Australian exports grew by 6% month-on-month
According to the vessel, exports of iron ore and pellets from Australia totaled 81 million tons in May, up 6% from 76.4 million tons in April. composition data from BigMint. Meanwhile, shipments increased 5.6 percent year-on-year from 76.7 million tons in May 2025.
China remained the largest importer, receiving 67.4 million tons, followed by Japan with 5.4 million tons and South Korea with 4.7 million tons. Rio Tinto was the leading exporter with 28.2 million tons, followed by BHP with 24.7 million tons and FMG with 20.5 million tons
. The increase was mainly driven by improved ship loading activity at Pilbara ports and increased supply flows from major mining companies following more uninterrupted mining and rail operations during the month. Increased export shipments from Rio Tinto, BHP and FMG also contributed to the growth in outbound shipments.
At the same time, continued Chinese customer interest and active resupply at ports supported the movement of Australian cargo. Australia's advantage over China and stable core fraction supplies further supported demand, although growth continued to be measured by the availability of ample global iron ore and cautious sentiment in the refining steel sector.
Exports from Brazil remained unchanged compared to the previous month
Brazil's iron ore exports rose slightly by 1.15 percent month—on-month to 33.43 million tons in May, compared with 33.05 million tons in April. However, exports decreased by 6 percent year-on-year from 35.62 million tons in May 2025.
China remained the largest importer, accepting 23.2 million tons, followed by Malaysia with 1.45 million tons and Oman with 0.72 million tons
The slight increase in Brazil's iron ore exports in May was mainly supported by an improvement in Brazil's iron ore exports in May 2025. planning
