 | — |
| Sweden | 1,300 | — |
| South Africa | 1,200 | — |
| Mexico | 940.0 | — |
| Turkey | 150.0 | — |
Reserves (million metric tons): Crude ore, rounded
Reserves (million metric tons): Crude ore, roundedmillion metric tons 2025
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗
| Country | Reserves | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| World total | 200,000 | 100% |
Reserves (million metric tons): Iron content
Reserves (million metric tons): Iron contentmillion metric tons 2025
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗
| Country | Reserves | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 27,000 | — |
| Brazil | 15,000 | — |
| Russia | 14,000 | — |
| Other countries | 6,000 | — |
| Mauritania | 4,400 | — |
| India | 3,400 | — |
| China | 3,000 | — |
| United States | 2,700 | — |
| Ukraine | 2,300 | — |
| Canada | 2,300 | — |
| Iran | 1,500 | — |
| Kazakhstan | 1,500 | — |
| Peru | 1,000 | — |
| Chile | 740.0 | — |
| South Africa | 680.0 | — |
| Sweden | 600.0 | — |
| Mexico | 520.0 | — |
| Turkey | 99.00 | — |
Reserves (million metric tons): Iron content, rounded
Reserves (million metric tons): Iron content, roundedmillion metric tons 2025
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗
| Country | Reserves | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| World total | 87,000 | 100% |
Price
Iron ore, global price
Annual averageUS$ per tonne
Basis: IMF global price of iron ore — China import, 62% Fe fines, CFR Tianjin. Annual averages as published in FRED (IMF primary commodity prices) · source ↗. These are reference annual averages, not a live market quote.
average unit value reported by mines, dollars per metric ton
Annual averagedollars per metric ton
Basis: average unit value reported by mines, dollars per metric ton. Annual averages as published in USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗. These are reference annual averages, not a live market quote.
Mines that produce it
All mines →
Pilbara Iron Ore District
The largest iron-ore export region in the world.
Bayan Obo
The largest rare-earth deposit in the world.
Where it is processed and refined
| Plant | Kind | Stage | Country | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese NdFeB Magnet Cluster | Magnet plant | Component | China | Input |
| Port Hedland | Port | Processing | Australia | Input |
| Port of Rotterdam Bulk Terminals | Port | Processing | Netherlands | Input |
What it is used for
All end markets →| End market | What it does there | Importance |
|---|---|---|
| Construction & Steel | Steel | Defining |
| Grid Storage | Iron-air and iron-based chemistries | Important |
How much of it a technology needs
| Technology | Quantity | Quoted | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| LFP Lithium-Ion Battery | 25.00–45.00 kg | per 75 kWh pack | Iron in the cathode |
| NdFeB Permanent Magnet | 0.6–0.7 kg | per kg of finished magnet | Iron balance of the alloy |
Indicative range compiled from published technology studies and chemistry; verify against a manufacturer specification before use. Run these numbers at any scale in the material calculator →
Export controls
| Country | Control | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Laos | Export ban | Raw minerals, including copper, gold, iron, nickel, potassium, silver, and zinc (2024). ↗ |
| Vietnam | Export ban | Raw materials of iron, lead-zinc, chromite, manganese, apatite, and rare earths and deeply processed titanium (2012). ↗ |
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, table 4 — controls in effect as of January 2026, excluding controls since lifted.
Follow it across the borders
All journeys →Where a consignment of this material actually goes — every country, every custodian, and what is left behind at each step.
Pilbara iron ore to Chinese steel The largest material flow on Earth: dig it, crush it, screen it, and put it on a boat.