In a pre-operational disclosure, Brazilian iron ore and pellet producer Samarco reported combined iron ore and pellet sales of 3.9 million metric tons (mt) in Q3 2026, flat from the previous quarter but down 5 percent from the equivalant period one year earlier.
Production rose 10 percent from Q2 2026 to 4.3 million mt and edged up 4 percent from Q3 2025, the highest quarterly volume since operations resumed. Output for the January–September period in 2026 totaled 12.9 million mt, also the highest nine-month figure since the restart.
Samarco's average pellet price in Q3 2026 reached $125.1/mt, FOB, little changed from $124.9/mt in Q2 2026, though up 4 percent from Q3 2025.
Samarco, a joint venture between Vale and BHP, is still recovering from the 2015 collapse of the Fundão dam and expects to return to its full capacity of 26 million mt per year in 2028.
