Australian producers shipped 64mn t of iron ore out of Port Hedland and Dampier Port — Western Australia's (WA) two largest iron ore ports — in October, up by 11pc on the year, driven by higher shipments to most major markets.
- Chinese steelmakers bought 42mn t of iron ore from Port Hedland in October, up 7.3pc on the year, following two consecutive monthly declines in August and September. China's total iron ore imports rose by 7.2pc on the year in October, Chinese customs data show.
- Producers also shipped 2.8mn t of iron ore out of smaller ports in WA's Pilbara region, the Pilbara Ports Authority said today.
- Japanese producers bought 2mn t of Port Hedland iron ore in October, up 46pc on the year. This trend may not have persisted in November. Exports from Western Australia to Japan and South Korea combined fell over 1-17 November, provisional shipping data show.
- Vietnamese producers bought 330,994t of Port Hedland iron ore in October, down from 348,458t a year earlier. Vietnam's steel exports have been declining since early 2025. Producers in the country exported 7.9mn t of steel products over January-September, down 21pc on the year.
- Australian producer BHP's WA iron ore production fell by 2.1pc on the year in July-September, while UK-Australian producer Rio Tinto's output was flat on the year over the same period.
- Argus' iron ore fines 61pc Fe (ICX) cfr Qingdao price was last assessed at $102.30/t on 19 November, up slightly from $101.25/t at the start of October. It was last assessed $2.60/t below Argus' iron ore fines 62pc Fe (ICX) cfr Qingdao price.
| Pilbara Ports exports | mn t | ||||
| Oct '25 | Oct '24 | y-o-y ± % | Sep '25 | m-o-m ± % | |
| Port Hedland | |||||
| China | 42 | 39 | 7.3 | 42 | 0.6 |
| Japan | 2.0 | 1.4 | 46 | 1.2 | 66.8 |
| South Korea | 3.6 | 3.0 | 18 | 4.3 | -16.0 |
| Vietnam | 0.3 | 0.3 | -5.0 | 0.3 | -3.2 |
| Total* | 49 | 46 | 8.6 | 49 | 1.9 |
| Dampier | |||||
| Total | 15 | 12 | 22 | 13 | 13.8 |
| Pilbara | |||||
| Total | 64 | 58 | 11 | 62 | 4.4 |
| *Total includes other countries | |||||
| — Pilbara Ports Authority | |||||
