Australia: BHP’s iron ore output drops 10% q-o-q in Q3CY’25; sales shrink

• Production guidance for FY’26 remains unchanged at 284-296 mnt
• Samarco’s production guidance for FY’26 remains steady at 7-7.5 mnt

BHP has announced its Q3CY’25 (July-September 2025) results, revealing that iron ore production from all its Western Australia mines totalled 70.25 million tonnes (mnt) on a 100% basis, down by 9.3% from 77.48 mnt in Q2CY’25. Meanwhile, iron ore sales also declined by 8% q-o-q to 70.6 mnt against 76.7 mnt the past quarter.

Y-o-y, production remained largely stable (marginally down by 1%). For Samarco, production was reported at 2.06 mnt, 5.9% higher q-o-q.

Despite a 9% decline in production, the company demonstrated solid operational discipline during the quarter. The major rebuild of Car Dumper 3 at Port Hedland, impacting around 4.3 mnt of volume, was completed roughly 8% ahead of schedule, underscoring efficient execution and strong project delivery. The multi-year Rail Technology Program (RTP1) continued to progress on schedule, supporting long-term infrastructure improvements and logistics resilience.

Additionally, the planned increase in tie-in activity under the multi-year Rail Technology Programme (RTP1) supported efficient logistics. A robust supply chain performance, marked by record productive movement, further reinforced the company’s operational strength.

Iron ore sales drop

Total iron ore sales from the WAIO region on a 100% basis were recorded at 70.6 mnt in Q3CY’25, representing a 8% decline from 76.7 mnt in Q2CY’25. Y-o-y, sales also dipped 1% compared to 71.5 mnt. Meanwhile, Samarco’s sales climbed up by 3.5% q-o-q to  2.04 mnt in Q2CY’25 versus 1.973 mnt in the previous quarter.

Other highlights

Production guidance for FY’26 remains unchanged

BHP’s FY’26 iron ore production guidance from Western Australia has been kept firm at 251-262 mnt (284-296 mnt on a 100% basis).

Samarco’s production guidance for FY’26 remains steady at 7-7.5 mnt, higher by about 2 mnt from the previous FY, with expectations of planned maintenance across the year.

The Australian financial year (FY) runs from 1 July to 30 June.