NBS: China’s Jan-Aug’26 ROM iron ore output falls 9% y-o-y

• August output hits lowest level since October 2018
• Lower domestic supply fails to lift concentrate prices

Mysteel Global: China’s run-of-mine (ROM) iron ore output totaled 602.2 million tonnes in the first eight months of this year, down 8.8% from the same period in 2025, according to the latest data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The pace of decline was broadly unchanged from the 8.7% on-year drop recorded during the January-July period, Mysteel Global noted. In August alone, domestic ROM iron ore output tumbled by around 15% on year to 67 million tonnes, marking the lowest monthly level since October 2018, the official data showed.

By region, ROM ore output in North China’s Hebei province – the country’s top iron ore-producing hub – plunged 21.8% on year to 26.8 million tonnes during the month, while that in North China’s Shanxi province also fell sharply, declining around 14% on year to 3.12 million tonnes, the NBS data showed. The sharp contraction was mainly attributed to maintenance stoppages at major mines, while environmental inspections also disrupted output at some operations, Mysteel Global notes.

Lower raw ore output, together with subdued processing activity amid maintenance at mining companies, curbed domestic iron ore concentrate production. Mysteel’s tracking of the 433 domestic mining enterprises nationwide showed their combined concentrate output reached 20 million tonnes in August, down 10% on year and 0.6% on month.

However, tighter concentrate supply did not translate into stronger prices in August. Chinese steelmakers, facing squeezed margins on steel sales, remained cautious in their purchasing, leaving prices with little upward momentum despite the tightening supply.

Mysteel assessed the average offering price of 66% Fe iron ore concentrates in Tangshan, Hebei province, during last month at Yuan 950/dmt ($141.8/dmt) including 13% VAT, lower by Yuan 25/dmt from the average for July.

Note: This article has been written in accordance with a content exchange agreement between Mysteel Global and BigMint.