Australia increased its exports of iron ore by 14% m/m in March

In March 2026, Australia increased its exports of iron ore and pellets by 14% month-over-month, reaching 73 million tons. This is evidenced by vessel manifest data compiled by BigMint.

Compared to March 2025, these shipment volumes decreased by 4%.

The main importer of Australian iron ore during the period was China (60.4 million tons), followed by South Korea (4.6 million tons) and Japan (4.5 million tons).

As for the companies, BHP exported 24.2 million tons of iron ore in March, Rio Tinto – 24.3 million tons, and FMG – 17.3 million tons.

The March increase in Australian iron ore shipments was largely driven by a seasonal rebound following disruptions caused by weather conditions. Following an unstable February, which was affected by cyclones and port closures in the Pilbara region, major mining companies increased shipments, in particular to meet their targets by the end of the quarter.

At the same time, BigMint notes that Chinese buyers prioritized higher-quality Australian ore amid stricter environmental standards.

Overall, iron ore exports from key supplier countries in March 2026 increased compared to the previous month, with the exception of India. Brazil exported 26.23 million tons during the period (+3% m/m, -15.7% y/y). South Africa’s iron ore exports last month totaled 5.41 million tons (+25% m/m, +5.4% y/y).

At the same time, India reduced its exports of iron ore and pellets by 30.5% compared to February and by 46% year-on-year, down to 1.69 million tons.

As a reminder, in February it was reported that Australia is closely monitoring negotiations between major iron ore producers and the Chinese state-owned buyer China Minerals Resources Group (CMRG) due to the potential impact of lower prices for this raw material on the federal budget.