In the first quarter of 2026, mining company Rio Tinto increased its total iron ore production by 12% year-on-year – to 82.8 million metric tons, according to a report.

Production in the Pilbara region (Australia) in January–March totaled 78.8 million tons (+13% year-on-year). This is the second-highest first-quarter level in the region since 2018.

At the same time, sales were affected by weather conditions. Rio Tinto’s global iron ore shipments for the period increased by 2% year-on-year (75.7 million tons), and the Pilbara region’s figure also rose by 2% (72.4 million tons)—the latter was impacted by two tropical cyclones during the first quarter. The company expects to recoup approximately half of these losses in the coming periods.

In January–March, 600,000 tons of ore were mined at the Simandou mine in Guinea, with Rio Tinto’s share amounting to 300,000 tons; the first shipments were made to China, and the first commercial sales of ore from the mine took place in April.

As a reminder, Rio Tinto shipped 326.2 million tons of iron ore from the Pilbara region in 2025, a 1% decrease year-over-year. Ore production at facilities in Western Australia last year totaled 327.3 million tons, matching the 2024 level. For 2026, the company projected total iron ore shipments of 343–366 million tons.

As reported by GMK Center, in January of this year, Rio Tinto and BHP—two of the world’s leading mining companies—agreed to collaborate on the extraction of up to 200 million tons of iron ore from the adjacent Yandicoogina and Yandi sites in the Pilbara region. The parties can better utilize existing infrastructure to unlock additional production with minimal capital expenditures.