Report Industry Investment Rating No relevant content provided. Core Viewpoints of the Report - In Q1 2025, the production and transportation of mainstream iron ore mines were disrupted, with the growth rate of supply falling short of expectations. The combined production/transportation volume of the four major mines in Q1 was 245 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 3.3%. Although most of the eight non-mainstream mines tracked achieved a year-on-year output increase of 6.8%, their performance may not be representative of the overall overseas non-mainstream mines. - The trend of "increasing mainstream supply and decreasing non-mainstream supply" may become the main theme of overseas iron ore supply from Q2 to Q4. The dominance of Australian and Brazilian mainstream mines in global seaborne iron ore may be further strengthened this year. - The reduction in non-mainstream mine supply is not enough to fully offset the increase in the four major mines. Therefore, the report holds a relatively optimistic view on the overall annual supply [1][2][58]. Summary by Directory 1. Overview of the Operation of Major Mines in Q1 2025 - **Mainstream Four Major Mines**: The combined production/transportation volume in Q1 was 245.307 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 3.3% and a quarter-on-quarter decrease of 14.6%. Vale and Rio Tinto maintained their annual production and transportation volume guidance ranges. BHP and Fortescue had completed over 75% of the lower limit of their full fiscal - year guidance ranges by Q1 and are expected to meet their annual targets [7][8]. - **Non - Mainstream Mines**: Most of the eight non - mainstream mines tracked showed a seasonal quarter - on - quarter decline in production in Q1 but achieved an overall year - on - year output increase of 6.8%. Mineral Resources and Champion Iron had significant year - on - year increases [9]. 2. Key Points Interpretation of the Quarterly Reports of the Four Major Mines 2.1 Vale (Vale) - Weather Factors Affected, Q1 Production and Sales Diverged - **Overall Situation**: In Q1, iron ore production was 67.664 million tons, a year - on - year decrease of 4.5%. Sales were 66.141 million tons, a year - on - year increase of 3.6%. The company is confident in achieving its annual production targets of 325 - 335 million tons in 2025 and 340 - 360 million tons in 2026. The C1 cash cost in Q1 was 21.0 US dollars/wet ton, a year - on - year decrease of 10.6% [11][13]. - **Operation Details**: The northern system was affected by weather and license restrictions, but the S11D mine's output reached a new high. The southeastern system's output decreased due to factory maintenance. The southern system focused on high - quality ore production, resulting in a decline in output. Ball pellet production also decreased due to weather [15][17][20]. 2.2 Rio Tinto (Rio Tinto) - Extreme Weather Affected, Production and Transportation Increases Were Hindered - **Overall Situation**: In Q1, affected by multiple hurricanes, the shipment was about 13 million tons behind schedule, and about 6.5 million tons are expected to be made up later. The output of the Pilbara mining area was 69.771 million tons, a year - on - year decrease of 10.5%, and the shipment was 70.74 million tons, a year - on - year decrease of 9.3%. The company may achieve the lower limit of its annual shipment guidance range [23]. - **Operation Details**: The Western Range project achieved its first production in Q1, and the Brockman Syncline 1 project's investment was approved. The Simandou project in Guinea is progressing as planned and is expected to have its first shipment in November [26][27]. 2.3 BHP (BHP) - Supply Chain Optimization Resisted Some Weather Risks, and Production Stabilized - **Overall Situation**: In Q1, the equity output was 61.772 million tons, a year - on - year increase of 0.5%, and the sales volume was 60.679 million tons, a year - on - year decrease of 3.9%. The company maintained its production guidance ranges for the 2025 fiscal year [33]. - **Operation Details**: The PDP - 1 project continued to improve efficiency. The second concentrator of the Samarco mine in Brazil was put into operation ahead of schedule, and the capacity ramp - up is expected to be completed by mid - year [35]. 2.4 Fortescue (Fortescue) - Low - Base Background, Q1 Output Increased Year - on - Year - **Overall Situation**: In Q1, the total iron ore shipment was 46.1 million tons, a year - on - year increase of 6.5%. The C1 cost of Pilbara hematite was 17.53 US dollars/wet ton, a quarter - on - quarter decrease of 4% and a year - on - year decrease of 7% [36]. - **Operation Details**: The Iron Bridge project was affected by a tropical cyclone. The company expects the total shipment of the Iron Bridge project to reach 10 - 12 million tons in FY26, 16 - 20 million tons/year in the first half of 2027, and full production of 22 million tons/year in FY28. The company completed the acquisition of Red Hawk in March [38][39]. 3. Review of the Quarterly Operation of Major Non - Mainstream Iron Ore Producers 3.1 Anglo American - Kumba's Logistics Continued to Improve, Minas - Rio's Output Reached a New High - **Kumba Iron Ore**: In Q1, the output was 8.99 million tons, a year - on - year decrease of 3.1%, and the shipment was 8.939 million tons, a year - on - year increase of 6.6%. The iron grade remained stable at 64.2%. - **Minas - Rio Mine**: The output in Q1 was 6.455 million tons, a year - on - year increase of 10.0%, and the shipment was 5.625 million tons, a year - on - year increase of 21.9%. The iron grade averaged 67%. The company's annual production guidance range is 57 - 61 million tons, and it will continue to invest in logistics and infrastructure [41][43][44]. 3.2 ArcelorMittal - The Second - Phase Expansion of AML Is Nearly Completed, and Full Production Rate Will Be Reached by the End of the Year - In Q1, the total output was 11.8 million tons, and the output of the Liberian mines AML and AMMC for external sales was 8.4 million tons, a year - on - year increase of 29.2%. The company is expanding its mines in Liberia and acquiring new mineral resources in India. The second - phase expansion of the Liberian iron mine aims to increase the annual capacity from 15 million tons to 20 million tons and is expected to reach full production by the end of the year [45][47]. 3.3 India NMDC - Current Production Is Stable, and Long - Term Ambitious Goals Remain Unchanged - In Q1, the iron ore output was 13.27 million tons, a year - on - year decrease of 0.4%, and the sales volume was 12.67 million tons, a year - on - year increase of 1.3%. The company aims to exceed 50 million tons in the 2024 - 2025 fiscal year and reach 100 million tons by 2030 [48][49]. 3.4 Brazil CSN - The Construction of the P15 Mining Area Continues to Advance - In Q1, the output was 10.21 million tons, a year - on - year increase of 11.8%, and the sales volume was 9.64 million tons, a year - on - year increase of 5.4%. The construction of the P15 mining area started earthwork excavation in Q1 and is expected to enter the equipment installation and commissioning stage in the second half of the year. The annual output target range remains at 42 - 43.5 million tons [50][52]. 3.5 Mineral Resources (MinRes) - The Shipment Growth Rate of Onslow Continued to Increase - In Q1, the output of Onslow Iron decreased by 22.9% quarter - on - quarter due to logistics and weather. The company adjusted its annual output target to 8.5 - 8.7 million wet tons and expects Onslow to reach full production in the third quarter of this year [53]. 3.6 Champion Iron - Bloom Lake's Sales Reached a Record High, and Shipments in Canada Increased Again - In Q1, the output of the Bloom Lake mining area was 3.167 million wet tons, a quarter - on - quarter decrease of 12.5% and a year - on - year decrease of 3.3%. The sales volume was 3.495 million dry tons, a year - on - year increase of 17.7%. The inventory decreased from 2.94 million wet tons to 2.6 million wet tons [55][56][57]. 4. Summary and Future Outlook - In Q1, the supply of mainstream mines was disrupted by weather, but the shipment improved in Q2. The report is confident in the annual supply increase of mainstream mines. - In Q1, the shipment of non - mainstream mines decreased significantly compared to last year. It is expected that the production and shipment volume of non - mainstream mines will be difficult to reach last year's level in the remaining time of this year. The trend of "increasing mainstream supply and decreasing non - mainstream supply" may dominate the overseas iron ore supply from Q2 to Q4, and the overall annual supply is expected to be relatively loose [58][59][62].

Price Trends - Import iron ore prices have decreased compared to the previous week, with 62% grade iron ore priced at $98.95 per ton, down 2.13% from May 16 [1] - Domestic iron ore prices have shown a slight increase, with 66% grade iron concentrate priced at 933 yuan per ton, up 0.97% from May 16 [1] - The average price for 62% grade iron ore from May 19 to May 23 was $99.85 per ton [1] Supply and Demand - Iron ore arrivals at Chinese ports increased slightly, with a total of 23.44 million tons arriving from May 12 to May 18, up 637,000 tons week-on-week [3] - The total iron ore shipment globally was 33.48 million tons, an increase of 3.19 million tons week-on-week [3] - The average daily steel inventory in China decreased to 9.60 million tons, down 331,000 tons week-on-week [4] Inventory Levels - As of May 23, the total inventory of imported iron ore at 45 ports in China was 139.88 million tons, a decrease of 1.78 million tons [4] - The average daily throughput of iron ore was 3.27 million tons [4] - Australian iron ore inventory decreased to 59.93 million tons, down 974,000 tons [4] Shipping Costs - The shipping cost from Hedland, Australia to Qingdao, China was $8.53 per ton, an increase of $0.16 [4] - The shipping cost from Brazil to China was $18.93 per ton, up $0.12 [4] Production Data - In mid-May, key steel enterprises produced 21.99 million tons of steel, with an average daily production of 2.20 million tons, a decrease of 0.3% week-on-week [5] - The average daily production of pig iron was 2.39 million tons, down 0.4% week-on-week [5] - The average daily production of steel products increased by 1.0% week-on-week to 4.16 million tons [5]