Iron ore
Iron ore is integral to the steelmaking process and one of the most sought after commodities in the world.
What is iron ore?
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be extracted. There are four main types of iron ore deposit: massive hematite, which is the most commonly mined, magnetite, titanomagnetite, and pisolitic ironstone. These ores vary in colour from dark grey, through to deep purple, rusty red and bright yellow. Iron is responsible for the red colour in many of our rocks and the deep red sands of the Australian deserts.
How is iron ore used
98 per cent of all iron ore is converted into pig iron for steel making. Steel is then used in construction, transportation, energy infrastructure and household appliances.
Construction
Buildings, bridges and other essential infrastructure around the world are built with steel made from iron ore.
Household appliances
You’ll find steel in everyday household appliances like your ovens, washing machines, fridges and dishwashers.
Transport
Every mode of transportation relies on steel produced from iron ore. That includes planes, trains, ships, trucks and cars.
Energy infrastructure
From wind turbines to electricity poles, steel plays an essential role in providing the energy infrastructure that powers our world.
How is iron ore made
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Where is iron ore found
Iron ore deposits have been located all over the world, with Australia, Brazil, the United States and Canada being the largest producing countries. We have interests in iron ore assets in Australia and Brazil.
Western Australia
Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) is an integrated system of five open‑cut operational mines and four processing hubs in the Pilbara region of northern Western Australia. It owns and operates more than 1,000 kilometres of rail infrastructure and has two port facilities.
Brazil
Samarco Mineracao S.A. (Samarco) is a non-operated joint venture iron ore operation.
BHP Billiton Brasil and Vale each hold a 50% shareholding in Samarco. Following the Fundão dam failure in 2015, operations at the iron ore operation have resumed without the need of tailings dams and with a new, safer filtration system. The autonomous Renova Foundation was established to remediate and compensate for the impacts of the dam failure.
Think steel Meet Aaron from Port Hedland
How is iron ore mined?
First, we explore the geology of the region to find the best iron ore prospects for our operations. Once the ideal site has been chosen, the ore is drilled and blasted. It is then transported to the primary crusher for processing.
The crushed ore is sorted over screens and resized to different specifications, such as lump and fines products.
Once the iron ore is processed, a stacker builds a stockpile in the stockyards. When ready for transportation, a reclaimer picks up the ore from the stockpiles and conveys it to train load out facilities. Trains transport the iron ore to ports. The iron ore is then loaded onto ships at our port facilities and exported to our customers around the world.
What is the future for iron ore?
As the world continues to require steel for construction and infrastructure, we expect demand for iron ore to continue. Our challenge is to continue producing this vital commodity safely and efficiently while meeting our climate ambitions.. WAIO is already the world’s lowest‑cost major iron ore producer, a position it has maintained for the past seven years. We plan to increase production at WAIO to >305 Mtpa (100 per cent basis) by Q4 FY2028 and sustain this level over the medium term through a range of low‑capital, high‑returning projects.