Mineral intelligence
Iron ore mining assets in Africa
Iron ore is the highest volume commodity traded at sea, and grade and logistics decide profitability far more than the size of the deposit.
STRATUM does not yet publish verified iron ore assets. Intelligence on this mineral is gathered continuously, and members are notified as assets clear verification.
What members see
Grades and assay results, resource and reserve estimates, evidence provenance, deal structure, infrastructure and power, and the geospatial layer. Identity of the operator is released only to compliance-cleared members on an approved request.
Iron ore mining: uses, market and Africa’s position
What iron ore is
Iron ore is mined as hematite, which is high grade and can often be shipped after simple crushing and screening, or as magnetite, which is lower grade in situ but can be upgraded magnetically to a premium concentrate. The distinction drives the entire capital and operating profile of a project.
What iron ore is used for
Steelmaking
Effectively the only use at scale. Steel underpins construction, transport, machinery and infrastructure worldwide.
Direct reduction feed
High grade pellets feed direct reduced iron, the route to lower carbon steel and a premium market for the highest grade material.
Iron ore market outlook
The iron ore market is bifurcating. Ordinary grade competes on cost against enormous established producers in Australia and Brazil. High grade material suited to direct reduction is a different market, driven by steelmakers under pressure to decarbonise, and it attracts a premium that ordinary fines do not.
Iron ore in Africa
West Africa hosts some of the highest grade undeveloped hematite in the world, most prominently in Guinea, with further resources in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cameroon and Mauritania. South Africa is an established producer. The constraint across the region has consistently been rail and port capacity rather than geology.
What to check on a iron ore asset
For an iron ore asset, grade and impurities come first, particularly silica, alumina and phosphorus. Then logistics, which usually decide the project: distance to a railhead, rail capacity and port access. A high grade deposit with no route to the coast is a geological curiosity rather than a business.