1. India has over 33 billion tonnes of iron ore reserves, mainly hematite and magnetite. The top producing states are Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Karnataka. 2. India exports around 50-60% of its iron ore production, mainly to Japan, Korea, Europe, and the Gulf. Japan is the largest importer of India's iron ore. 3. The world's largest iron ore reserves are in Australia, Brazil, Russia, China and India is ranked 7th globally with over 5.5 billion tonnes of reserves.

1. Bibek Notes
IRON ORE
Introduction: -
1. Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. Iron & steel is the driving
force behind industrial development in any country. The mining of iron ore, an essential raw material for Iron &
Steel Industry.
2. The main iron ore producers in India are Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Odisha, Goa,
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu.
3. With the total resources of over 33.276 billion tonnes of hematite (Fe2O3) and magnetite (Fe3O4), India is amongst
the leading producers of iron ore in the world. (IBM- 2018 Year Book)
4. India is the world's fifth-largest exporter of iron ore. We export about 50 to 60% of our total iron ore production to
countries such as Japan, Korea, Europe, and, more recently, the Gulf. Japan is India's largest iron ore buyer,
accounting for roughly three-quarters of our total exports.
5. Magnetite (Fe3O4), Hematite (Fe2O3), Goethite (FeHO2), Limonite (FeO(OH)·nH2O), and Siderite (FeCO3) are the
most common forms of iron found.
6. Hematite and magnetite are the most important iron ores in India. About 79% hematite ore deposits are found in the
Eastern Sector (Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha & Uttar Pradesh) while about 93% magnetite ore
deposits occur in Southern Sector (Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, & Tamil Nadu). Karnataka alone
contributes 72% of magnetite deposit in India. (IBM- 2018 Year Book)
7. Major reserves/resources of hematite are located in Odisha (7,559 million tonnes), Jharkhand (5,286 million
tonnes), Chhattisgarh (4,858 million tonnes), Karnataka (2,467 million tonnes) and Goa (1,189 million tonnes).
The balance 5% resources of hematite are spread in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. (IBM- 2018 Year Book)
8. India's 98% magnetite reserves/resources are located in five States, namely, Karnataka (7,802 million tonnes)
followed by Andhra Pradesh (1,392 million tonnes), Rajasthan (617 million tonnes), Tamil Nadu (507 million
tonnes) and Goa (226 million tonnes). (IBM- 2018 Year Book)
Physical Properties of Iron Ore: -
A. Magnetite: Colour- Black, Luster – Metallic, Fracture – Uneven, Tenacity – Brittle, Hardness – 5.5 to 6.5, Streak
– Black, Specific Gravity – 5.17
B. Hematite: Colour- Metallic grey, Rusty-red, Luster – Metallic, Fracture – Uneven, Tenacity – Brittle, Hardness –
5.5 to 6.5, Streak – Chery red, Specific Gravity – 5.26
C. Limonite: Colour- Brown and Yellow, Luster – Earthy, Fracture – Uneven, Tenacity – Brittle, Hardness – 4 to 5.5,
Streak – Yellowish brown, Specific Gravity – 2.9 to 3.5
D. Siderite: Colour- Pale yellow, grey, brown, Luster – Silky to pearly, Fracture – Uneven, Tenacity – Brittle,
Hardness – 3.75 - 4.25, Streak – White, Specific Gravity – 3.96
E. Goethite: Colour- Dark brown or black, Luster – Silky, Metallic, Dull, Fracture – Uneven, Tenacity – Brittle,
Hardness – 5 - 5.5, Streak – Brown, brownish yellow, Specific Gravity – 3.3 - 4.3
Type of Deposits: -
A. Magmatic Deposits: Magnetite and titantiferous magnetite occur as magmatic deposits in some basic igneous
rocks.
B. Contact metasomatic Deposits: Magnetite may occur as contact metasomatic deposits in some limestone.
C. Sedimentary Hosted Deposits: Deposits of hematite, magnetite, limonite and goethite may occur as beds in
sedimentary host rocks like BMQ, BHQ
D. Residual Deposits: Deposits of high grade of hematite, magnetite and limonite may occur as residual deposits.
Almost all the major Indian iron ore deposits are sedimentary and residual origin. They occur in the rocks of Iron ore
series and their equivalents. They are associated with banded hematite quartzite or banded magnetite jasper.

2. Bibek Notes
Distribution of Iron ore in India: -
Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Goa, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu account for nearly all of
India's iron ore reserves.

3. Bibek Notes
World Reserve: -
Ranking Country Million Tonnes Percentage of total
1 Australia 50,000 28.5%
2 Brazil 34,000 19.4%
3 Russia 25,000 14.2%
4 China 20,000 11.4%
5 Ukraine 6,500 3.7%
6 Canada 6,000 3.4%
7 India 5,500 3.1%
8 United States 3,000 1.7%
9 Iran 2,700 1.5%
10 Kazakhstan 2,500 1.5%
World reserves of crude iron ore, by country, 2020
Specification of Iron Ore: -
General user specification of iron ore lumps, fines, and blue dust used in making pellets/sinter for iron making.
Lumps, Fines, and Blue dust Chemical Constitution
Fe SiO2 Al2O3 P
High grade 65% and above 2 % max 2 % max -
Medium grade 62 to 65 % 3 % max 3 % max 0.1 % max
Low grade 60 to 62 % 4.5 % max 4 % max 0.1 % max
Grade specification for Hematite (Source IBM)