Iron

Primary Applications

Steelmaking, cast iron, construction, machinery, transportation

Mining Significance

Iron is one of the world’s highest-volume mined commodities and the fundamental raw material for steel production. Commercial iron is recovered primarily from iron oxides such as hematite and magnetite, including lower-grade banded iron formations that are beneficiated into concentrates and pellets. Ore grade, mineralogy, liberation, silica content, and other impurities strongly influence crushing, grinding, magnetic separation, flotation, agglomeration, and downstream steelmaking economics.

Industries

None listed

Iron

55.85

Key Properties

Abundant transition metal and the principal metallic component of steel.
Ferromagnetic at ambient temperatures, enabling strong magnetic separation responses in magnetite-rich ores.
Readily forms important oxides including hematite and magnetite.
Strong and workable when alloyed, with properties that can be tailored through carbon and alloy additions.
Oxidizes readily in moist air unless protected or alloyed for corrosion resistance.

Mining Targets

This element is often found in the following Deposit Types and Mineral targets.

Deposit Type: Banded Iron Formation (BIF) / Superior-type Iron Formation - Large Precambrian iron formations composed of alternating iron-rich and silica-rich layers.

Mineral: Hematite - Fe₂O₃ - Hematite is one of the principal iron minerals in oxide-facies Superior-type banded iron formations.

Deposit Type: Banded Iron Formation (BIF) / Superior-type Iron Formation - Large Precambrian iron formations composed of alternating iron-rich and silica-rich layers.

Mineral: Magnetite - Fe₃O₄ - Magnetite is one of the principal iron minerals in oxide-facies Superior-type banded iron formations.

Deposit Type: Magmatic Fe-Ti-V Oxide - Magmatic oxide deposits formed by concentrations of iron-, titanium-, and locally vanadium-bearing minerals.

Mineral: Magnetite - Fe₃O₄ - Magnetite is an important iron-bearing oxide in magmatic Fe-Ti-V systems and may be recovered as an iron product or coproduct.