Rio Tinto meets 2025 iron ore target with record Q4 shipments

Australian mining giant Rio Tinto shipped 326.2 million tonnes of iron ore (100% basis) from its operations in Pilbara, Western Australia during the past calendar year 2025, down by 1% from the previous year, according to the company's latest quarterly production results released on Wednesday.

Despite the slight dip, the full-year shipments still met the lower end of Rio's annual shipment guidance of 323-328 million tonnes. This was mainly thanks to record quarterly performance in Pilbara in the fourth quarter of last year that signaled "a strong recovery from the extreme weather interruptions earlier in the year," said Rio Tinto's Chief Executive Simon Trott.

In Q4 2025, Rio Tinto's Pilbara iron ore shipments reached 91.3 million tonnes, up by 8% on quarter and 7% on year. The production in the quarter also increased by 7% on quarter and 4% on year to 89.7 million tonnes, bringing the full-year output to 327.3 million tonnes, stable from 2024.

Rio Tinto iron ore

Quarterly run rates for both production and shipment hit record highs of around 360 million tonnes/year in Q4, the report noted, attributing this achievement to continued investment in mine health and productivity, favorable weather, and strong rail and port outload performance.

Notably, Rio Tinto continued to promote its newly introduced Pilbara Blend (Fe content 60.8-61.6%) in Q4, boosting its sales by 34% on year. In contrast, sales of the lower-grade SP10 products were slashed by 50% on year in the same quarter.

The miner also highlighted in the report its efforts to unlock additional value from existing Pilbara infrastructure. This includes an agreement with Hancock Prospecting to develop the Hope Downs 2 iron ore project and the ongoing talks with BHP to mine up to 200 million tonnes of iron ore at their neighbouring Yandicoogina and Yandi operations, as reported.

Beyond Australia, Rio Tinto marked a milestone in December 2025 with the first ore shipment from its jointly-owned Simandou project in Guinea, West Africa. The shipment, carrying about 200,000 tonnes of iron ore, arrived in China just days ago, as reported.

In total, the Simandou operation produced 2.3 million wet tonnes of crushed iron ore in 2025 (100% SimFer basis), with approximately 2.1 million tonnes stockpiled at the mine gate by the end of Q4, ready for loading, the company said.

Rio Tinto's sales guidance for Pilbara iron ore in 2026 remains unchanged at 323-338 million tonnes, while Simandou is expected to ship 5-10 million tonnes, both on 100% basis, the report showed.

The average price for Rio's Pilbara iron ore in 2025 was $82.8/wmt on an FOB basis, down from $89.6/wmt in 2024, according to the report.

Written by Irene Zhuang, zhuangailing@mysteel.com

Edited by Alyssa Ren, rentingting@mysteel.com