Iron ore: Emissions
Light at the mine; the heavy carbon comes later
What this tab covers The greenhouse-gas footprint of the commodity at a global level, split by lifecycle phase: extraction (or farming), refining and processing, movement, usage, and recycling or end of life. Intensities are per unit of product; the global total combines intensity with world output. Also covers other environmental impacts and the main levers to cut emissions. Emission intensity 0.04 t CO2e per t range 0.02-0.12 · derived, indicative: Australian fines to China at the low end; long-haul Brazilian ore and fired pellets at the high end Global emissions per year 90.0 Mt CO2e per year 2025 · 2.6 Bt usable ore x about 0.035 t CO2e/t (derived, indicative); excludes steelmaking, which emits about 40 times morePer t of iron ore fines delivered to a Chinese port (cradle-to-port: mining, processing, rail and sea freight). Intensity: derived from Smil 2016 (pelletising energy), typical bulk carrier emission factors (IMO, indicative) and major miners' reported Scope 1+2 intensities (indicative). Global total: USGS MCS 2026; derived.
Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
Extraction 25% Refining / processing 10% Movement 65%Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extraction | about 0.005-0.012 t CO2e/t ore (indicative) | 25% | diesel haul trucks, drilling and blasting | Pilbara hematite needs little processing, so mining is most of the on-site footprint; electric and battery trucks are being trialled | major miners' Scope 1+2 reports (indicative) |
| Refining / processing | crushing and screening about 0.002-0.005 t/t; pelletising about 0.04-0.06 t/t pellets | 10% | electricity for crushing, grinding and magnetic separation; gas, coal or oil heat for pellet induration | Pelletising needs about 350 MJ of heat and 25-35 kWh per tonne (Smil). Low-grade magnetite and itabirite must be ground and concentrated, raising energy use | Smil 2016; pellet intensity derived (indicative) |
| Movement | about 0.02 t/t Australia-China; about 0.06 t/t Brazil-China | 65% | heavy-haul rail and Capesize or Valemax ships burning heavy fuel oil | Freight is the largest part of delivered ore's footprint because the cargo is heavy and low value; Brazil-China is about three times the Australia-China distance | derived from typical bulk carrier factors of about 3 g CO2 per tonne-km (IMO, indicative) |
| Usage | about 1.5-2.0 t CO2 per t of hot metal in the blast furnace (indicative) | – | carbon from coke and coal strips oxygen from the ore | Not in the cradle-to-port total. This downstream use is the miners' Scope 3 and is about 40-50 times the cradle-to-port footprint. See the Steel tile | worldsteel 2025 (BF-BOF 2.34 t CO2/t crude steel); Smil 2016 |
| Recycling / end of life | not applicable to ore itself | – | steel scrap replaces ore | Each tonne of steel recycled saves about 1.1 t of ore; scrap-EAF steel emits about 0.69 t CO2/t versus 2.34 t for BF-BOF | USGS MCS 2026; worldsteel Sustainability Indicators 2025 |
Other environmental impacts
Tailings dams are the major hazard: the Mariana (2015) and Brumadinho (2019) failures at Vale-linked operations in Brazil killed 19 and 270 people. Large open pits also clear forest (Carajas in Amazonia, Odisha and Jharkhand forests in India) and disturb heritage sites (Juukan Gorge, 2020).
Levers to cut emissions
- Electrify haul fleets and rail; diesel is the main on-site source in the Pilbara
- Upgrade to high-grade and DR-grade ore and pellets (65-67% Fe), which cut coke and CO2 in the steel plant and allow DRI routes
- Use lower-carbon ships and fuels; IMO's 2023 strategy targets net-zero shipping around 2050
- Fire pellet plants with gas, biomass or hydrogen instead of coal or oil
India
India mined about 310 Mt of usable ore in 2025, mostly for its own mills (USGS); much of it is high-alumina fines that need beneficiation and pelletising, and India's pellet plants are largely coal-fired (indicative), so processing emissions per tonne are higher than for Pilbara lump and fines.
Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.