🇺🇸 United States exports of iron ore: 2024 trade data
The United States exported $1.35 billion of iron ore in 2024 (12.62 million tonnes). Its share of world exports was 1%. That is 10% less than in 2023. Across 2017-2024 the long-run trend was broadly stable. The peak in this period was 2021, at $1.73 billion.
Public statistics, latest reported year 2024. Values in US dollars.
Exports of iron ore by year, 2017-2024
Hover or tap a year for detail.
Year by year
| Year | Value | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1.35B | 12.62M t |
| 2023 | $1.50B | 13.62M t |
| 2022 | $1.60B | 13.17M t |
| 2021 | $1.73B | 14.08M t |
| 2020 | $965.0M | 10.28M t |
| 2019 | $1.13B | 18.65M t |
| 2018 | $1.13B | 13.42M t |
| 2017 | $905.1M | 11.03M t |
Where the United States exports iron ore to
Canada alone took 55% of it. Among the main buyer markets, France grew fastest (+361% on the year before).
| Destination | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $744.1M | 55% |
| 🇨🇳 China | $150.5M | 11% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $110.0M | 8.2% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $98.8M | 7.3% |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $63.5M | 4.7% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $59.6M | 4.4% |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $38.5M | 2.9% |
| 🇮🇩 Indonesia | $26.6M | 2% |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | $15.6M | 1.2% |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | $14.0M | 1% |
Types of iron ore under HS 2601
| 2601.12 | Iron ores and concentrates: agglomerated (excluding roasted iron pyrites) | 78% |
| 2601.11 | Iron ores and concentrates: non-agglomerated | 21% |
| 2601.20 | Iron pyrites: roasted | 1% |
Codes and full descriptions: HS heading 2601.
Average export price of iron ore
The average declared value was about $0.11 per kg, close to the world average of $0.10.
Declared value divided by weight, all 2024 shipments. Prices per shipment and per company are in EximDataX.
The United States also imports iron ore
Imports of iron ore by the United States reached $742.8 million in 2024 (5.13 million tonnes). One supplier dominates: Brazil accounted for 54% of the value.
| Supplier country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | $397.8M | 54% |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $281.8M | 38% |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | $26.1M | 3.5% |
| 🇨🇱 Chile | $14.3M | 1.9% |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | $11.0M | 1.5% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $6.1M | 0.8% |
| 🇳🇴 Norway | $3.1M | 0.4% |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | $2.2M | 0.3% |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | $273K | 0% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $44K | 0% |
Who is behind these numbers in the United States?
Public statistics stop at country totals and the last published year. EximDataX shows the shipment records underneath: the companies, dates, quantities and declared values, updated weekly.
Shipment records are in the platform
Tell us what you trade and we will show you the latest records on a live call.
Direct customs feed: shipment-level records from the official customs source.
Updated weekly on EximDataX (some markets daily), while public statistics stop at 2024.
Source: CEPII BACI (reconciled UN Comtrade data), HS 2017 edition, release 202601, Etalab Open Licence 2.0. Annual values in US dollars at the customs border; quantities in tonnes where reported. HS 2601: Iron ores and concentrates; including roasted iron pyrites.
Iron ore trade in the United States: questions
What is the value of iron ore imported by the United States?
The United States imported iron ore worth $742.8 million in 2024 (5.13 million tonnes).
Where does the United States import iron ore from?
The main supplier countries in 2024 were Brazil (54%), Canada (38%), Sweden (4%).
What is the average import price of iron ore in the United States?
The average declared import value was about $0.14 per kg in 2024, against a world average of $0.10 per kg.
Does the United States export iron ore?
Yes. The United States exported iron ore worth $1.35 billion in 2024, mainly to Canada, China, France.
What is the HS code for iron ore?
Iron ore falls under HS heading 2601 (Iron ores and concentrates; including roasted iron pyrites). The six-digit codes under it split the product by type.
How can I find the companies trading iron ore with the United States?
These public statistics stop at country level. EximDataX has a direct customs feed for the United States with shipment-level records, updated weekly, where you can see the importers and exporters by name.
Iron ore trade in other countries
More trade data for the United States
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