Iron ore

We match our products to the demands of our customers

Of all the metals that make modern life possible, steel is the most widely used – and iron ore is its main ingredient.

The world needs to decarbonise while cities and infrastructure still need to be built for economies to develop. Our premium-quality iron ore products are well positioned to help our customers produce steel with less carbon emissions.

Iron ore is used in infrastructure, property, manufacturing, transportation and a whole range of other products we use in our daily lives. And technology is demanding increasingly sophisticated forms of steel.

Our products

We strive to match our products with our customers’ needs. By listening to our clients requirements, we are able to develop and deliver high-quality products which strengthen our client relationships and cement our position in the global market.

Our product range

Not all iron ore is created equal. The highest quality and most important iron ores for steelmaking are hematite (Fe₂O₃) and magnetite (Fe₃O₄). Hematite is the more sought-after ore and the preferred raw material in efficient steelmaking mills. It accounts for approximately 95% of South Africa’s iron ore production. We produce a range of high-grade Lump and Fine iron ore products at our operations which are globally marketed as three Kumba blend products: Premium Lump (65.1% Fe), Standard Lump (63.9% Fe) and Standard Fines (63.2% Fe). We are unique in that we are primarily a principle lump producer with a product of recognized exceptional chemical and metallurgical quality.

We produce ore for the domestic and export market at our Sishen and Kolomela mines. Our philosophy of quality, reliability and consistency ensures excellence and delivers verified value.

More details of how we get our product to our customers

Why choose Kumba Iron Ore?

High iron (Fe) content of all products.
Low undersize of lump ore.
Breaks down less during handling and transportation, so customers receive a larger fraction of valuable lump ore.
Creates less dust during handling and transportation so there is less ore loss and less impact on the environment.
Has an excellent thermal shock resistance. This means that less fines are formed in the top of the blast furnace and therefore fewer of these fine particles are lost to the off-gas and the burden becomes more permeable.
Breaks down less during reduction in the top part of the blast furnace. This means there is lower fines formation in the blast furnace, which increases permeability of the burden and less coke is needed.
Increased sinter plant productivity as a result of a coarser fine ore so this counters the finer sinter feed material in the market, thereby increasing permeability.