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How we get iron

How much do we make each year, and how?

Mines produced about 2.6 billion tonnes of usable iron ore in 2025, with about 1.6 billion tonnes of iron in it. Blast furnaces made about 1.3 billion tonnes of pig iron. With scrap, this became 1.85 billion tonnes of crude steel.

Last updated 3 October 2026.

How much is produced

Production

~ 1.6billion tonnes a year1

2025. Iron content of usable ore from mines (2.6 billion t of usable ore). Rounded world total, estimated by USGS.

Refined output

~ 1.3billion tonnes a year2

2025. Pig iron (blast furnace iron). Crude steel output was 1.85 billion t (worldsteel), but it contains scrap and alloying elements, so it is not used here. Direct reduced iron (153 Mt in 2025) is left out.

Production over time
0 1k 2k 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020
Mt. World production of usable iron ore, gross weight (not iron content)3
Show the numbers
YearMt
1905116
1910142
1915116
1920124
1925151
1930179
1935138
1940212
1945159
1950250
1955364
1960514
1965611
1970757
1975888
1980884
1985845
1990982
19951,020
2000969
20051,320
20101,870
20152,370
20162,370
20172,440
20182,460
20192,450
20202,470
20212,680

Iron moves through several stages, and each stage has its own count. USGS estimates that mines produced about 2.6 billion tonnes of usable ore in 2025. It contained about 1.6 billion tonnes of iron1. worldsteel, the steel industry’s association, counted 2,605 million tonnes of iron ore produced in 20244.

Blast furnaces made about 1.3 billion tonnes of pig iron in 2025, the liquid, carbon-rich iron that comes out of a blast furnace24. Direct reduction plants made another 153 million tonnes of direct reduced iron (DRI), iron made in most cases with natural gas instead of coal45. World crude steel output was 1,849 million tonnes in 2025, down from 1,887 million in 20244. USGS gives a rounded 1.9 billion tonnes2. Crude steel output is larger than pig iron output because steelmakers also use scrap.

Output grew fast in the 2000s. World usable ore output was 969 million tonnes in 2000, 1.87 billion in 2010 and 2.68 billion in 20213. World crude steel output rose from 850 million tonnes in 2000 to 1,435 million in 20104. China made 52% of the world’s crude steel in 2025 (961 of 1,849 million tonnes)4.

Who produces it

Mine production by country
Australia 38% 600 Mt
Brazil 16% 260 Mt
India 12% 190 Mt
China 11% 180 Mt
Iran (est.) 3.8% 61 Mt
Russia (est.) 3.1% 50 Mt
South Africa (est.) 2.6% 42 Mt
Canada 2.6% 41 Mt
Rest of the world 11% 176 Mt
2025. Iron content of usable ore. USGS estimates for 2025. World: 1,600 Mt1
Crude steel by country
China 52% 961 Mt
India 8.9% 165 Mt
United States 4.4% 81.9 Mt
Japan 4.4% 80.7 Mt
Russia 3.7% 67.9 Mt
South Korea 3.4% 62.2 Mt
Türkiye 2.1% 38.1 Mt
Germany 1.8% 34.1 Mt
Rest of the world 19% 358 Mt
2025. Crude steel production. This is the stage where most iron is used. Pig iron by country is in the prose. World: 1,850 Mt4

Mining: Australia produced about 600 million tonnes of iron in ore in 2025, 38% of the world total. Brazil produced 260 million, India 190 million and China 180 million1. Geoscience Australia also gives Australia 38% of world iron ore output in 20246. Rio Tinto shipped 326 million tonnes of ore from the Pilbara in 20257. The other large Pilbara producers are BHP and Fortescue8. In Brazil, Vale produced 336 million tonnes of ore in 2025, its highest output since 20189.

Steelmaking: China made 961 million tonnes of crude steel in 2025. India made 165 million, the United States 82 million and Japan 81 million4. China also made 836 million tonnes of pig iron, about two thirds of the world’s4. India is the largest maker of DRI, with 59 million tonnes in 2025, followed by Iran with 37 million4.

The largest steel company in 2025 was China Baowu Group, with 125 million tonnes. ArcelorMittal made 63 million and Nippon Steel 58 million4.

How it is mined and refined

All the major Australian iron ore mines are open pits, as are most iron ore mines in the world8. The rock is blasted, dug and carried to crushing and screening plants by trucks that hold more than 300 tonnes8. The ore is sold as lump or fines. Magnetite ore is separated with magnets to make a concentrate8. Fine ore is sintered (heated until the grains stick together) with limestone and coke at the steelworks, or made into hard, regular pellets8.

In a blast furnace, hot air burns coke (baked coal), and the gas turns into carbon monoxide. The carbon monoxide takes the oxygen from the iron ore10. A basic oxygen furnace or an electric arc furnace then refines the iron into steel5. This removes a large part of the carbon10. Coal gives about 75% of the energy used in steelmaking11.

In the second route, an electric arc furnace melts scrap or DRI. In 2025 this route made 71% of US steel and 11% of Chinese steel4.

What it costs to produce

Iron ore from the Pilbara is cheap to mine. Rio Tinto’s cash cost was US$23.5 per wet tonne of ore in 2025, free on board (FOB, loaded on the ship)7. Its average sale price was US$90 per dry tonne FOB7.

Making steel takes much more energy than mining ore. Companies that report to worldsteel used 20.95 gigajoules of energy per tonne of crude steel in 20244. Steel made from scrap needs about one eighth of the energy of steel made from ore11.

New supply takes years and much capital. Rio Tinto’s share of the capital cost of the Simandou project in Guinea is US$6.2 billion7. The project includes more than 600 kilometers of new railway and a port12. Operations started on 11 November 2025, and the first shipment left in December 2025127. Rio Tinto expects a ramp-up of 30 months to full capacity after commissioning7. In mid-2026 the SimFer mine was about 77% built and its port 85%. Ore went out through the WCS port. Rio Tinto expected 5 to 10 million tonnes of Simandou sales in 2026. It expected full production rates in the second half of 202813.

Recycling

End-of-life recycling

~ 80%14

Iron and steel, global end-of-life recycling rate. Only the range 70 to 90% is published. 80 is the middle of that range, not a published number.

Range 70% to 90%.

Recycled content

~ 30%11

Share of scrap in the metallic inputs to steelmaking worldwide. The IEA says iron ore gives around 70% and recycled scrap the rest.

The UNEP International Resource Panel (2011) put the global recycled content of iron in its 25 to 50% band, and listed three single studies (28%, 41% for the US only, 52%).

Steel is one of the most recycled materials11. The UNEP International Resource Panel estimated a global end-of-life recycling rate of 70 to 90% for iron and steel in 201114. The IEA gives about 80 to 90%11. In the United States, USGS gives about 97% for structural steel from construction, 78% for appliances and 62% for steel containers15. Old cars are recycled at close to 100%15.

Recycled content is lower. Scrap gives about 30% of the metal fed to steelmaking, and ore about 70%11. The UNEP panel collected single studies with values of 28%, 41% and 52%14. Scrap cannot meet demand alone, because steel production today is higher than when the steel now being scrapped was made11.

Recycling one tonne of steel saves 1.1 tonnes of iron ore, 0.6 tonnes of coking coal and 0.05 tonnes of limestone15.

Sources

  1. 1

    U.S. Geological Survey (C.C. Tuck), 2026. Iron Ore, in Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 , p. 2, World Mine Production and Reserves table; World Resources.

    World mine production, reserves and resources of iron ore and its iron content, 2024 and 2025.

    • World total (rounded) ... 2,600,000 2,600,000 1,600,000 1,600,000
    • Mine production … Usable ore … Iron content … 2,600,000 2,600,000 1,600,000 1,600,000
    • Australia Brazil Canada Chile China India ... 982,000 980,000 607,000 600,000 428,000 420,000
    • 982,000 980,000 607,000 600,000 428,000 420,000 268,000 260,000
  2. 2

    U.S. Geological Survey (C.C. Tuck), 2026. Iron and Steel, in Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 , p. 2, World Production table; Events, Trends, and Issues; Substitutes.

    World pig iron and raw steel output, US tariffs, substitutes.

    • Pig iron ... 1,280 1,300
    • Pig iron … 1,280 1,300
    • Raw steel … 1,880 1,900
  3. 3

    U.S. Geological Survey (T.D. Kelly, W.S. Kirk, J.D. Jorgenson, C.C. Tuck), 2024. Iron ore statistics, in Historical Statistics for Mineral and Material Commodities in the United States (Data Series 140) , ds140-iron_ore-2021.xlsx, columns 'World production' and 'Unit value (98$/t)'.

    World usable iron ore production 1905 to 2021 and US unit value of iron ore in 1998 dollars.

    • World production ... 116,000,000 ... 969,000,000 ... 2,680,000,000
    • World production … 969,000,000 … 1,870,000,000 … 2,680,000,000
  4. 4

    World Steel Association (worldsteel), the steel industry's association, 2026. World Steel in Figures 2026 , Sustainability indicators; Top 50 companies; Major steel-producing countries; Production by process; Pig iron; DRI; Iron ore 2024; Steel use by sector (p. 30).

    Crude steel, pig iron and DRI output by country, top companies, iron ore trade, emissions and energy per tonne of steel.

    • World … 2 604.5
    • Pig iron … 1 271.2
    • Direct reduced iron production … World 117.9 127.0 138.7 145.8 153.0
    • 2024 1 887 … 2025 1 849
    • 2000 850 … 2010 1 435
    • China … 960.8 … World … 1848.9
    • Major steel-producing countries 2024 and 2025 ... 960.8 164.9 81.9 80.7
    • 960.8 164.9 81.9 80.7
    • 836.0 … 1 271.2
    • India … 54.8 58.9 … Iran 30.4 32.9 33.4 34.3 37.2
    • 1 China Baowu Group 124.76 … 2 ArcelorMittal 1 63.43 … 3 Nippon Steel Corporation 2 57.78
    • Crude steel production by process … Electric … United States … 71.3 … China … 10.6
    • 20.95 GJ of energy consumed per tonne of crude steel
  5. 5

    World Steel Association (worldsteel), 2025. Climate change and the production of iron and steel , Keeping track of our emissions.

    Steel sector emissions of about 4.1 billion t CO2e in 2024 (scopes 1 to 3), 7 to 8% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.

    • or in a direct reduced iron (DRI) furnace, in most cases using natural gas
    • The resulting iron is then refined into steel in a basic oxygen furnace (BOF) or an electric arc furnace (EAF)
  6. 6

    Geoscience Australia, 2025. World Rankings, in Australia's Identified Mineral Resources 2025 , Table 5, Iron Ore row (as at December 2024).

    Australia ranks first for economic resources of iron ore (30% of the world) and first for production (38%) in 2024.

    • Iron Ore … 38%
  7. 7

    Rio Tinto, 2026. Final Results: 2025 annual results (regulatory announcement, RNS) , Iron Ore section.

    Pilbara shipments, unit cash cost and realized price in 2025; first Simandou shipment.

    • Pilbara shipments (million tonnes - 100%) 326.2
    • Pilbara iron ore unit cash costs, free on board (FOB) basis - US$ per wet metric tonne 23.5
    • Average Pilbara iron ore realised price (US$ per dry metric tonne, FOB basis) 90.0
    • Total capital cost … Project: Simandou … $6.2bn (Rio Tinto share)
    • first shipment from the WCS port in December
    • we expect a 30 month ramp-up to full capacity
  8. 8

    Geoscience Australia, 2023. Iron (Australian mineral facts) , Properties; Formation; Resources; Mining; Processing.

    Ore minerals and their iron content, banded iron formations, Hamersley Province deposit types and grades, processing.

    • There are three major Pilbara iron ore producers: BHP Billiton Ltd (BHP), Rio Tinto Ltd (Rio) and Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (FMG)
    • As with most iron ore mines throughout the world, all the major Australian iron ore mines are open cut
    • using trucks that can carry over 300 tonnes
    • crushing, screening and grinding to produce hematite lumps and fines. Magnetite ore is further processed through magnetic separation
    • Sintering is a process used to agglomerate iron ore fines … Pellets are an ideal blast furnace feed because they are hard and of regular size and shape
  9. 9

    Vale, 2026. Check out the Production and Sales results for 4Q25 .

    Vale's iron ore production of 336 Mt in 2025, its highest since 2018.

    • Iron ore and copper output reached their highest levels since 2018, at 336 Mt
  10. 10

    Flowers P., Theopold K., Langley R., Robinson W.R. (OpenStax, Rice University), 2019. Chemistry 2e, section 19.1: Occurrence, Preparation, and Properties of Transition Metals and Their Compounds , Isolation of Iron (Figure 19.6).

    Carbon monoxide reduces iron oxides in a blast furnace; steelmaking removes much of the carbon in iron.

    • The hot carbon dioxide passes upward through the overlying layer of white-hot coke, where it is reduced to carbon monoxide … The carbon monoxide serves as the reducing agent
    • a large part of the carbon contained in iron must be removed in the manufacture of steel
  11. 11

    International Energy Agency, 2020. Iron and Steel Technology Roadmap: Towards more sustainable steelmaking , Executive summary.

    Sector CO2 emissions (2.6 Gt, 7% of the energy system), coal use, scrap share and energy, demand projection to 2050.

    • which provides around 75% of its energy demand
    • Steel production from scrap requires around one-eighth of the energy of that produced from iron ore
    • iron ore is the source of around 70% of the metallic raw material inputs to steelmaking globally, the rest is supplied in the form of recycled steel scrap
    • Steel is one of the most highly recycled materials in use today
    • high recycling rates (around 80-90% globally)
    • scrap cannot fulfil the sector’s raw material input requirements alone because steel production today is higher than when the products that are currently being recycled were produced
  12. 12

    Rio Tinto, 2025. Simandou partners celebrate start of operations (media release) .

    Simandou start of operations on 11 November 2025, export capacity, owners and rail line.

    • more than 600 kilometres of new multi-use trans-Guinean rail together with barge and Transhipment Vessel port facilities
    • 11 November 2025
  13. 13

    Rio Tinto, 2026. Rio Tinto releases second quarter 2026 production results , Simandou production table; Iron ore projects; notes 4 to 6.

    Simandou output and 2026 sales guidance, construction progress, ramp-up date and ownership.

    • SimFer mine is progressing to plan, with ~77% completed … with 85% completed … shipped through the WCS port … ramp up toward full production rates during H2 2028 … 5-10 Mt for Simandou
  14. 14

    UNEP International Resource Panel (T.E. Graedel et al.), 2011. Recycling Rates of Metals: A Status Report , Appendix C, p. 30, Table C1.

    End-of-life recycling rate (70 to 90%) and recycled content of iron and steel.

    • an EOL-RR of 70 –90 % can be estimated for iron and steel
    • Fe … 28d, 41c, 52b
  15. 15

    U.S. Geological Survey (C.C. Tuck), 2026. Iron and Steel Scrap, in Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 , p. 1, Recycling.

    US scrap recycling rates by end use and the raw materials saved by recycling.

    • 97% for structural steel from construction, 78% for appliances, 74% for all construction end uses, 62% for steel containers
    • Recycling of automobiles is nearly 100% each year
    • Recycling 1 ton of steel conserves 1.1 tons of iron ore, 0.6 ton of coking coal, and 0.05 ton of limestone