Iron ore: Stocks
Half a century of reserves, and far more resources
What this tab covers How much is left and how much is held. For minerals and energy: reserves, current output, years of supply and recycling for the top five countries. For farm commodities: production, ending stocks and stocks-to-use for the top five producers (USDA, October 2026). It also covers inventories and stockpiles.Top five countries: reserves, output and years of supply
| Country | Reserves Mt Fe content | Current output Mt Fe content (mine, 2025e) | Years of supply | Recycling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 27,000 | 600 | 45 | n/a |
| Brazil | 15,000 | 260 | 58 | n/a |
| India | 3,400 | 190 | 18 | n/a |
| China | 3,000 | 180 | 17 | n/a |
| Iran | 1,500 | 61 | 25 | n/a |
Recycling
Iron ore itself is not recycled; steel scrap substitutes for it. The EU end-of-life recycling input rate for iron is 31% (EU CRM 2023). The US steel scrap recycling rate has averaged 80-90% over the past decade, with cars near 100% (USGS 2026). Each tonne of steel recycled saves about 1.1 t of iron ore. Russia holds large reserves (14,000 Mt Fe) but mined about 50 Mt Fe in 2025, about 280 years. India's 18 years at current output is short, which is why lease auctions and exploration matter.
USGS reserves are 200 billion tonnes of crude ore holding 87 billion tonnes of iron. That is about 54 years of 2025 output, which was 1.6 billion tonnes of iron. World resources exceed 260 billion tonnes of iron. Depletion is not the binding constraint; grade, impurities and transport cost are. Steel scrap is the other iron source, and the EU end-of-life recycling input rate for iron is 31%. Large ore stockpiles at Chinese ports and mills buffer seaborne supply. US mine, dock and plant stocks fell to 3.57 million tonnes in 2025.
Reserves
World reserves 87,000,000 thousand metric tons, iron content (crude ore: 200,000,000) Reserve life 54 years at 2025 production Australia 31% Brazil 17% Russia 16% Mauritania 5% India 4% Largest reserve holders, share of world reserves (USGS MCS 2026). Reserves are what is economic to extract today, not what exists.Recycling
End-of-life recycling input rate in the EU: 31% of demand met from post-consumer scrap (EU CRM study 2023).USGS reports no recycling of iron ore itself; iron is recycled as steel scrap.