Our products

Products include blast furnace lump, sinter plant fines, iron ore pellets and iron concentrate.

Iron ore products from the Pilbara

Rio Tinto Iron Ore delivers five products from the Pilbara:

• Pilbara Blend lump
• Pilbara Blend fines 
• Yandicoogina fines (HIY)
• Robe Valley lump 
• Robe Valley fines

Products from the Pilbara are intended for use in integrated steelworks as sinter plant feed or direct blast furnace feed.

Pilbara Blend products

Pilbara Blend lump and fines are blended products that contain ore mined from the Brockman Iron Formation and the Marra Mamba Iron Formation. 

Pilbara Blend products include contributions from mines at Mt Tom Price (including Section 10 in the Western Turner Syncline), Paraburdoo (including Channar and Eastern Range), Marandoo, West Angelas, Brockman 2, Brockman 4, Nammuldi and Hope Downs 1.

Pilbara Blend products have stable absolute product quality and low product quality variability.

Pilbara Blend lump contains particles nominally smaller than 31.5mm in size and greater than 6.3mm. It is used directly in the blast furnaces at integrated steel works. Pilbara Blend fines are nominally less than 6.3mm and the product is primarily used as a sinter plant feed.  
 
Pilbara Blend products are only available from the Dampier shipping terminals of Parker Point and East Intercourse Island, Western Australia.

Yandicoogina fines

Yandicoogina fines (HIY) are produced at our Yandicoogina operations. 

HIY contains particles nominally less than 9.5mm in size. It has excellent handling characteristic, low product quality variability and a low alumina content compared to most Australian iron ores.

HIY is shipped mostly through Cape Lambert, Western Australia.

Robe Valley products

Ore mined in the Pannawonica area is railed to Cape Lambert where it is crushed and screened to make the Robe Valley products. At present, ore is being mined from both the Mesa A and Mesa J deposits.

Robe Valley lump contains particles nominally less than 31.5mm in size and greater than 6.3mm. It is used directly in blast furnaces at integrated steel works.

Robe Valley fines contain particles nominally less than 9.5mm and the product is used primarily as a sinter plant feed.

Robe Valley products have low levels of phosphorus, low product quality variability and excellent handling characteristics.

Robe Valley products are only shipped from Cape Lambert, Western Australia.

Iron ore products from Canada

The Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) is a leading supplier of iron ore pellets and concentrate. IOC's mine and process facilities are located near Labrador City.

IOC produces a suite of products including pellets suitable for Direct Reduction processes and for blast furnace operations and iron ore concerntrate which is used as a sinter plant feed.

The IOC products are shipped from Sept-Îles, Quebec.

Quality management

Our operations use process control techniques to help deliver products that meet metallurgical, chemical and physical quality targets. Product quality is monitored and controlled throughout the production process. Rio Tinto laboratories at loading ports are accreddited by national testing authorities.

Our production process and quality-monitoring operations comply with ISO 9001.