Latest trade
$159.5BGlobal subsector valueHS4 subsector intelligence
Iron ores and concentrates
HS4 2601 trade overview
A focused view of this HS4 subsector: market scale, momentum, leading routes, countries, and the HS6 classifications inside it.
The numbers at a glanceLatest reported year · 2024
Annual change
-24%Latest year on yearExporters
133Active reporting countriesImporters
135Active reporting countriesHS6 products
3Classifications inside HS4The subsector read
$159.5B in trade, with -11.1% annualized growth over three years.
Iron ores and concentrates is recorded across 1,249 active corridors, with 133 exporters and 135 importers.
Annual trend
Subsector momentum over time
Reported global trade from 1995 to 2024. Read the methodology ↗
Top trade corridors
Where the subsector moves
Leading exporter-to-importer relationships by latest reported value. See data sources ↗
Latest reported relationshipsTop 10 by trade value
| Rank | Exporter | Importer | Trade value | Growth | HS6 | Distance | FTA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AustraliaAUS | ChinaCHN | $71.0B | -9.9% | 3 | 8,024 km | Yes |
| 2 | BrazilBRA | ChinaCHN | $22.8B | -9.8% | 2 | 18,570 km | No |
| 3 | AustraliaAUS | JapanJPN | $5.0B | -17.4% | 3 | 8,156 km | Yes |
| 4 | AustraliaAUS | Republic of KoreaKOR | $4.9B | -13.3% | 3 | 8,549 km | Yes |
| 5 | South AfricaZAF | ChinaCHN | $3.6B | -11.3% | 3 | 11,775 km | No |
| 6 | IndiaIND | ChinaCHN | $2.8B | -10.5% | 2 | 4,252 km | No |
| 7 | BrazilBRA | JapanJPN | $2.2B | -12.1% | 2 | 18,530 km | No |
| 8 | PeruPER | ChinaCHN | $2.1B | -4.4% | 2 | 17,167 km | Yes |
| 9 | CanadaCAN | ChinaCHN | $1.8B | -10.1% | 1 | 11,441 km | No |
| 10 | AustraliaAUS | TaiwanTWN | $1.4B | -17.9% | 2 | 7,376 km | No |
Market structure
Where supply and demand concentrate
Exporter and importer rankings show the two sides of the subsector separately. Check coverage ↗
| Rank | Country | Exports | Partners | HS6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AustraliaAUS | $84.9B | 30 | 3 |
| 2 | BrazilBRA | $35.1B | 48 | 3 |
| 3 | South AfricaZAF | $6.8B | 51 | 3 |
| 4 | CanadaCAN | $6.7B | 39 | 3 |
| 5 | UkraineUKR | $3.2B | 28 | 3 |
| 6 | IndiaIND | $3.0B | 36 | 3 |
| 7 | SwedenSWE | $2.6B | 45 | 3 |
| 8 | PeruPER | $2.2B | 16 | 3 |
| 9 | OmanOMN | $2.2B | 17 | 3 |
| 10 | ChileCHL | $1.6B | 20 | 3 |
| Rank | Country | Imports | Partners | HS6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ChinaCHN | $113.3B | 75 | 3 |
| 2 | JapanJPN | $9.1B | 20 | 3 |
| 3 | Republic of KoreaKOR | $7.2B | 26 | 3 |
| 4 | GermanyDEU | $2.5B | 44 | 3 |
| 5 | NetherlandsNLD | $2.3B | 52 | 3 |
| 6 | TaiwanTWN | $2.0B | 11 | 3 |
| 7 | MalaysiaMYS | $1.8B | 30 | 3 |
| 8 | Viet NamVNM | $1.6B | 18 | 3 |
| 9 | EgyptEGY | $1.5B | 13 | 3 |
| 10 | BahrainBHR | $1.4B | 5 | 2 |
HS6 product coverage
The products inside HS4 2601
Six-digit classifications make the subsector specific. Browse the product workspace ↗
3 classifications shownIron ores and concentrates
Iron ores and concentrates: non-agglomeratedHS6 260111
Iron ores and concentrates: agglomerated (excluding roasted iron pyrites)HS6 260112
Iron pyrites: roastedHS6 260120
Definitions and coverage
Read the numbers with context
Reported observations and calculated indicators should be read with their coverage period. Responsible AI principles ↗
Reported values
Trade values describe reported merchandise trade for the HS4 classification, not company-level sales or shipment records.
Calculated indicators
Growth, concentration, volatility, and peak comparisons are calculated from reported observations.
Missing data
Unavailable observations remain unavailable. They are not filled, interpolated, or presented as forecasts.
Coverage: 1995-2024 · Data refreshed 2026-07-20 09:34:09
Data source
OECD trade statistics with CEPII context
OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-27). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.