Iron ore exports from the ports of Port Hedland and Dampier in the Pilbara region of Western Australia (WA) rose by 2pc on the year in August because of higher shipments to South Korea and Indonesia.
Producers shipped 59.4mn t of iron ore from Port Hedland and Dampier in August, port data released on 11 September show (see table). Exports from Port Hedland rose by 5pc on the year to 46.6mn t, while shipments from Dampier fell by 7pc on the year to 12.8mn t.
Port Hedland's exports to China, the dominant buyer of Australian iron ore, fell by 2pc on the year to 38mn t. China's iron ore imports were up on the year in August, but the increase was partially driven by record shipments from the Simandou project in Guinea, which shipped its first cargo in December 2025. Declining steel production also continued to curb iron ore consumption in the country.
Port Hedland exported 4.1mn t of iron ore to South Korea, up by 105pc on the year. South Korean iron ore demand was likely supported by an increase in domestic automobile production. The port shipped 27.7mn t to South Korea in January-August, up by 13pc on the year. But the country's transition from blast furnaces to electric-arc furnaces, which use scrap metal instead of iron ore as a feedstock, could weigh on future iron ore demand.
Shipments to Indonesia rose by 83pc on the year to 1.1mn t in August. Port Hedland shipped 5.3mn t of iron ore to Indonesia in January-August, up by 36pc on the year. Steel demand from southeast Asia is growing structurally due to urbanisation, population growth, ongoing infrastructure and housing programmes, and growth in steel-intensive manufacturing, which should support demand for iron ore.
The two ports shipped 474mn t of iron ore in January-August, flat on the year.
Argus last assessed 58pc iron ore fines at $85.30/dry metric tonne (dmt) cfr Qingdao on 10 September, down by $2.10/t on the week.
| Pilbara iron ore exports | mn t | |||||
| Aug '26 | Aug '25 | y-o-y ± % | Jan-Aug '26 | Jan-Aug '25 | YTD ± % | |
| Port Hedland | ||||||
| China | 38 | 39 | -2 | 318.2 | 325.3 | -2 |
| Indonesia | 1 | 1 | 83 | 5.3 | 3.9 | 36 |
| Japan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 7 |
| South Korea | 4 | 2 | 105 | 27.7 | 24.5 | 13 |
| Total* | 47 | 44 | 5 | 375.5 | 378.3 | -1 |
| Dampier | ||||||
| Total | 13 | 14 | -7 | 98.5 | 95.8 | 3 |
| Combined | ||||||
| Total | 59 | 58 | 2 | 474.0 | 474.1 | 0 |
| *Total includes countries not listed | ||||||
| Source: Pilbara Ports | ||||||
