Indian Minerals

Yearbook 2011
(Part- II)

50th Edition

IRON ORE
(ADVANCE RELEASE)

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF MINES
INDIAN BUREAU OF MINES

Indira Bhavan, Civil Lines,

NAGPUR – 440 102

PHONE/FAX NO. (0712) 2565471

PBX : (0712) 2562649, 2560544, 2560648
E-MAIL : cme@ibm.gov.in
Website: www.ibm.gov.in

October 2012
 IRON ORE
47 Iron Ore
I ron & steel is the driving force behind industrial
development in a country. The vitality of the iron &
steel industry largely influences its economic status.
The mining of iron ore, an essential raw material for
Iron & Steel Industry is arguably of prime importance
among all mining activities undertaken by any country.
With the total resources of over 28.52 billion tonnes
of hematite (Fe2O3) and magnetite (Fe3O4), India is
among the leading producers as well as exporters of
iron ore in the world.
RESOURCES
Hematite and magnetite are the most
important iron ores in India. About 59% hematite ore
deposits are found in the Eastern Sector. About 92%
magnetite ore deposits occur in Southern Sector,
especially in Karnataka. Of these, hematite is
considered to be superior because of its higher grade.
Indian deposits of hematite belong to the Precambrian
Iron Ore Series and the ore is within banded iron ore
formations occurring as massive, laminated, friable and
also in powdery form.
As per UNFC system, the total resources of
hematite as on 1.4.2010 are estimated at 17,882 million
tonnes of which 8,093 million tonnes (45%) are under
'reserves' category and the balance 9,789 million tonnes
(55%) are under 'remaining resources' category. By
grades, lumps constitute about 56% followed by fines
(21%), lumps with fines (13%) and the remaining 10%
are black iron ore, not-known and other grades. Major
resources of hematite are located in Odisha - 5,930
million tonnes (33%), Jharkhand - 4,597 million tonnes
(26%), Chhattisgarh - 3,292 million tonnes (18%),
Karnataka - 2,159 million tonnes (12%) and Goa - 927
million tonnes (5%). The balance resources of hematite
are spread in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar,
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Rajasthan
and Uttar Pradesh (Table -1).
Magnetite is another principal iron ore that also
occurs in the form of oxide, either in igneous or
metamorphosed banded magnetite-silica formation,
47-2
possibly of sedimentary origin. As per UNFC system.
the total resources of magnetite as on 1-4-2010 are
estimated at 10,644 million tonnes of which 'reserves'
constitute a mere 22 million tonnes while 10,622 million
tonnes are placed under 'remaining resources'.
Classification on the basis of grades show 21%
resources of metallurgical grade while 79 resources
belong to unclassified, not-known and other grades.
The resources of coal washery and foundry grades
constitute meagre proportions. India's 97% magnetite
resources are located in four states, namely, Karnataka
- 7,802 million tonnes (73%) followed by Andhra Pradesh
- 1,464 million tonnes (14%), Rajasthan - 527 million
tonnes and Tamil Nadu - 507 million tonnes (5% each).
Assam, Bihar, Goa, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra,
Meghalaya and Nagaland together account for the
remaining 3% resources (Table-2).
EXPLORATION & DEVELOPMENT
In 2010-11, GSI, State Directorates of Chhattisgarh,
Karnataka, Jharkhand and West Bengal, NMDC, SAIL,
Mysore Minerals Ltd, OMC, M/s Chowgule & Co. Pvt.
Ltd and M/s V.M. Salgaocar & Bro. Pvt. Ltd conducted
exploration for iron ore. Details of exploration activities
carried out by various agencies in 2010-11 are furnished
in Table-3.
PRODUCTION, STOCKS &
PRICES
The production of iron ore constituting lumps,
fines and concentrates was at 208 million tonnes in
the year 2010-11, showing a decline of about 5% as
compared to the preceding year.
There were 316 reporting mines in 2010-11 as against
320 in the previous year. Among them, 33 mines were
in the public sector and 283 in private sector. Besides
production of iron ore was reported as an associated
mineral by 17 mines in 2010-11. The contribution of
public sector to the total production was about 28% as
against 27% in the preceding year. The remaining 72%
production in 2010-11 was from private sector. Among
 IRON ORE
33 public sector mines, 15 mines (5 in Chhattisgarh, 4
in Odisha, 3 in Jharkhand and 3 in Karnataka) each
producing more than one million tonnes annually
accounted for 96% of the output in public sector and
27% of the total production in the country during
2010-11. Out of 283 iron ore mines and 17 associated
mines in private sector, 40 iron ore mines and 2
associated mines (21 in Odisha, 9 in Goa, 8 in Karnataka,
and 4 in Jharkhand) each producing more than one
million tonnes annually accounted for about 66.5% of
the output of private sector and about 47.9% of the
total iron ore production. Thus, 55 iron ore mines and
2 associated mines, each producing more than one
million tonnes of iron ore annually, contributed about
74.9% of the total output in 2010-11. Out of 27 captive
mines in the country, 14 were in the public sector and
the remaining 13 in private sector. The production of
captive mines in the public sector was 24.3 million
tonnes or 41.6% of the sectoral output in 2010-11. On
the other hand, production of captive mines in private
sector was 21.6 million tonnes or 14.4% of the output in
private sector.
Gradewise analysis of the current year’s output
reveals, that out of total output of 208 million tonnes,
iron ore lumps constituted 82.2 million tonnes or about
39.5%, fines 125.1 million tonnes or about 60.2% and
concentrates 0.7 million tonnes or about 0.3% of the
total output of iron ore lumps. About 23.8 million
tonnes or 29.1% was of grade 65% Fe and above, about
47-3
30 million tonnes or 36.5% of grade 62% to below 65%
Fe, 11.5 million tonnes or 14% was of grade 60% to
below 62% Fe and the rest 16.9 million tonnes or about
20.5% of the production was of grade below 60% Fe.
In the case of iron ore fines, 17.2 million tonnes or
13.8% of the production was of grade 65% Fe and
above, 53.9 million tonnes or 43.1% of grade 62% to
below 65% Fe and balance 53.9 million tonnes or about
43.1% of grade below 62% Fe.
Among the states, Odisha recorded the highest
production of 76.3 million tonnes or about 36.7% of
the country’s production in 2010-11. Karnataka was at
the second place with a production of 37.9 million
tonnes or 18.2% of the total production followed by
Goa 36.7 million tonnes or 17.7%, Chhattisgarh 29.1
million tonnes or about 14% and Jharkhand 23.1 mil-
lion tonnes or 11.1%. The remaining 2.3% production
was reported from Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
The mine-head stocks of iron ore at the end of
2010-11 were 117.1 million tonnes as compared to 90.8
million tonnes at the beginning of the year. The
stocks relate to iron ore lumps, fines and concentrates
in all the states.
The average daily employment of labour strength
was 42,591 during 2010-11 as against 43,557 in the
preceding year. The prices of iron ore are furnised in
the General Review on 'Prices'.
 Table – 1 : Reserves/Resources of Iron Ore (Hematite) as on 1.4.2010
(By Grades/States)
(In '000 tonnes)

Reserves Remaining resources

Grade/State Proved Probable Total Feasibility Pre-feasibility Measured Indicated Inferred Reconnaissance Total Total
STD111 (A) STD211 STD331 STD332 STD333 STD334 (B) resources
STD121 STD122 STD221 STD222 (A+B)
All India 5982042 1173324 938180 8093546 515353 756190 494738 540188 1197539 3942673 2341870 9788551 17882097

By Grades
Lump, High-grade 704874 89475 229589 1023938 85053 67668 11746 53586 32222 188840 35687 474802 1498740
Lump, Medium-grade 3411208 643575 272908 4327691 90878 203315 135930 156886 560175 903906 42533 2093623 6421314
Lump, Low-grade 154561 29684 61602 245847 84583 36168 95031 11653 91346 823326 238032 1380139 1625986
Lump, Unclassified 29097 114 40022 69233 54870 183 7882 52768 32934 151983 22800 323420 392653
Fines, High-grade 167700 4294 56498 228492 8215 6132 5675 54480 8451 46459 880 130292 358784
Fines, Medium-grade 421188 233772 56194 711154 38963 155282 54799 173318 279600 675621 18222 1395805 2106959
Fines, Low-grade 330476 48717 49103 428296 89848 57270 85045 9794 76746 416943 28977 764623 1192919
Fines, Unclassified 735 - 320 1055 - - - 8452 12908 118738 15200 155298 156353
Lumps & Fines,

IRON ORE
High-grade 256525 61689 26026 344240 24990 419 59151 8378 7981 6698 112375 219992 564232
Lumps & Fines,
47-4

Medium-grade 207919 38185 59596 305700 3320 20531 15525 9495 19461 48741 238214 355287 660987
Lumps & Fines,
Low-grade 183839 20463 31219 235521 29694 13310 11174 745 73912 274859 100498 504192 739713
Lumps & Fines
Unclassified 97236 10 51198 148444 2103 175147 10045 633 725 31256 3602 223511 371955
Black Iron Ore 3150 - 1370 1464 4936 2716 - 1059 8294 - - 17005 18469
Others 11888 2501 2536 16925 6 13591 17 - - 25154 - 38768 55693
Unclassified - - - - 1314 389 - - - 389 - 2092 2092
Not-known 1648 846 - 2494 51 1850 - - 18 161188 1484850 1647957 1650451

By States
Andhra Pradesh 60038 58011 34167 152216 551 20988 32475 377 4624 169955 291 229261 381477
Assam - - - - - - - - 8600 4000 - 12600 12600
Bihar - - - - - - - - - 55 - 55 55
Chhattisgarh 636460 - 263650 900110 114382 5080 15610 107625 527563 872739 748715 2391714 3291824
Goa 367378 44907 57559 469844 88723 63145 117393 7539 10050 141984 28493 457327 927171
Jharkhand 1840594 391052 72496 2304142 89372 14339 113334 45282 199455 594716 1235981 2292479 4596621
Karnataka 602685 95458 178723 876866 73194 171202 59231 245454 42843 501669 188218 1281811 2158677
Madhya Pradesh 40534 7099 9181 56814 9978 587 10170 4710 4014 145162 10 174631 231445
Maharashtra 6937 6460 17 13414 7544 6093 7659 79793 71806 64714 32185 269794 283208
Meghalaya - - - - - - - - - 225 - 225 225
Odisha 2422247 569186 321568 3313001 128440 471517 138365 49408 317074 1404450 107978 2617232 5930233
Rajasthan 5169 1152 819 7140 3168 3239 500 - 11510 5004 - 23421 30561
Uttar Pradesh - - - - - - - - - 38000 - 38000 38000

Figures Rounded off.

 Table – 2 : Reserves/Resources of Iron Ore (Magnetite) as on 1.4.2010
(By Grades/States)
(In '000 tonnes)

Reserves Remaining resources

Grade/State Proved Probable Total Feasibility Pre-feasibility Measured Indicated Inferred Reconnaissance Total Total
STD111 (A) STD211 STD331 STD332 STD333 STD334 (B) resources
STD121 STD122 STD221 STD222 (A+B)

All India : Total 15973 3672 2111 21756 189478 1714 50816 1513168 1984566 6313583 568980 10622305 10644061

By Grades :
Metallurgical 2149 3047 369 5565 163205 102 18435 690596 342792 966726 255 2182111 2187676
Coal washery - 346 510 856 - 518 1981 411 318 4491 - 7719 8575
Foundry 330 125 - 455 - - - - - 303 - 303 758
Others 2074 139 - 2213 62 - - - - 231 - 293 2506
Unclassified 11049 14 978 12041 26211 1094 30400 822161 1641456 5061583 568677 8151582 8163623

IRON ORE
Not-known 372 - 254 626 - - - - - 280249 48 280297 280923
47-5

By States
Andhra Pradesh - - - - 43034 - - 13800 1266666 140027 14 1463541 1463541
Assam - - - - - - - - - 15380 - 15380 15380
Bihar - - - - - - - - - 2659 - 2659 2659
Goa 12489 3186 - 15675 26211 1094 30400 - - 147296 1997 206998 222673
Jharkhand - 361 551 912 - 518 1981 411 3948 2724 48 9630 10542
Karnataka - - - - 120022 - 18375 1498957 479372 5345018 340000 7801744 7801744
Kerala - - - - - - - - 59912 23523 - 83435 83435
Maharashtra 559 - 315 874 211 - 60 - - 215 - 486 1360
Meghalaya - - - - - - - - - 3380 - 3380 3380
Nagaland - - - - - - - - 5280 - - 5280 5280
Odisha - - 54 54 - 102 - - - 43 - 145 199
Rajasthan 2924 125 1191 4240 - - - - - 522590 - 522590 526830
Tamil Nadu - - - - - - - - 169388 110728 226921 507037 507037

Figures rounded off.

 IRON ORE

T able -3 : De tails of E xplorat ion Activity for Iron or e, 2010- 11

Agency/ State/ L ocat ion / M appin g Dri lling Samp ling Remark s
Dis trict Area/ (N o.) Reserves/Resou rces Estimat ed
B l ock S cale Area No. of M et er
(s q km ) Bo reho les -age

GSI
Ch h attisg arh Aridong ri - - - - - P ros pect ing s tage (G-3 ) investi gatio n
Kanker area i nit iated du ring the F S 2007 -0 8 for
as sessm en t of i ro n in t his area
s pons ored b y the C hh at tisgarh
M in eral Develop ment C orporatio n
L td. was com pleted after g ettin g
n ecess ary fores t clearance for drillin g
i n Decem ber 201 0. B IF bands are
p res en t wi thin a sequence of
am phibolite, m etapelite and qu artzite.
T he mapp ing revealed t hree iron ore
b ands i n B IF o f stri ke lengths 1 383 m
(n orthern), 1 30 m (C entral) an d 88 0
m (So uthern), respectively. A total
i nferred resou rce (33 3) of 10.0 1
m il lio n tonnes wit h a grade of
6 2.28 % F e h as been esti mated

J hark h an d Aro und - - - - - In this area, R econ naiss an ce s tage

Singhb hum S iu lpu nji - (G-4) inv es tig ation was taken
(West ) Kan toria u p duri ng FS 20 10-12 in Iro n
B l ock . O re Su pergroup at the req uest of
D MG, Jharkhand as a co llab orat ive
p rogramm e to as sess t he iron an d
m anganese o re p otent iali ties in an d
fall s with in the U pper S hale Form at
i on in Jamd a-Ko ira s ynformal bel t.
L ith ouni ts in cl ude int raform atio nal
con glo merat e, B IF , q uartzite, s hale
and ferrug inou s b recciated ch ert. Iro n
o re bo dies wit h dim ensi on varyin g
from 8 5 m to 100 0 m i n l en gth an d
w idth fro m 2. 5 m to 4 m w ere
d elineated in the area to the west of
K an toria. Iron ore bodi es were als o
i denti fied i n Mereral gara area. A few
l enses of manganese o re o ccu rred t o
t he north of Diriburu and w es t of
Ä 521 hillock. The work is i n
p rogress.

K arn atak a, Kenk eri , - - - - - Reconnaissance s tage in vesti gatio n

Ch itradurga M elanahall i, (G-4) was i niti at ed duri ng FS
Gu ruvapura, 2 010-1 2 in selected freeho ld areas for
Kem pana p rel im inary ass es sment of the i ro n
h a lli ,Da su di , o re occurren ces in parts of
Kan dikere C hi tradurga S chist B elt as a foll ow
B l ock s u p of d ecis ion s taken in S GPB of
K arnat ak a and C GPB m eet ings .
L arge scale mapp ing in M elanahalli
and Gu ru vapura B locks has brought
o ut three b an ds o f B IF . The
analyti cal res ults of fou r samp les
collected fro m trench nos. T3 /C SB
and T5/ CS B i n Guruvap ura Block
analysed 33.2 3 to 34.0 1 w t% Fe. A
h igher value of 55.0 1% Fe was
o btai ned n ear a fol d closure
i ndi cat ing a st ructural contro l for the
o re co ncen tratio n. B ed rock samp les
h av e g iven value ran ge of 20.1 1
w t% to 46.9 1 wt% Fe. The
i nvestigation is in p rogress. In
D evadari betta Range (NM DC bl ock),
B ellary di strict, wh ich was exp lored
d uring FS 2 005-08 , a Reconn ai ssance
reso urce (334) of 8 .20 mi lli on ton nes
o f i ron ore (Hem atite) wit h 57.3 7%
F e has been es tim ated
C ontd .

47-6
 IRON ORE
Table-3 (Contd.)

Agency/ State/ Location / Mappin g Drilling Samp ling Remark s

District Area/ (No.) Reserves/Resou rces Estimated
Block Scale Area No. of Meter
(sq km) Bo reho les -age

Odisha Damurda- - - - - - Prospecting stage investigation (G-3)

K eon jhar Champua- in Bo nai-Kendujhar belt was taken
sahi u p du ring FS 2010 -12. to assess the
p otential o f low g rade iron ore
associated with BHJ an d ferrug inou s
laterites in the area. The iron ore is
h ematite and occured as lenses an d
n arrow b ands within ferrug inou s
shale and BHJ. It is mainly po wdery,
soft and hard laminated typ e. The
tren d of ore bodies in D amurda-
L asarda ridg e is NE-SW and extend s
o ver a strike len gth of 2.5 k m with
surface w idth varyin g from 5 0 m to
3 00 m. The iron co ntent ranges from
3 5 to 65%. Two boreholes CBH-1
and 2 were d rilled at a strik e in terval
o f 2 00 m. Th e first borehole CBH-1,
p lanned to intersect the ore b ody at
5 0 m depth, intersected the BHJ
b etween 41 .55 m and 67 .55 m with
o ccasional shale p arting and iron ore
b ands. The iron ore band (hematite)
w as intersected from 51.5 0 m to
5 3.60 m depth. The wo rk is in
p rogress.

Sund ergarh Sagasahi - - - - - Prospecting stage (G-3) investigatio n

East Block in Bo nai-Kendujhar belt was taken
u p durin g FS 201 0-12 to assess iro n
o re poten tial in the northern
con tig uous area of Ghorabu rh ani
b lock. T he iron ore bodies co ntain s
h ematite and o ccu red as bands,
lenses and pockets with varyin g
d imen sion s and are co vered b y
laterite. Th e strike length of iron ore
b ands is 600 m with wid th of about
2 00 m. All the bo reholes intersected
iron ore varying in thickness.

Raja sthan Aravalli - - - - - Reconnaissance stage in vestigatio n

Bh ilwara Fold Belt (G-4) fo r ferrous and associated
metallic minerals w as initiated durin g
FS 2 010 -1 2 to evaluate and d elineate
the iron ore occurrences in parts of
south Rajasthan. T wo mo derately
d ipp ing BIF bands trend ing NE-SW
h av e been delineated within
Banded Gneissic Complex. The BGC
comprises gran ite gneiss, leuco-
g ran ite and migmatite. The eastern
BIF band is p rominent with strike
length o f abou t 4.5 km an d w idth
v arying from 20 0 m to 50 0 m. The
w estern BIF band o ccurring in
n orthwestern part is about 1.5 k m in
length and 2 5 m to 150 m in w idth.
T he BIF is reddish brown in colour
and shows well developed composi-
tion al band ing. The BIF band s in
association with b an ded amphibolite
are also reported fro m w est o f Ghatol
in south Rajasth an . The BIF band s
h av e been sampled and su bmitted for
chemical analysis. The results are
awaited. The wo rk is in progress.
Contd

47-7
 IRON ORE

Table-3 (Contd.)
Agency/ State/ Location/ Mapping Dr illing Sampling Remarks
District Area/ (No.) Reserves/Resources Estimated
Block Scale Area No. of Meter
(sq km) Boreholes -age

DGM Raoghat 1:50,000 514.0 - - 54 Out crops of BHQ & BMQ were
Chhattisgarh spread over an area of 2 km x 0.2
Kanker km with thickness of 5 m. So far
41.17 million tonnes were
estimated, out of which 11
million tonnes were estimated
during the year

Dte. of Geology Silpunji - 1:12,500 58.0 - - 70 Oc currences of discontinuous

Jharkhand Kantoria, lentoid r esidual deposits of iron
Singhbhum Noamundi ore wer e noticed in this area. The
(West) iron ore pa rticularly in this area
occurred within later itic pockets
developed over BHJ, small iron
ore bodies were also noticed in
the form of capping which are
mostly confined to shale
f or mation. At some places iron
ore is being mined from BHJ.
Resources of iron ore were not
estimated.

DMG N/V 1:50,000 85.0 - - - The ar ea comprises peninsular

Karnataka Ameengarh gneissic complex tonalite/
Bagalkot magmatite) f ollowed by
metamorphic horiz on of Kaladgi
group of rocks and younger
intrusions such as dolerite &
quartz veins with laterite capings.
The banded iron for mation is of
BHQ and BMQs with occasional
intermittent beds of BHJ. Fe
r anges 42.05-58.75%. Resources
were not estimated.

DMM N/V 1:500 10,720 - - 43 Quartz-Apatite-Magnetite

West Bengal Chirugora bearing roc k was present within
Purulia phyllitic country. At places ore
body was found highly
weathered. Strike of the ore body
wa s f ound r oughly WNW-ESE
dipping 40 o-65 o towar ds south.
Rocks were mainly massive and
at some places schistosity &
compositional layering were also
noticed. Quartz-apatite-magnetite
r ocks were also jointed. Strike
extension of the deposit was
about 200 m. Resource will be
estimated after completion of
drilling.
NMDC Ltd
Chhattisgarh Bailadila - - 50 6320. 50 - Explor atory drilling is under
Dantewara I ron Ore pr ogress. Resources will be
mine- calculated after completion of the
Kirandul drilling.
Deposits 14
& 11C

Bailadila - - 12 997.0 - Reserves were not estimated.

I ron Ore
mine-
Bacheli Contd.
Deposit 5

47-8
 IRON ORE
Table - 3 (Contd.)
Agency/ State/ Location/ Mapping Drilling Sampling Remark Reserves/
District Area/ (No.) Resources Estimated
Block Scale Area No. of Meterage
(sq km) Boreholes
Karnataka Donimalai - - 08 717.50 320 Donimalai iron ore deposit
Bellary is located in these portion of
Sandur Schist Belt. The trend
is NNW-SSE & dipping
between 70o-80o ENE.
Hematite is the main ore
constituent whereas BHJ/BHQ
& Shale are the main waste
constituents. Iron ore have
been originated from BHJ by
leaching of silica and
enrichment of iron oxide by
meteoric agencies. Resources
are yet to be estimated.
SAIL
Chhattisgarh
Durg Mahamaya 1:2,000 1522.67 - - - About 3.27 million tonnes iron
(ha) resources were estimated. The iron
ore deposit is associated with banded
ferruginous formation of Iron ore
series of Dharwarian system. The
total strike length of the deposit was
found to be 2500 m & strike
direction was N-S. Average depth of
the ore body is 37 m. Dip varied
from 50o–80o.

Jharandalli 1:2,000 201.45 - - - The iron ore deposit is associated

with banded ferruginous formation
of Iron ore series of Dharwarian
system. The total strike length is
2060 m & average depth of the
deposit 32.53 m (2.14 m – 64.0 m).
As on 1.4.2011, the total iron ore
resources were estimated at 5.69
million tonnes. (Fe – 61.94%, SiO2
– 5.12%, Al2O3 – 2.08% &
P – 0.086

Dalli 1:2,000 220.42 - - - The iron ore deposits are associated

Rajhara (ha) with the BIF (Banded Iron
Formations). The general rock
types in the area are BHQ, shale,
laterite & iron ore. Average width of
the ore body is 200 m & average
thickness of balance ore body is 40
m. About 33.91 million tonnes of
iron ore were estimated of grade Fe–
65.37%, SiO2 – 3.45% & Al2O3 –
1.53%.

Dalli 1:2,000 333.50 - - - The iron ore bearing formation

(Mech. (ha) belongs to meta-sedimentary
Mine) sequence of Dharwarian system of
Archaeozoic age. Average width of
the ore body was found to about
253 m & average thickness of balance
ore body is 20.08 m. The general
rock types occurring in the area are
BHQ, shale, laterites & hematite.
About 24.5 million tonnes iron ore
resources were estimated of grade Fe–
63.07%, SiO2–5.3% & Al2O3–2.54%.
Contd.
47-9
 IRON ORE

Table - 3 (Contd.)
Agency/ State/ Location/ Mapping Drilling Sampling Remark Reserves/
District Area/ (No.) Resources Estimated
Block Scale Area No. of Meterage
(sq km) Boreholes
SAIL
Chhattisgarh
Durg Dalli 1:2,000 100.00 - - - The iron ore bearing formation
(ha) belongs to meta-sedimentary
sequence of Dharwarian system of
Archaeozoic age. The deposit has a
strike length of 1530 m. The ore
body along with its surrounding
rocks dipped towards north at 40o–
60o. Widespread laterisation has
been noticed in the area. The iron
ore bearing rocks of this deposit
occurred along southern fringe of
Chhattisgarh quadrangle. The ore
body occurred as cap over the
country rock of the ferruginous
shale. The BHQ conti-nued at depth
for considerable thickness. About
1.30 million tonnes iron ore
resources were estimated with grade
Fe-61.25%, SiO2-5.80% and Al2O3-
2.32%.
Jharkhand Kiriburu 1:2,000 27.60(ha) 14 1017.00 - The rock exposed in this region
Singhbhum consists of a series of Precombrian
(West) Formations of iron ore. Geological
structure of the area consists of
inter layer of shales & BHQ/BHJ
and irregularly overlying shales float
ore & laterite sediments of recent
formation. Strike extension of the
deposit was found about 2000 m &
depth – 138 m. About 24.62
million tonnes with an average grade
of 62.70% Fe were estimated.
Meghataburu - - - - 750 The deposit here belong to
Precambrian formation, structurally
controlled by folds, faults & joints.
Continuity of the ore types are not
homogeneous, rather occurred in
patches. As on 1.4.2011, total iron
ore resources were estimated at 51.42
million tonnes.
Odisha Bolani iron 1:2,000 1321.45 - - - Friable, banded & massive type
Keonjhar ore mine (ha) iron ore has been noticed. Strike
was NNE-SSW. Resources were not
estimated.
OMC
Odisha Seremda- 1:500 12(ha) - - - So far about 12.13 million tonnes
Keonjhar Bhadrasahi iron ore (+58% Fe) resources were
estimated.
Khandbandh 1:500 12.25 07 339.20 255 About 5.75 lakh tonnes resources
(ha) were estimated.
1:1000 18.25
(ha)
OMC
Keonjhar Balda-Palsa, 1:1,000 22.75 30 941.6 419 About 11.38 lakh tonnes resources
Jajang 1:5,00 (ha) were estimated.
7.0 (ha)

Daitari 1:2,000 1812.99 10 1282 528 The principal ore mineral is

(ha) hematite. It is soft, laminated,
biscuty ore. Strike length of the ore
body was found to be about 1400 m
and average width & depth was
about 300 m x 100 m. About 14
million tonnes of iron ore with
+45% Fe were estimated.
Contd.

47-10
 IRON ORE

Table - 3 (Contd.)

Agency/ State/ Location/ Mapping Drilling Sampling Remark Reserves/

District Area/ (No.) Resources Estimated
Block Scale Area No. of Meterage
(sq km) Boreholes
Unchaballi - - 77 3289.35 1281 About 52.60 lakh tonnes resources
were estimated. At the end of the
year, 92 lakh tonnes resources were
estimated. Out of which 22 lakh
tonnes were under (111), 60.00 lakh
tonnes were under (121) and 10.0
lakh tones were under (333)
categories.

Sundergarh Kumritarl 1:500 11 (ha) 1 2485.20 633 So far a total of 105 million tonnes
Barsuan, resources were estimated, out of
Bane which 29 million tonnes (58-65%
Fe) were placed under 111 category,
40 million tonnes (58-65% Fe)
under 122 and 36 million tonnes
(45-58% Fe) under 331 category.
Kasira Koira 1:500 4.5 - - - About 2.10 million tonnes resources
Banel (58-65% Fe) were estimated under
222 category.
Rantha – 1:500 5 10 295.40 174 Iron ore occurred in the form of
Barsuan Banel LIO, HMO, HLO, SLO & blue dust.
So far about 4.25 million tonnes
(58-65% Fe) were estimated under
111 category, 21 million tonnes
(+45% Fe) under 222 and 10.37
million tonnes resources were
estimated under 334 category.
MML N/V - - 37 2768 2585 The iron ore deposit occurred in the
Karnataka Krishnanagar area in the form of reef with banded
Bellary (Thimmappa- iron formations-BHQ, BHJ and
nagudi mine) BHC. The other litho units
occurring in the mine area are
laterite, Metavolcanic /Shale. Ore
body has been exposed over a strike
length of 800 m and the dip varied
between 65o to 70o towards north
east. The ore body is banded and
powdery in nature, reddish brown in
colour and band hard metallic luster.
Quality of ore is good but it varies in
grade and range from 50%-60% Fe
content. The area is structurally
disturbed with folds and fault. A total
of 17.1 million tonnes resources
were estimated out of which 3.5
million tonnes are placed under 111
category, 9.5 million tonnes under
121 & 122 category and remaining
4.1 million tonnes resources are
placed under 333 category.
Ubbalagundi - - 23 756 - The iron ore formations observed
are mostly of hematite and confined
to the Banded Hematite Quartzite
and phyllite striking N15oW to
S15oE and dipping westernly at an
angle of 80o. The ore body formed
lenticular masses and bands
intercalated with the quartzite and
schist are disposed along the same
trend of these rock. The ore
observed in this area has been
formed by a processes of
replacement and subsequent
enrichment of clayee schist &
phyllite associated closely with
Banded Hematite Quartzite.
Contd.
47-11
 IRON ORE
Table - 3 (Contd.)

Agency/ State/ Location/ Mapping Drilling Sampling Remark Reserves/

District Area/ (No.) Resources Estimated
Block Scale Area No. of Meterage
(sq km) Boreholes
MML
Karnataka Ubbalagundi The width of the ore body in the
Bellery (Concld.) main working varied from 25-30 m
with a strike length of 1000 m
and the same has been considered
for reserves/resource estimation.
The maximum width was noticed
at the northern side and the ore
body thinning towards southern
side. It was also noticed that flaky
type of hematite are intercalated
with BHQ on the top and western
slope of the lease area has been
observed as parallel bands. As
the depth increases, the ore
became friable, towards the valley
side 65o-70o the ore become fines.
Total 8.74 million tonnes
hematite resources were estimated
out of which about 4.63 million
tonnes were placed under 111
category and 4.11 million tonnes
under 333 category.

Chowgule & Co. Pvt. Ltd - - - - - General strike is N60oW/S60oE

Goa Sirigao dipping due NE at 35o-45o and due
North Goa SW at 65o-85o considered as north-
westerly plunging overturned
anticline.

Pale - - 09 341.9 209 General strike of the ore body is

found to be N30o W/ S30o E
dipping due NE at 40o-45o and
due SW at 30o-35o. Considered as
double anticline separated by a
minor syncline, with SE plunge.
The iron ore resources were
estimated at 0.40 million tonnes.

Onda - - 04 152.6 64 General strike of the ore body is

found to be N 25o-30o W/S 25o-
30o E, extending over a strike
length of 650 m. Ore body
dipped on either side at moderate
angles and is folded. The iron ore
resources were estimated at 0.10
million tonnes.

Vaguriem - - - - - General strike of the ore body is

found to be N35oW/S35oE.
Asymm-etrical anticline with
south-western limb steeply
dipping & NW limb dipping
gently. Deposit extended over a
strike length of 1200 m.

South Goa Tudou - - - - - General strike of the ore body is

found to be N 50o–60oW to S
50o–60oE extending over a strike
length of 1400 m. Ore body
dipped on either sides at moderate
angles and is folded.
Contd.
47-12
 IRON ORE

Table - 3 (Concld.)
Agency/ State/ Location/ Mapping Drilling Sampling Remark Reserves/
District Area/ (No.) Resources Estimated
Block Scale Area No. of Meterage
(sq km) Boreholes

V.M. Salgaocar & Bro. Pvt. Ltd

Goa
North Goa Velguem/ - - 12 797.0 - The entire area was covered with
Surla thick cap of laterite. Lower
portions of the slope were covered
with clay and formed from
weathering of phyllite & laterite.
In general, strike of the ore deposit
is N30oW-S30oE and generally dips
in north-easterly direction. Amount
of dip varied from 20o–70o. A few
places opposite dips are also seen
indicating the cross folds as
antiforms & synforms. This
deposit extends over a strike length
of 2.8 km and spread over mining l
eases. Iron ore resources were
estimated at 11.62 million tonnes
out of which 9.42 million tonnes
were placed under category (111)
and 2.20 million tonnes were placed
under category (121 & 122).

North Goa Sancordem- - - - - - The ore body is associated with

Malpona phyllitic & limonitic clays with
occasional bands of manganiferous
clays & friable ferruginous
quartzites on the hanging wall side.
Friable silica & siliceous
mangniferous clays form the
footwall. The strike of the ore body
was NW-SE. A total of 10.37
million tonnes iron ore resources
were estimated out of which 8.81
million tonnes resources were
placed under ‘111’ category & 1.60
million tonnes under 121 & 122
category.

SouthGoa Sigao Iron ore - - 27 1672.00 - The ore body is associated with
manganiferous & phyllitic clays on
the hanging wall side and friable
ferrugi-nous siliceous formation/
siliceous manganiferous clay on the
footwall side. The general strike of
the ore body is N85oW – S85oE and
dipped 25o – 60o northerly.
Thickness of the ore body varied
from 10 m – 15 m. The ore body
consists of medium to hard lumpy
ore nearer to the surface and
becomes friable and powdery ore at
depth. In general, the ore body
consists of fines with intercalations
of hard ore. Mineralogically, the
ore body consists mainly of
hematite, martite, goethite &
limonite. Chemically, the ore
varied from 58% Fe in the case of
earthy hematite to +62% Fe in the
case of hematite–martite-
specularite combinations.

47-13
 IRON ORE

Table – 4 : Principal Producers of Iron ore

Location of mine
2009-10 Name & address of producer
State District
Location of mine
Name & address of producer
State District

National Mineral Development Karnataka Bellary Mysore Minerals Ltd, Karnataka Bellary
Corporation Ltd, 10-3-311/A, Chhattisgarh Dantewada 39, M.G. Road,
Khanij Bhavan, Bengaluru – 560 001,
Masab Tank, Karnataka
Hyderabad –500 028.
Bonai Industrial Co. Ltd, Odisha Sundergarh
Andhra Pradesh.
Barbil P.O., Barbil-758 035,
Dist. Keonjhar, Odisha
Steel Authority of India Ltd, Jharkhand Singhbhum
Ispat Bhavan, Lodhi Road, (West)
Smt. Indrani Patnaik, Odisha Keonjhar
New Delhi – 110 003. Chhattisgarh Durg Bonaikela, P.O. Joda-758 035,
Odisha Keonjhar Dist. Keonjhar, Odisha
Sundergarh
Rungta Sons (P) Ltd, Odisha Sundergarh
Tata Steel Ltd. Jharkhand Singhbhum Rungta House,
24, Homi Mody Street, (West) Chaibasa-833 201,
Fort, Mumbai –400 002, Odisha Keonjhar Jharkhand
Maharashtra.
Cosme Costa & Sons, Goa North Goa
Sesa Goa Ltd, Goa North Goa Altino Mapusa, Goa.
Altinho, Panjim, South Goa
Goa – 403 001. Karnataka Chitradurga Jindal Steel & Power Ltd, Odisha Sundergarh
P.B. No. 6, Delhi Road,
Rungta Mines Pvt. Ltd, Jharkhand Singhbhum Hissar- 125 005, Haryana.
206, A.C.J. Bose Road, (West)
Kolkata – 700 017West Bengal. Odisha Keonjhar Usha Martin Ltd, Jharkhand Singhbhum
Mangal Kalash, (West)
2A Shekeshpeer Sarani,
Sarda Mines Private Limited, Odisha Keonjhar
Kolkata-700 071,
Thakurani Iron Ore Mines,
West Bengal
Post Box No. 85,
P.O. Barbil-758 035,
V.M. Salgaocar & Bros. Pvt. Ltd, Goa North Goa
Keonjhar, Odisha. Salgaocar House, P.B.No.14, South Goa
Vasco-da-gama, Goa-403 803
The Odisha Mining Odisha Keonjhar
Corporation Ltd.P. B. No. 34, Sundergarh Veerabhadrappa Sangappa & Co., Karnataka Bellary
Bhubaneswar-751 001, No. 2/138, Bellary Road,
Odisha. Sandur-583 119, Karnataka

Kamaljeet Singh Ahluwalia, Odisha Keonjhar Chowgule & Co. Ltd, Goa North Goa
P.B.No. 3, Barbil-758 035, Chowgule House,
Dist. Keonjhar, Marmugao Harbou-403 803,
Odisha. Goa.

Ramesh Prasad Sao, Odisha Keonjhar Kaypee Enterprises, Odisha Keonjhar

Near Gandhi Park, Chaibasa, Post Box No.3,
Dist. Singhbhum (West), P.O. Barbil -758 035,
Jharkhand. Keonjhar, Odisha.

Sesa Mining Corporation Ltd, Goa North Goa

Essel Mining & Industries Ltd, Odisha Keonjhar
Jeevan Vishwas,
10, Camac Street, Sundergarh
LIC Building, 2 EDC Complex,
Kolkata-700 017,
Panaji-403 001, Goa.
West Bengal.

Contd. Contd.

47-14
 IRON ORE

(Table-4 Contd.) (Table-4 Concld.)

Location of mine Location of mine

Name & address of producer Name & address of producer
State District State District

B. Kumar Gowda, Karnataka Bellary Mideast Integrated Steels Ltd, Keonjhar Odisha
(Legal heir B. Rudra Gouda) Mesco Tower, 3915,
125/B, L. B. Colony, Lewis Road,
Dist: Bellary Sandur -583 119, Bhubaneswar-751 016,
Karnataka. Odisha.

V.S. Lad & Sons, Karnataka Bellary Sociedade Timblo Irmaos Ltd, Goa South Goa
Prasanth Nivas, Krishna Nagar, P.O. Margao, Kadar Manzil,
Sandur – 583 119, Margao-403 601,
Karnataka. Dist. South Goa , Goa

Serajuddin & Co., Odisha Keonjhar Sandur Manganese & Karnataka Bellary
P-16, Bentinck Street, Iron Ores Ltd,
Kolkata-700 001 At & P.O. Deogiri,
West Bengal. Via- Sandur-583 112,
Dist. Bellary, Karnataka
Padam Kumar Jain, Jharkhand Singhbhum
Chaibasa-833 201, (West) Aryan Mining & Trading Odisha Sundergarh
Dist. Singhbhum (West) Corp. (P) Ltd.61, Strand Street,
Jharkhand. Kolkata-700 006,
West Bengal.
Khatau Narbheram & Co., Odisha Keonjhar
N.V.Ram Complex, Panduranga Timblo Industries, Goa South Goa
At- Barbil-758 035, Subhash Timblo Bhavan,
Dist. Keonjhar, Odisha. P.B.No 242,
Margao-403 601, Goa.

Feegrade & Co. (P) Ltd, Odisha Sundergarh R.S.Gharse, Goa South Goa
P.O. Barbil-758 035, P.B.No 204, Kadar Manzil,
Dist. Sundergarh, Odisha Near Municipalty Office,
(Contd.) Margao-403 601, Goa.

Table – 5 : Production of Iron Ore, 2008-09 to 2010-11

(By States)

(Quantity in '000 tonnes; value in ` '000)

2008-09 2009-10 2010-11(P)

States
Quantity Value Quantity Value Quantity Value

India Total 212960 285444020 218553 264620052 207998 375343429

Lumps 92400 148365130 90262 126412246 82156 169757545

Fines 120054 136655553 127720 137815781 125128 205002575

Concentrates 506 423337 571 392025 714 583309

Andhra Pradesh Total 10112 15211659 6246 8101303 1435 422293

Lumps 4874 6381572 3249 4684328 984 329346

Fines 5238 8830087 2997 3416975 451 92947

Contd.

47-15
 IRON ORE

Table-5 (Concld.)

(Quantity in '000 tonnes; value in ` '000)

2008-09 2009-10 2010-11(P)

States
Quantity Value Quantity Value Quantity Value

Chhattisgarh Total 29997 59064269 26211 44227248 29146 82675755

Lumps 11072 32447619 11191 23572505 11862 39542517

Fines 18925 26616650 15020 20654743 17284 43133238

Goa Total 31195 48609019 38136 55846319 36723 74085391

Lumps 5525 9463464 8267 11145773 8159 13652580

Fines 25164 38722218 29298 44308521 27855 59852502

Concentrates 506 423337 571 392025 709 580309

Jharkhand Total 21329 9246556 22547 11242048 23174 16393379

Lumps 9858 5026145 10249 5766639 10716 8437483

Fines 11471 4220411 12298 5475409 12458 7955896

Karnataka Total 46971 57305574 43163 48811665 37878 62114924

Lumps 18661 24726260 16337 19013755 13729 23851070

Fines 28310 32579314 26826 29797910 24144 38260854

Concentrates - - - - 5 3000

Madhya Pradesh Total 412 101332 1058 359750 1745 789840

Lumps 87 19612 117 46591 114 46976

Fines 325 81720 941 313159 1631 742864

Maharashtra Total 294 236085 283 221777 1520 1231774

Lumps 175 137433 190 149047 1030 717993

Fines 119 98652 93 72730 490 513781

Odisha Total 72627 95665250 80896 95807348 76350 137623681

Lumps 42125 70158749 40649 62031014 35535 83173188

Fines 30502 25506501 40247 33776334 40815 54450493

Rajasthan Total 23 4276 13 2594 27 6392

Lumps 23 4276 13 2594 27 6392

47-16
IRON ORE

47-17
 Table – 6 (A) : Production of Iron Ore, 2009-10
(By Sectors/States/Districts/Grades)
(Quantity in ’000 tonnes; value in ` ’000)
Lumps Fines

Sector/State/ Below 60%- 62%- 65% Total Below 62%- 65% Total Concentrates Total
District No. of 60% 62% 65% Fe & 62% 65% Fe &
mines Fe Fe Fe above Qty Value Fe Fe abvoe Qty Value Qty Value Qty Value

India 320(18) 13440 6905 41249 28668 90262 126412246 46121 63399 18200 127720 137815781 571 392025 218553 264620052
Public sector 32 359 1577 13759 9868 25563 42657196 9167 19088 4803 33058 34438160 - - 58621 77095356
Private
sector 288(18) 13081 5328 27490 18800 64699 83755050 36954 44311 13397 94662 103377621 571 392025 159932 187524696

Andhra
Pradesh 35(2) 871 2 2058 318 3249 4684328 747 2250 - 2997 3416975 - - 6246 8101303
Anantapur 6 149 - 2058 318 2525 4483272 327 2250 - 2577 3334445 - - 5102 7817717

IRON ORE
47-18

Cuddapah 9 394 - - - 394 120276 357 - - 357 71045 - - 751 191321

Karimnagar 2 15 - - - 15 5320 5 - - 5 1440 - - 20 6760
Krishna 1 1 - - - 1 285 - - - - - - - 1 285
Kurnool 16(2) 312 2 - - 314 75143 58 - - 58 10045 - - 372 85188
Prakasam 1 ++ - - - ++ 32 - - - - - - - ++ 32

Chhattisgarh 10 70 79 3393 7649 11191 23572505 2478 7739 4803 15020 20654743 - - 26211 44227248
Dantewada 3 - - 1220 6113 7333 22294142 270 5626 4803 10699 19293938 - - 18032 41588080
Durg 5 - - 2071 1351 3422 1028200 2076 2113 - 4189 1284984 - - 7611 2313184
Kanker 1 70 79 102 185 436 250163 132 - - 132 75821 - - 568 325984
Rajnandgaon 1* - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Goa 71(1) 6970 1150 147 - 8267 11145773 25914 3360 24 29298 44308521 571 392025 38136 55846319
North Goa 28 3580 381 58 - 4019 5589862 12747 2101 - 14848 22675258 - - 18867 28265120
South Goa 43(1) 3390 769 89 - 4248 5555911 13167 1259 24 14450 21633263 571 392025 19269 27581199

Contd.
 Table-6 (A) (Concld.)

Lumps Fines

Sector/State/ Below 60%- 62%- 65% Total Below 62%- 65% Total Concentrates Total
District No. of 60% 62% 65% Fe & 62% 65% Fe &
mines Fe Fe Fe above Qty Value Fe Fe abvoe Qty Value Qty Value Qty Value

Jharkhand 19(1) 1053 2234 4734 2228 10249 5766639 778 8286 3234 12298 5475409 - - 22547 11242048
Singhbhum
West 19(1) 1053 2234 4734 2228 10249 5766639 778 8286 3234 12298 5475409 - - 22547 11242048

Karnataka 93(6) 3287 2472 7955 2623 16337 19013755 10828 15276 722 26826 29797910 - - 43163 48811665
Bagalkot 2 180 - - - 180 105302 188 - - 188 63852 - - 368 169154
Bellary 73(5) 2499 1855 7657 1834 13845 16773258 8724 11083 722 20529 23426065 - - 34374 40199323
Chitradurga 7 274 252 266 789 1581 1770358 1015 4117 - 5132 5135954 - - 6713 6906312
Tumkur 11(1) 334 365 32 - 731 364837 901 76 - 977 1172039 - - 1708 1536876

IRON ORE
47-19

Madhya
Pradesh 5(2) 117 - - - 117 46591 941 - - 941 313159 - - 1058 359750
Jabalpur 4(2) 94 - - - 94 37510 941 - - 941 313159 - - 1035 350669
Sagar 1 23 - - - 23 9081 - - - - - - - 23 9081

Maharashtra 12 190 - - - 190 149047 93 - - 93 72730 - - 283 221777

Chandrapur 3 92 - - - 92 67734 2 - - 2 1504 - - 94 69238
Gadchiroli 3 17 - - - 17 12847 - - - - - - - 17 12847
Gondia 3 7 - - - 7 4673 - - - - - - - 7 4673
Sindhudurga 3 74 - - - 74 63793 91 - - 91 71226 - - 165 135019

Odisha 74(6) 869 968 22962 15850 40649 62031014 4342 26488 9417 40247 33776334 - - 80896 95807348
Keonjhar 46(3) 859 445 14575 14448 30327 46640551 1978 18799 8496 29273 24712771 - - 59600 71353322
Mayurbhanj 5 10 11 183 95 299 400476 - 85 - 85 81621 - - 384 482097
Sundergarh 23(3) - 512 8204 1307 10023 14989987 2364 7604 921 10889 8981942 - - 20912 23971929

Rajasthan 1 13 - - - 13 2594 - - - - - - - 13 2594

Jaipur 1 13 - - - 13 2594 - - - - - - - 13 2594
*Reporting labour employment only.
 Table – 6 (B) : Production of Iron Ore, 2010-11 (P)
(By Sectors/States/Districts/Grades)
(Quantity in ’000 tonnes; value in ` ’000)

Lumps Fines

Sector/State/ Below 60%- 62%- 65% Total Below 62%- 65% Total Concentrates Total
District No. of 60% 62% 65% Fe & 62% 65% Fe &
mines Fe Fe Fe above Qty Value Fe Fe abvoe Qty Value Qty Value Qty Value

India 316(17) 16851 11470 29968 23867 82156 169757544 53967 53941 17220 125128 205002576 714 583309 207998 375343429
Public sector 33 961 2237 12119 8979 24296 65676317 9771 17176 7068 34015 63310770 - - 58311 128987087
Private
sector 283(17) 15890 9233 17849 14888 57860 104081227 44196 36765 10152 91113 141691806 714 583309 149687 246356342

Andhra

IRON ORE
Pradesh 29(3) 984 - - - 984 329346 451 - - 451 92947 - - 1435 422293
47-20

Anantapur 1 - - - - - 18 - - - - - - - - 18
Cuddapah 9 374 - - - 374 127488 332 - - 332 69750 - - 706 197238
Krimnagar 2 25 - - - 25 8594 18 - - 18 5340 - - 43 13934
Krishna 1 - - - - - 227 - - - - - - - - 227
Kurnool 15(3) 585 - - - 585 193000 101 - - 101 17857 - - 686 210857
Prakasam 1 - - - - - 19 - - - - - - - - 19

Chhattisgarh 10 50 2155 1649 8008 11862 39542517 5054 5468 6762 17284 43133238 - - 29146 82675755
Dantewada 3 - 4 184 7834 8022 36463086 759 5468 6762 12989 40704505 - - 21011 77167591
Durg 5 - 2115 1411 - 3526 2922487 4224 - - 4224 2400202 - - 7750 5322689
Kanker 1 50 36 54 174 314 156944 70 - - 70 28132 - - 384 185076
Rajnandgaon 1 - - - - - - 1 - - 1 399 - - 1 399

Goa 70(2) 7196 943 13 7 8159 13652580 26138 1716 1 27855 59852502 709 580309 36723 74085391
North Goa 28 3589 261 8 7 3865 6773977 12251 1094 - 13345 28363924 3 1998 17213 35139899
South Goa 42(2) 3607 682 5 - 4294 6878603 13887 622 1 14510 31488578 706 578311 19510 38945492
Contd .
 Table-6 (B) (Concld.)
Lumps Fines

Sector/State/ Below 60%- 62%- 65% Total Below 62%- 65% Total Concentrates Total
District No. of 60% 62% 65% Fe & 62% 65% Fe &
mines Fe Fe Fe above Qty Value Fe Fe abvoe Qty Value Qty Value Qty Value

Jharkhand 20 2343 1930 4538 1905 10716 8437483 1967 7708 2783 12458 7955896 - - 23174 16393379
Singhbhum
(West) 20 2343 1930 4538 1905 10716 8437483 1967 7708 2783 12458 7955896 - - 23174 16393379

Karnataka 94(8) 2825 3418 6064 1422 13729 23851070 12113 11415 616 24144 38260854 5 3000 37878 62114924
Bagalkote 1 236 - - - 236 204672 183 - - 183 84370 - - 419 289042
Bellary 73(5) 1743 3146 5467 1198 11554 20243680 7896 10040 616 18552 29107176 5 3000 30111 49353856
Chitradurg 9(2) 442 82 546 224 1294 2919816 3290 1311 - 4601 7716479 - - 5895 10636295
Tumkur 11(1) 404 190 51 - 645 482902 744 64 - 808 1352829 - - 1453 1835731

IRON ORE
47-21

Madhya
Pradesh 6(2) 114 - - - 114 46976 1631 - - 1631 742864 - - 1745 789840
Jabalpur 5(2) 86 - - - 86 26786 1623 - - 1623 734685 - - 1709 761471
Sagar 1 28 - - - 28 20190 8 - - 8 8179 - - 36 28369

Maharashtra 15 1028 1 1 - 1030 717993 490 - - 490 513781 - - 1520 1231774

Chandrapur 3 36 1 - - 37 25906 34 - - 34 22852 - - 71 48758
Gadchiroli 2 8 - 1 - 9 9342 - - - - - - - 9 9342
Gondiya 4 9 - - - 9 5715 1 - - 1 351 - - 10 6066
Sindhudurga 6 975 - - - 975 677030 455 - - 455 490578 - - 1430 1167608

Odisha 71(2) 2284 3023 17703 12525 35535 83173188 6123 27634 7058 40815 54450493 - - 76350 137623681
Keonjhar 43(1) 1855 992 11386 11370 25603 58425975 2489 21269 5432 29190 38000208 - - 54793 96426183
Mayurbhanj 3 192 323 58 146 719 1623486 151 21 - 172 155295 - - 891 1778781
Sundergarh 25(1) 237 1708 6259 1009 9213 23123727 3483 6344 1626 11453 16294990 - - 20666 39418717

Rajasthan 1 27 - - - 27 6392 - - - - - - - 27 6392

Jaipur 1 27 - - - 27 6392 - - - - - - - 27 6392
.
 IRON ORE

Table – 7 : Production of Iron Ore, 2008-09 and 2009-10(P)

(By Frequency Groups)
Production for the Percentage in total Cumulative
Production Group No. of mines Group production percentage
(in tonnes) (in '000 tonnes)

2009-10 2010-11 2009-10 2010-11 2009-10 2010-11 2009-10 2010-11

Total 320(18) 316(17) 218553 207998 100.00 100.00 - -

Up to 50,000 85(13) 102(5) 1689 1657 0.77 0.79 0.77 0.79

50,001 - 100,000 45(2) 33(6) 3722 2775 1.70 1.33 2.47 2.12
100,001 - 500,000 94(2) 94(4) 26778 24829 12.25 11.94 14.72 14.06

500,001 - 1,000,000 38(1) 32 27586 22984 12.62 11.05 27.34 25.11

1,000,001 – 1,500,000 14 16(2) 16729 22329 7.66 10.74 35.00 35.85

1,500,001 – 2,000,000 16 13 28902 22936 13.23 11.03 48.23 46.88

2,000,001 and Above 28 26 113147 110488 51.77 53.12 100.00 100.00

Table – 8 (A) : Mine-head stocks of Iron ore at the beginning of the Year, 2010-11
(By States/Grades)
(In '000 tonnes)

Lumps Fines Total

Lumps,
State Below 60%- 62%- 65% Below 62%- 65% Concen- Fines &
60% 62% 65% Fe & Total 62% 65% Fe & Total trates Concen-
Fe Fe Fe above Fe Fe above Total trates

India 8961 2915 14223 2870 28969 25887 29288 6599 61774 24 90767
Andhra Pradesh 323 3 273 44 643 178 104 - 282 - 925
Chhattisgarh 32 32 244 369 677 1081 4693 2121 7895 - 8572
Goa 1138 199 11 - 1348 2333 411 - 2744 24 4116
Jharkhand 383 69 579 - 1031 394 856 ++ 1250 - 2281
Karnataka 3634 1857 7218 783 13492 13839 3470 370 17679 - 31171
Madhya Pradesh 317 - - - 317 35 - - 35 - 352
Maharashtra 41 1 7 - 49 14 8 - 22 - 71
Odisha 3092 754 5891 1674 11411 8013 19746 4108 31867 - 43278
Rajasthan 1 - - - 1 - - - - - 1

Table – 8 (B) : Mine-head stocks of Iron ore at the end of the Year, 2010-11
(By States/Grades)
(In '000 tonnes)

Lumps Fines Total

Lumps,
State Below 60%- 62%- 65% Below 62%- 65% Concen- Fines &
60% 62% 65% Fe & Total 62% 65% Fe & Total trates Concen-
Fe Fe Fe above Fe Fe above Total trates

India 14956 3043 7358 2858 28215 66211 17224 5388 88823 46 117084
Andhra Pradesh 397 2 168 - 567 231 114 - 345 - 912
Chhattisgarh 14 94 75 227 410 630 635 265 1530 - 1940
Goa 892 6 6 - 904 2203 290 - 2493 20 3417
Jharkhand 366 92 785 - 1243 20283 1952 - 22235 16 23494
Karnataka 4266 2300 1842 620 9028 17917 3665 522 22104 10 31142
Madhya Pradesh 10 - - - 10 519 - - 519 - 529
Maharashtra 208 1 7 - 216 21 8 - 29 - 245
Odisha 8803 548 4475 2011 15837 24407 10560 4601 39568 - 55405
Rajasthan ++ - - - ++ - - - - - ++

47-22
 IRON ORE
MINING, MARKETING &
TRANSPORT
Iron ore mining is carried out by opencast method
by manual, semi-mechanised and mechanised
operations.
The charecteristics of iron ore vary as per the
geological set up. Some ores are found in BHQ which
exists as hard massive reef type of deposit, while in
other places they occur as friable or powdery form as
well as in combinations of both hard massive and
powdery form. Hence, the method of mining and
deployment of machinery vary from place to place.
Large mechanised mines are mostly in the public sector.
Manual and semi-mechanised mines are mainly in
private sector. Some mechanised mines in Goa,
Jharkhand and Odisha are also operated by the private
sector.
Manual Mines
Generally, these mines are confined to float ores
where mining is done by digging the ore with pickaxes,
crowbars, chisels and spades. The mined material is
screened manually to separate +10 mm float ore which
is then stacked separately. The waste is backfilled into
the pits. In some reef workings, 35-40 mm diameter
holes are drilled to 0.6 m depth by hand-held
jackhammers at a spacing of about 0.6 m and each hole
is charged with 150-200 grams gunpowder or special
gelatine cartridges. Blasted tonnage per kg gunpowder
is usually 2.5-3 tonnes. Blasted ore is manually loaded
into trucks for transport to either railway sidings or to
buyer's destination directly. Output per manshift
(OMS) is normally between 1.5 and 2 tonnes.
Mechanised Mines
Most mechanised mines are captive ones of
different steel plants and have been developed to meet
their requirements. Mining is done by formation of
systematic benches in overburden and ore. The height
of the benches normally varies from 10 to 12 m and
width up to 20 m in the ore. Drilling holes of 300 mm
diameter and till 12 m depth by crawler drills and use of
explosives, such as ANFO, SMS and emulsion
explosives for blasting are in practice. Loading is done
by earth-moving machinery powered by diesel or
electric engines, such as hydraulic excavators in the
range from 1.9 cu m to 10 cu m. Ripper dozers and
motor graders are also deployed for excavation and
levelling purposes. Dumpers/trucks/tippers up to
47-23
120-tonne capacity were deployed in mines like
Kudremukh (now closed) for transportation.
In some Goan mines, where ore is predominantly
in powdery form, hydraulic shovels with boom height
of 9 m are used for excavation and loading. Heavy-
duty Ripper-Dozers are preferred for mining as Goan
ores are soft. Height of the benches is restricted to
7 m for safe and efficient operations. Widths of working
benches are maintained at more than 15 m and bench
slope is maintained at about 80o. The ore produced is
transported to short distances by dumpers of up to 40-
tonne capacity. For longer distances and barge loading,
dumpers up to 10-tonne capacity are used. The barges
carry the ore to harbours. The ore from the barges is
loaded to ships either through berth or through
transshippers.
Almost all the public sector mines including
Kiriburu, Barsua, Gua, Bailadila, Donimalai, Daitari and
Dalli-Rajhara operated by SAIL, NMDC and OMC are
fully mechanised. Kudremukh iron ore mine of KIOCL
closed since December 2005 was also mechanised. In
private sector, mines operated in Goa region and Tata
Steel's captive mines are mechanised. Approximately,
90% iron ore production comes from mechanised mines.
In order to achieve 50 million tpy capacity of
production by 2014-15, NMDC has undertaken
expansion of deposit 11B mine to 7 million tpy ROM
on priority. In view of depleting reserves at Donimalai
mine, construction of Kumarswami mine with 7 million
tpy capacity is envisaged. The entire project will be
executed in 6 packages. NMDC has formed a joint
venture company, namely, NMDC-CMDC Ltd. to
develop Deposit 13 and Deposit 4 as stand alone
projects. Deposit 13 is proposed to have a 10 million
tpy capacity, while Deposit 4 will supply raw material
to the proposed 3 million tpy integrated steel plant
at Nagarnar, Jagdalpur.
The processing of iron ore in the country involves
crushing, screening, washing and in some cases
beneficiation and agglomeration. Crushing and
screening are adopted mainly for sizing the ore and
also for removing the adherent gangue minerals. Dry
and wet grinding is also resorted to in some cases.
The lumps and fines of iron ore are marketed
after washing, screening and beneficiation. Fines are
converted into sinters for use in steel plants while
pellets made from oncentrates/fines are predominantly
exported and also are utilised for internal
consumption in sponge iron units.
 IRON ORE
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
Afforestation, waste dump management, top soil
management, management of subgrade minerals,
mechanical beneficiation, dust suppression, monitoring
of water and air quality, vibration survey, publicity and
propaganda are some common environmental
restoration efforts pursued by all mechanised and semi-
mechanised iron ore mines. Mining and beneficiation
of ores carried out on large-scale cause environmental
problems. A specific problem to iron ore mining is the
disposal of tailings and other deleterious silica minerals
and phosphorus. To safeguard the environment and
prevent ecological degradation, thrust has been laid
on green belt development, solid waste management,
monitoring of liquid and air effluents and other crucial
environmental parameters.
Goa region is prone to siltation of agricultural fields,
nallahs, riverbeds and creeks due to wash off from iron
ore dumps in rainy season. Loss of crop yield and
reduction in fish population in streams and navigation
difficulties are the problems due to silting. To overcome
the problems, check dams and water filter beds at higher
contours have been constructed. Tailing ponds are also
being maintained at some mines. Afforestation is the
mainstay in reclaiming the mined out areas in Goa. In a
few cases, pits are used as water reservoir for
pisciculture.
In Bellary-Hospet area, Karnataka, dust
concentration (suspended particulate matter) is the
main environmental problem. Environmental concerns
had led to closing down of mining operations at
Kudremukh iron ore mine of KIOCL in December 2005
in compliance with the order passed by the Hon'ble
Supreme Court in this regard. In Bailadila sector,
Chhattisgarh, forest is fairly widespread and dense,
supported by good rainfall and rich flora and fauna.
The deforestation taking place due to mining and waste
dumping needs to be compensated continuously by
afforestation at suitable slopes and in township areas.
In Jharkhand, afforestation of land is the main recourse
adopted for reclamation of degraded lands or
improvement in land uses.
INDUSTRY
Iron ore is the basic raw material used for making
pig iron, sponge iron and finished steel. The iron ore
is used mainly in blast furnaces, mini-blast furnaces
(MBF), DRI and sintering and pelletisation plants.
47-24
Pelletisation
In general, the pelletisation process involves mixing
of iron ore and required limestone with water which
later is ground in ball mills to the desired size. The
discharged slurry from ball mills is filtered in pressure
filters. The filter cake from filters is then mixed with
dry-ground coke fines to which bentonite is mixed in
suitable proportion to form green pellets in pelletising
discs. The coke fines and bentonite are ground
separately. The green pellets are then dried, heated
and fired in indurating machine to produce iron ore
pellets. There is an increasing trend for utilisation of
pellets or sinters in the recent years. The use of pellets
as feed in the blast furnace has several advantages
because of their uniform size, known composition and
strength.
The seven pelletisation plants in the country about
which information is available have a total capacity of
23.35 million tonnes per annum. The pellet plant of
JSW Steel Ltd (formerly Jindal Vijayanagar Steel Ltd)
at Vijaynagar, Bellary district, Karnataka, has annual
capacity of 4.2 million tonnes. This pellet plant
reportedly supplies 1.5 million tonnes pellets to its Corex
Plant and exports around 2 million tonnes. The pellet
plant uses coal fines and also off-gases from the power
plant to reduce production cost. Second pellet plant of
JSW Steel Ltd. with 4.2 million typ capacity was
expected to commence by June 2011 at Toranagallu in
Karnataka. Jindal Steel & Power Ltd is setting up a 10
million tpy pellet plant at Barbil, Odisha that will utilise
the huge stocks of iron ore fines lying with various
iron ore mines in Odisha. The first module of 5 million
tpy was put through trial run since January 2010. It
produced 2.8 million tonnes pellets by the end of
2010-11 against present installed capacity of 4.5 million
tpy. The project will conserve precious resources
by converting unused fines into pellets for usage in
DRI production.
Essar Steel Pelletisation plant at Visakhapatnam
has installed capacity of 8 million tonnes per annum.
After meeting its own requirement at its hot briquetted
iron (HBI) plant in Hazira, Gujarat, Essar supplies pellets
to both domestic and international markets. The plant
has an assured supply of high quality iron ore from the
captive 8 million tpy beneficiation plant at Bailadila,
Chhattisgarh. The iron ore slurry is pumped through a
267 km pipeline, the second largest in the world, to
the pellet plant at Visakhapatnam. A 12 million tpy
integrated pelletisation facility of Essar Steel is
coming up at Paradip, Odisha, in two phases.
 IRON ORE
In the first phase, 6 million tpy pellet plant was
commissioned in April, 2012. Also comprising the first
phase, 8 million tpy beneficiation plant and 253 km
under ground slurry pipeline to transport concentrate
to pellet plant will be set up. During second phase,
the capacity will be scaled up to 12 million tpy by
October, 2012.
Owing to environmental concerns and
consequent to the Hon'ble Supreme Court's order
thereupon effective 31st December, 2005, mining
activity at Kudremukh was halted by KIOCL.
Alternatively, the Government's decision to allot iron
ore from Donimalai deposits to KIOCL's Mangalore
Pellet Plant which has a capacity 3.5 million tonnes
pellets per annum, has furthered the prospects for pellet
production. An arrangement has also been made to
transport fine ore by train from Bellary-Hospet region
to the Pellet Plant at Mangalore. On 22.9.2011, KIOCL
signed MoU with Kerala State Industrial Develoment
Corporation Ltd for mining and setting up beneficiation
and pelletisation plant in Kasargod, Kozhikode district.
NMDC was in the process of setting up two plants
one at Bacheli with 2 million tpy capacity and the
other at Donimalai with 1.2 million tpy capacity. The
Donimalai pellet plant is scheduled to be completed
by March 2013. The pellet plant at Bacheli is now on
hold and is being relocated from Bacheli, Dantewada to
Nagarnar, Jagdalpur, adjacent to the proposed 3 million
tpy integrated steel plant.
The Orissa Minerals Development Co. Ltd
(OMDCL) is planning to set up a 2 million tpy pellet
plant along with a beneficiation plant at Barbil, Odisha.
Bhushan Power & Steel Ltd is also setting up a pellet
plant. The pelletisation plants of Tata Steel at Noamundi
and Chowgule & Co. Pvt. Ltd at Pale, Goa are not in
operation.
Sintering
The sintering plants in the country have annual
capacity of 39.56 million tonnes. All integrated steel
plants except IISCO Steel Plant (ISP) have their own
sintering plants. These plants receive raw material
mostly from their captive mines. Two sintering plants
have recently come on stream, namely, Neelachal Ispat
Nigam Ltd, Odisha (1,711 thousand tonnes) and SISCO,
Mettur, Tamil Nadu (127.5 thousand tonnes). Erstwhile
Ispat Metallics Ltd, a Group Company of Ispat
Industries Ltd, (now JSW Ispat Ltd) had commissioned
a 2.24 million tpy capacity sinter plant at the Dolvi
47-25
Steel Complex in Raigarh district, Maharashtra. JSW
Ispat Ltd has proposed to set up a second 4 million tpy
capacity sinter plant at the Dolvi complex. Sesa Goa
Ltd is also setting up sinter plant as part of its expansion
project.
Pellets along with sinters have resulted in growth
in utilisation of iron ore fines and blue dust. Information
on capacity and production of pellets and sintering
plants is given in Table-9.
Pig Iron
Pig iron is one of the basic raw materials
required by foundry and casting industry for
manufacturing various types of castings for the
engineering secton. The post-liberalisation regime
has witnessed expression of interest from a large
number of entrepreneurs for setting up mini-blast
furnaces for production of hot metal/pig iron.
Commissioned pig iron units are mostly of stand-alone-
type. Three units, namely, M/s Usha Martin Industries
Ltd, M/s Jindal Steel & Power Ltd and Ispat Industries
Ltd have integrated the mini-blast furnaces (MBF) and
are using the hot metal in the charge-mix directly for
manufacturing steel through electric arc furnace (EAF).
Two units, in Karnataka (M/s Hospet Steel, a joint
venture of Kalyani & Mukand) and in Tamil Nadu
(M/s Southern Iron & Steel Company Ltd) have
integrated their MBF with energy optimising furnace
(EOF) for manufacturing steel. The excess hot metal
produced by them supplements the pig iron production.
Tata Metalliks Ltd, a subsidiary of Tata Steel, has been
manufacturing pig iron at its plants located at Kharagpur
in West Bengal and Redi in Maharashtra and has been
catering to the domestic demand.
At JSW Steel Ltd in Karnataka, besides MBF, a
Corex Plant (alternative to conventional MBF/BF)
supplements the production of pig iron along with
downstream steel making facilities. Erstwhile Ispat
Industries Ltd's subsidiary Ispat Metallics (India) Ltd
had set up a large blast furnace to produce 2 million
tonnes per annum hot metal/pig iron at Dolvi, Raigad
in Maharashtra. The excess hot metal, after meeting
the requirements of the new parent company, viz, JSW
Ispat Ltd, for manufacturing steel is made available as
pig iron for sale. M/s Neelachal Ispat Nigam Ltd had
commissioned a blast furnance with 1.1 million tpy hot
metal capacity and started production of pig iron at
Duburi in Jajpur district of Odisha. Visa Steel Ltd
commissioned a pig iron plant in March , 2005, having
 IRON ORE

Table – 9 : Installed Capacity & Production of Pellets/Sinters, 2010-11

(By Plants)
(In '000 tonnes)

Name & location of plant Annual Production Iron ore fines General specification of
installed consumed concentrates/fines used
capacity
2009-10 2010-11 2009-10 2010-11

A) Pellet Plants :
i) KIOCL Ltd, 3500 1272 2124 1275 2119 Fe 64% , SiO+ + Al2O3 6% (max),
Panambur, Mangalore, S 0.05%, P 0.08% (max),
Karnataka. Size - 10 mm.

ii) Mandovi Pellets Ltd, 1800 297 NA 308 NA Fe 62%, SiO2 2 to 3.5%,
Near Borim Bridge, Al2 O3 1.35 to 2%,
Shiroda, Goa – 403 103. Size -10 mm.

ii) JSW Steel Ltd, 4200 NA NA NA NA Fe 62%, Size -10 mm

Bellary, Karnataka.

iv) Tata Steel Ltd, 800 Nil Nil Nil Nil (Lying closed)
Noamndi, Jharkhand.

v) Chowgule & Co. Ltd. 550 Nil Nil Nil Nil (Lying closed)
Pale, Goa.

vi) Essar Steel Ltd, 8000 NA NA NA NA NA

Visakhapatnam,
Andhra Pradesh.

vii) Jindal Steel & Power Ltd 4500 227 2787 NA NA NA

B) Sintering Plants :
i) Bokaro Steel Plant, 6200 4545 4190 4014 3898 Fe 63.88% (max), SiO2 -5.19%
Jharkhand. max., Al2O3 2.69% (Av),
Size -3 mm.

ii) Bhilai Steel Plant, 6334 7459 7834 5390 5603 Fe 62.6% (min), Size -0-10 mm
Bhilai, Chhattisgarh. or <10% & 1 mm or >75%.

iii) Durgapur Steel Plant, 3009 NA NA 2353 2250 Fe >63%, SiO2 2.17 to 4.54%,
West Bengal. Al2 O3 2.57 to 3.03%,
Size +10 mm <10%
& 1 mm >75%.

iv) Rourkela Steel Plant, 3070 3391 3361 2216 2647 Fe 62.80%, SiO2 2.28%,
Odisha Al2O3 3.04%, Size -10 mm.

v) Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, 5256 5310 5126 3952 3800 Fe 64.50% (min), Al2O3 3.0%
Andhra Pradesh. (max), SiO2 3%, (max),
Size (-) 10 mm.

vi) Tata Steel Ltd, 7500 7662 7444 7223 7154 Fe 66.63,
Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. Size +10 mm

vii) IDCOL, Kalinga, 8 NA NA 6 4 Fe 62% min.,

Keonjhar, Odisha Al2O3 + SiO2 8% max.,
Moisture 4%, SiO2 1.5-5%.

Contd.

47-26
 IRON ORE

Table - 9 (Concld.)
(In '000 tonnes)

Name & location of plant Annual Production Iron ore fines General specification of
installed consumed concentrates/fines used
capacity
2009-10 2010-11 2009-10 2010-11

viii) JSW Ispat Steel Ltd, 2240 NA NA NA NA NA

Dolvi, Raigad,
Maharashtra.

i x ) Neelachal lspat Nigam Ltd, 1711 859 1000 715 817 Fe 63% (min.),
Kalinga Nagar, Size + 10 mm 7% max.
Industrial Complex,
Duburi-755 026,
Dist. Jajpur, Odisha

x) SISCO, Mettur, 127.5 NA NA NA NA NA

Tamil Nadu.

x i ) Jindal Steel & Power Ltd, 2300 NA NA NA NA NA

Raigarh, Chhattisgarh.

xii) Jayaswal Necco Industries Ltd, 800 736 638 621 514 Fe 56.5 %, Cao 9.0%,
Sitara Growth Centre, MgO 2.25%.
Raipur-493 221, Chhattisgarh.

xiii) Bhushan Power & Steel Ltd 1000 NA NA NA NA NA

Sambalpur, Odisha

a capacity of 2.25 lakh tonnes per annum at Kalinganagar
in Odisha. Sesa Goa Ltd, a Vedanta Group Company, is
expanding its pig iron capacity from 0.25 million to 0.625
million tpy, along with expansion of metallurgical coke
plant and a new sinter plant.
The gross pig iron manufacturing capacity
in the country was about 4.833 million tonnes. Total
production of pig iron in the country in 2010-11 was
5.15 million tonnes. The contribution of private sector
units in the overall production of pig iron in the country
continued to increase and accounted for more than
89% production in 2010-11.
Sponge Iron
India is the largest producer of sponge iron in the
world. The growth of sponge iron industry
during the last few years in terms of capacity and
production has been substantial. The installed
capacity of sponge iron increased from 1.52 million
tonnes per annum in 1990-91 to around 35 million tonnes
in 2010-11. Production has increased from 0.9 million
tonnes in 1990-91 to 26.71 million tonnes in 2010-11.
There were 324 sponge iron units in the country. Out
of these, 3 gas-based units had a capacity of about 8
million tonnes per annum and the rest were coal-based
units. JSPL, Raigarh, Chhattisgarh was setting up a
2 million tpy gas-based unit. The DRI plant was
completed in 2011. The plant uses gas produced by
coal gasification.
Sponge iron is a good substitute for scrap which
is required by the electric arc furnaces and induction
furnaces or mini-steel plants in the country. The
availability of indigenous metal scrap is scarce, and
therefore, to meet the domestic demand scrap is usually
imported. Sponge iron is a viable alternative for scrap
and is produced by direct reduction of high-grade iron
ore or pellets to metallic iron ore in solid state by using
coal or natural gas as reductant. It is also known as
Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) or Hot Briquetted Iron (HBI).
Iron & Steel
The details of the Iron & Steel Industry are
provided in the Review on "Iron & Steel and Scrap".
Ferro-alloys
Iron is an important constituent of ferro-alloys,
like ferro-manganese (high carbon, medium carbon and
low carbon), ferro-silicon, ferro-chrome (high carbon
and low carbon)/charge-chrome, ferro-molybdenum,
ferro-vanadium, ferro-tungsten, ferro- silicon-
magnesium, ferro-aluminium, ferro-silicon-zirconium,
ferro-titanium, etc. Ferro-alloys in turn are either used
in steel industries to impart some special qualities or
are exported. Ferro-alloys Industry has an annual

47-27
 IRON ORE

capacity of producing over 4.65 million tonnes. The

production was almost 2.49 million tonnes and 2.89
million tonnes in 2009-10 and 2010-11, respectively.
The details about the ferro-alloys industry are provided
in the Review on 'Ferro-Alloys'.
Cement
Iron ore lumps and powder containing +58% Fe
are normally used in the Cement Industry as they
improve burning properties, impart colour and balance
the composition of the mix. Further details about the
Cement Industry are provided in the Review on
'Cement'.
Coal Washeries
Magnetite ore is used as heavy media in
coal washeries. There are 19 washeries for coking
coal and 35 washeries for non-coking coal with
32.80 million tpy and 111.61 million tpy raw coal
capacity, respectively, during 2010-11. Details on the
coal washeries are provided in the Review on 'Coal &
Lignite'.
USES & SPECIFICATIONS
Iron ore is used mainly for manufacturing of pig
iron, sponge iron and steel. It is also used in cement,
coal washeries, ferro-alloys, foundry, vanaspati and
glass industries. The specifications of iron ore
consumed by major sponge iron plants are furnished in
Table - 10 and by major steel plants in Tables - 11.
CONSUMPTION
In 2010-11, about 104.05 million tonnes iron
ore was consumed in various industries like
iron & steel, sponge iron, ferro-alloys, alloy
steel, coal washery and cement. Iron & steel including
sponge iron were major consumer of iron ore and
accounted for over 98% of its consumption. Plantwise
consumption of iron ore in steel plants is furnished in
Table-11. Industrywise consumption of iron ore from
2008-09 to 2010-11 is given in Table-12.

Table – 10 : Specifications of Iron Ore Consumed by Major Sponge Iron Plants

Specifications
Sl. Name of the Plant
No. Size Fe Al2O3 + SiO2 P S

1. Orissa Sponge Iron Plant 5-18 mm 65% min 4.5% max 0.03% max N. A.

2. Vikram Ispat 9-16 mm 66% 2.6% max 0.05% 0.01%

3. HEG Ltd 5-18 mm 65% min 5% max 0.05% 0.03%

4. Sunflag Iron & Steel Ltd 5-20 mm 67.5% – – –

5. Sponge Iron India Ltd 6-20 mm 55-58% & – – –

64-66%
6. Essar Steel Ltd 10-40 mm 67% 2.60% max 0.05% 0.01%

7. Jindal Steel & Power Ltd 10-30 mm 65% min 3% max (SiO2) 0.05% –

8. Tata Sponge Iron Ltd 5-18 mm 65% min 5% max – –

9. GSAL India Ltd 10-40 mm 62% – – –

10. Raipur Alloys & Steel Ltd 5-18 mm 65-66% – – –

11. OCL India Ltd Sized 62% min – – –

12. Nalwa Steel & Power Ltd 5-20 mm 63% min – – –

13. Shri Bajrang Power & Ispat Ltd 5-18 mm 64% min – – –

14. Jai Balaji Industries Ltd 5-18 mm 65% 5% 0.05% 0.03%

10-30 mm – – – –
10-150 mm – – – –

47-28
 IRON ORE

Table – 11 : Consumption and Specifications of Iron Ore, 2009-10 and 2010-11

(By Steel Plants)
(In '000 tonnes)

Steel plant Iron ore consumption

Blast furnace (BF) Steel melting shop (SMS) Specifications

2009-10 2010-11 2009-10 2010-11

Lumps Fines Lumps Fines

(in sinters/ (in sinters/
pellets) pellets)

Bokaro Steel Plant, 2363 3985 2524 3898 – – Lumps : Fe 63.40%,

Bokaro, SiO2 2.25%,
Jharkhand. Al2 O 3 2.39%,
Size-10- 40 mm.
Fines : Fe 62.24%,
SiO2 3.36%,
Al2 O 3 3.45%

Bhilai Steel Plant, 2992 5390 3160 5603 40 50 BF : Fe-64% (min),

Bhilai, Size-10 - 40 mm.
Chhattisgarh. SMS : Fe 66%, (min),
Size- 40 - 100 mm.
Sinters: Fe 62.6% (min),
Size - 0-10 mm.

Rourkela Steel Plant 1600 2216 1547 2647 104 5 Lumps : Fe 63.54%,
Rourkela, SiO 2 1.78%,
Odisha. Al2 O 3 2.48%,
Size- 10 to 50 mm,
Fines:Fe 62.21%,
SiO2 2.96%,
Al2 O3 3.01%,
Size -10 mm

Durgapur Steel Plant, 1203 2353 1144 2250 15 NA Lumps : Fe 62.48%,

Durgapur, Al2 O3 2.42%,
West Bengal. Size- 10 - 50 mm.
Fines : Fe 62.8%,
SiO2 2.28%,
Size -10 mm.

IISCO Steel Plant, 960 NA 1021 NA 18 NA Lumps : Fe 62.86%,

Burnpur, SiO2 2.56%,
West Bengal. Al2 O 3 2.56% (max.),
Size - 10-40 mm.

Visvesvaraya Iron & 222 NA 231 NA 19 126 Fe 62.97%,

Steel Ltd., Bhadravati, SiO2 2.85%,
Karnataka. Al2 O3 2.43%,
Size- 10-40mm.

Visakhapatnam Steel 1156 3952 1437 3800 4691 4574 Lumps: Fe 65.5% min,
Plant, Visakhapatnam, Al2 O3 1.60% max,
Andhra Pradesh. SiO2 2.25% max,
Size 10-150 mm for BF,
Fines : Fe 64.5% min,
Al2O 3 3.0%,
SiO2 3.00% max,
Size - 10 mm.

Tata Steel Ltd, 3555 7223 4101 7154 339 340 Fe 66.63,
Jamshedpur, Size + 10 mm
Jharkhand.
Contd.

47-29
 IRON ORE

Table - 11 (Concld.) (In '000 tonnes)

Steel plant Iron ore consumption

Blast furnace (BF) Steel melting shop (SMS) Specifications

2009-10 2010-11 2009-10 20010-11

Lumps Fines Lumps Fines

(in sinters/ (in sinters/
pellets) pellets)

IDCOL, Kalinga Iron Works, NA NA NA NA NA NA Fe 65%,

P.O. Matkarmbeda –758 036, SiO2 + Al 2O3 5% max,
Barbil, Dist. Keonjhar, Size - 10 to 30 mm.
Odisha.

Visa Steel Ltd, 307 – 73 – – – Fe - 62%-64%,

Kalinga Nagar, Size- 10 - 40 mm in BF
Industrial Complex, Fe -62% -64%,
At & Post Jakhapura Size in DRI :
Jajpur, Odisha 5-18mm,
10-40 mm
& 10-180 mm.

Neelachal Ispat Nigam Ltd, 427 715 233 817 – – Lumps : Fe 65% (min)
Kalinga Nagar, Size + 40 mm,
Industrial Complex, Fe 63% (min),
Duburi –755 026, Size +10 mm.
Jajpur, Odisha.

Table – 12 : Reported Consumption of Iron Ore * 2008-09 to 2010-11

(By Industries)
(In tonnes)

Industry 2008-09 2009-10(R) 2010-11(P)

All Industries 86816000 96955300 104053900

Alloy steel 290900 (3) 290900 (3) 290900 (3)
Cement 1074100 (53) 1294600 (58) 1130000 (60)
Coal washery ** 33900 (15) 33900 (15) 33900 (15)
Ferro-alloys 7800 (3) 3300 (4) 3700 (4)
Iron & steel 51662400 (15) 56417600 (17) 59856500 (17)
Sponge iron 33744000 (e) 38912000 (e) 42736000 (e)
Others (chemical, foundry, 2900 (7) 3000 (8) 2900 (8)
glass, refractory)

Figures rounded off. Data collected on non-statutory basis.

Figures in parentheses denote the number of units in organised sector reporting* consumption.
(*Includes actual reported consumption and/or estimates made wherever required).
* Does not include consumption of pellets & sinters; includes consumption of iron ore(fines) consumed in the
production of pellets & sinters.
** Magnetite.

47-30
 IRON ORE
TRADE POLICY
As per the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) for
2009-2014 and the amended Export and Import Policy
incorporated in the FTP, the present export policy for
HS Code Item
26011100 Iron ore other than those specified
under Free category
26011100 Iron ore of Goa origin when exported
to China, Europe, Japan, South Korea
and Taiwan, irrespective of the Fe
content
26011100 Iron ore of Redi origin supplied to all
markets, irrespective of the Fe content
26011100 All iron ores of Fe content up to 64%
26011150 Iron ore concentrate prepared by
beneficiation and/or concentration of
low-grade ore containing 40% or less
iron produced by KIOCL Ltd
26011210 Iron ore pellets manufactured by
KIOCL Ltd
26011290 Rejects of iron ore chips and like
generated from the manufacturing
process after using imported raw
material
Source: Export-Import Policy, 2009-2014.
STE: State Trading Enterprise
WORLD REVIEW
The world reserves of crude iron ore are estimated
to be around 170 billion tonnes. The iron content in
the iron ore reserves is estimated to be around 80 billion
tonnes. The world reserves of crude iron ore and iron
content by principal countries is given in Table - 13.
In 2010, the world production of iron ore
was 2,611 million tonnes as against 2,277 million tonnes
in the previous year. China, Australia, Brazil, India and
Russia were the principal producers. The world
production of iron ore is given in Table-14.
Australia
The imposition of Federal super-profits tax has
reportedly threatened development of iron ore and
other mineral reserves. Several companies have
indicated that such a tax increase would force them to
cancel projects or move investments elsewhere.
47-31
iron ore is furnished below in brief. The imports of
iron ore lumps, fines, concentrates and agglomerated
pellets are freely allowed.
Export Policy Nature of restrictions
STE Export through MMTC
Free
Free
Free
STE Export through KIOCL Ltd, Bengaluru
STE Export through KIOCL Ltd, Bengaluru
Free (i) The quantity of export of such rejects
shall not be more than 10% of the
imported raw materials
(ii) The size of the rejected pellets chips
(fines) shall be less than 6 mm.
Australian projects have been placed on hold to
evaluate the effects of the new taxes on project
economics.
BHP Billiton continued work on its Rapid Growth
Project 5 (RGP5). With the completion of 89%
construction by 2010-end, it was expected to add 50
million tpy capacity by mid-2011. Rio Tinto's Pilbara
region reported higher iron ore production as a result
of commencement of the Mesa A/Warramboo Mine in
2010. Rio Tinto has approved the expansion of its iron
ore operations in Western Australia. The plan included
the expansion of the mines in the Pilbara and
development of additional port capacity at Dampier
and Cape Lambert for expanding iron ore capacity to
330 million tpy by 2016.
China's Sinosteel Midwest Corp. agreed to share
infrastructure facilities and mine services between
Ansteel-Gindalbie's Karara iron ore project and
 IRON ORE

Sinosteel's Koolanooka/Blue Hills project in Western Table – 13 : World Reserves of Iron Ore
(By Principal Countries)
Australia. Sinosteel expected to begin operation of 1.5- (In million tonnes)
million tpy hematite mine by early-2010. The Ansteel-
Reserves
Gindalbie joint venture was expected to begin Country
Crude ore Iron content
production at Karara in 2011.
World : Total (rounded) 170000 80000
Brazil
Australia 35000 17000
MMX Mineracao e Metalicos S.A. announced Brazil 29000 16000
plans to increase iron ore production at its Serra Azul Canada 6300 2300
and Bom Sucesso Mines in southeastern Minas Gerais China 23000 7200
India* 7000 4500
State.
Iran 2500 1400
Canada Kazakhstan 3000 1000
Mauritania 1100 700
IOC approved to increase annual iron ore
Mexico 700 400
concentrate capacity to 22 million tonnes from 18 million
Russia 25000 14000
tonnes. Labrador Iron Mines (LIM) Holdings Ltd's South Africa 1000 650
construction on the James iron ore mine in the Province Sweden 3500 2200
of Quebec was nearly complete. Mine production was Ukraine 6000 2100
scheduled to begin in April 2011. USA 6900 2100
Venezuela 4000 2400
Guinea Other countries 12000 6000
Rio Tinto signed an agreement with Aluminium Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries, 2012.
Corporation of China Ltd (China Co) for a joint venture * India's resources of iron ore as per UNFC system as on
1.4.2010 (P) are estimated at 28.52 billion tonnes of ore.
to develop and operate the Simandou iron ore project.
Table – 14 : World Production of Iron ore
The mine was expected to begin operation within 5 years (By Principal Countries)
and was expected to produce 95 million tpy at full (In million tonnes)
capacity.
Country 2008 2009 2010
Vale planned to establish a 50-million tpy iron ore
mine at Simandou by 2014, with production slated to World : Total 2213 2277 2611
begin in 2012 with 10 to 15-million tpy capacity. Australia 342 394 433
Brazil 351 331 372
Liberia
Canada * 32 32 37
Arcelor Mittal planned to restart the Nimba iron China 824 880 1071
ore mine which had been stalled since 2009. India ** 213 219 208
Construction and development work started during Iran 38 e 34 34 e
2010 and the company planned to start production in Kazakhstan 21 46 50
2011. Russia 100 92 95
Oman South Africa @
49 55 59
Sweden 24 18 25
Vale Oman Pelletizing Company LLC (VOPC)'s
Ukraine 73 66 78
pelletising plant was scheduled to begin production in
2011 with a production capacity of 9 million tpy of direct USA 54 27 e 49

reduction pellets. Venezuela 19 14 14

Sweden
Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara Aktiebolag's (LKAB)
announced plans for three new open pit mines in the
Svappavaara area to increase mine production to 37
million tpy within 5 years.
Other countries 73 69 86
Source: World Mineral Production, 2006-2010
@ Including by-product magnetite
*including by-product iron ore
* * India's production of iron ore in 2008-09, 2009-10 and
2010-11 was 212.96 million tonnes, 218.55 million
tonnes and 208.00 million tonnes, respectively.

47-32
 IRON ORE

FOREIGN TRADE
Exports
Exports of iron ore decreased to 46.88 million tonnes
in 2010-11 from 101.53 million tonnes in the previous
year. In terms of value too, the iron ore exports rose to
` 21,416 crore in 2010-11 from, ` 28,366 crore in 2009-
10. The exports in 2010-11 in terms of volume comprised
iron ore fines (92%), iron ore lumps (7%), and iron ore
concentrates & iron ore pellets (1%). Exports were
mainly to China (91%) and Japan and UAE (3% each)
(Tables - 15 to 20).

Imports
Imports of iron ore were 1,867 thousand
tonnes in 2010-11 as compared to 897 thousand
tonnes in the previous year. The imports in
2010-11 comprised iron ore pellets (60%), fines and
non-agglomerated concentrates, etc. The iron was
imported from Bahrain, Mali, Brazil and Ukraine
(Tables - 21 to 25).

Table – 16 : Exports of Iron ore : Lumps

Table – 15 : Exports of Iron ore : Total (U)
(By Countries)
(By Countries)
2009-10 2010-11
2009-10 2010-11
Country
Country
Qty Value Qty Value
Qty Value Qty Value
(000' t) (` '000) (000' t) (` '000)
(000' t) (` '000) (000' t) (` '000)
All Countries 9701 26092192 3299 12366740
All Countries 101531 283661742 46881 214159541
Australia 130 422338 - -
China 87024 242638493 42669 198864810
Bhutan - - ++ 320
Japan 4989 14844264 1273 5329960
China 7824 20537840 2757 10210839
Korea, Rep. of 1101 2993033 857 4058270
Germany ++ 2 - -
UAE 131 230730 1603 3940637
Hong Kong 341 680420 - -
Netherlands 140 411721 160 629342
Japan 1263 4042521 281 1222486
Luxembourg - - 145 507304
Korea, Rep. of 34 84985 68 389518
Thailand - - 61 269827
Singapore 58 187104 - -
Philippines 133 573243 44 212520
UAE 51 136980 193 543576
Oman - - 30 193959
USA - - - -
Nepal ++ 69 37 137129
Other countries ++ 2 ++ 1
Other countries 8013 21970189 2 15783

(U) : Under reference

47-33
 IRON ORE

Table – 17 : Exports of Iron ore : Fines Table – 20 : Exports of Iron ore : Pyrites
(By Countries) (By Countries)

2009-10 2010-11 2009-10 2010-11

Country Country
Qty Value Qty Value Qty Value Qty Value
(000' t) (` '000) (000' t) (` '000) (000' t) (` '000) (000' t) (` '000)
All Countries 91045 255552349 43353 200653480 All Countries ++ 812 ++ 788
Australia 529 1571261 1 6772 Australia ++ 177 - -
China 78434 220135821 39757 187923598 Bangladesh ++ 62 - -
Hong Kong 4418 12038925 - - Greece - - ++ 106
Japan 3726 10801742 992 4107473 Iran - - ++ 432
Korea, Rep.of 1048 2857043 789 3668752 Malawi ++ 57 - -
Macao 429 1197430 - - Nepal - - ++ 16
Netherlands 140 411721 160 629342 South Africa ++ 474 - -
Singapore 665 2032368 ++ 552 Sri Lanka - - ++ 62
Switzerland 641 1960025 - - UAE ++ 41 - -
UAE 80 93483 1410 3397062 Vietnam - - ++ 172
Other countries 935 2452530 244 919929 Other countries ++ 1 - -

Table – 18 : Exports of Iron ore: Table – 21 : Exports of Iron ore: Total

Concentrates Non-Agglomerated (By Countries)
(By Countries)
2009-10 2010-11
2009-10 2010-11 Country
Country Qty Value Qty Value
Qty Value Qty Value (000' t) (` '000) (000' t) (` '000)
(000' t) (` '000) (000' t) (` '000) All Countries 897 4681128 1867 10284802
All Countries 498 1276716 142 563698 Bahrain 270 1575032 682 6310170
Brazil 36 197152 168 1598981
China 479 1225160 98 349496
Ukraine 226 1128411 117 960947
Philippines - - 44 212520 Russia 99 527663 45 346466
Nepal ++ 69 ++ 1500 Indonesia - - 21 190054
Bangladesh - - ++ 100 Philippines - - 55 179933
Malaysia ++ 136 ++ 74 South Africa - - 9 67688
Mali - - 678 18869
USA ++ 7 ++ 5
Finland 91 466164 1 9662
Germany - - ++ 3
Unspecified - - 73 595814
Other countries 19 51344 - - Other countries 175 786706 18 6218

Table – 19 : Exports of Iron ore: Pellets Table – 22 : Exports of Iron ore: Fines
(By Countries) (By Countries)

2009-10 2010-11 2009-10 2010-11

Country Country
Qty Value Qty Value Qty Value Qty Value
(000' t) (` '000) (000' t) (` '000) (000' t) (` '000) (000' t) (` '000)
All Countries 287 739673 87 574835 All Countries 152 779767 55 179933
China 287 739673 57 380876 Philippines - - 55 179933
Oman - - 30 193959 Other countries 152 779767 - -

47-34
 IRON ORE

Table – 23 : Imports of Iron Ore Concentrates: Table – 25 : Imports of Iron Ore : Pyrites
Non-Agglomerated (By Countries)
(By Countries)
2009-10 2010-11
2009-10 2010-11 Country
Country Qty Value Qty Value
Qty Value Qty Value (000' t) (` '000) (000' t) (` '000)
(000' t) (` '000) (000' t) (` '000)
All Countries 14 9969 14 15799
Finland 1 4631 1 9662
All Countries 10 1601 5 79
China 13 2487 13 2961
Bolivia - - 5 79
Austria ++ 2576 ++ 1530
Other countries 10 1601 - -
France - - ++ 438
Portugal - - ++ 323
Thailand - - ++ 271
Table – 24 : Imports of Iron Ore : Pelletes Germany ++ 255 ++ 186
(By Countries) Japan - - ++ 185
Australia - - ++ 182
2009-10 2010-11 U SA ++ 18 ++ 59
Country
Qty Value Qty Value Other countries ++ 2 ++ 2
(000' t) (` '000) (000' t) (` '000)

All Countries 721 3889791 1115 10070122

of iron ore would be about 374 million tonnes by 2016-
Bahrain 270 1575032 682 6310170
Brazil 36 197152 168 1598981 17 at 8% growth rate. The apparent consumption is
Ukraine 226 1128411 117 960947 estimated at 218 million tonnes by 2016-17 at 8%
Russia 99 527663 45 346466 growth rate.
Indonesia - - 21 190054 The Working Group has pointed out that to
South Africa - - 9 67688
promote the domestic steel industry assured iron ore
Unspecified - - 73 595814
linkages need to be promoted. It has futher
Other countries 90 461533 ++ 2
recommended that fiscal and non-fiscal incentives will
be needed to be provided through joint effort of the
FUTURE OUTLOOK Ministry of Mines and Minstry of Steel. In particular,
India is the leading producer of iron ore in the world. technologies for agglomeration, pelletisation and
Indian production of iron ore constitutes around 10% of direct use of fines to produce steel must be identified
the world iron ore output. and taken up in Mission mode to achieve the national
goal to produce 200 million tonnes of steel per annum
Domestic consumption of iron ore in iron & steel
and sponge iron industries account for about 98%. by 2020. Acquisition of technology assets abroad
Cement industry is the second major consumer of pertaining to application of low grade iron ore and
iron ore. other technology for pig iron, sponge iron and

The Working Group for 12th Plan, Planning pelletisation has also been underlined by the Working
Commission of India has estimated that the production Group in its Report.

47-35