Rio Tinto says Q3 iron ore shipments rose 6% sequentially

[Iron Ore reclaimer machine and stockpile ]
Dazman/E+ via Getty Images

Rio Tinto (NYSE:RIO [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/RIO]) reported a 6% Q/Q increase [https://seekingalpha.com/pr/20263756-rio-tinto-releases-third-quarter-2025-production-results] in Q3 iron ore shipments Monday, despite planned major maintenance activities, as the miner's production in Australia's Pilbara region achieved its second highest Q3 shipments since 2019.

The world's biggest iron ore producer shipped 84.3 million metric tons of iron ore from its Pilbara operations in the quarter, compared with 79.9 million tons shipped in the previous quarter, with full-year production still expected to come in at the lower end of guidance of 323 million-338 million tons, as four cyclones disrupted schedules early this year.

Q3 copper production totaled 204,000 tons, up 10% Y/Y, with output remaining on track to achieve the higher end of the company's full-year guidance range of 780,000-850,000 tons, reflecting the strong ramp-up at the Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia.

Among Rio's (NYSE:RIO [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/RIO]) other commodities, Q3 bauxite production improved 9% to reach 16.4 million metric tons, prompting an upgrade of full-year guidance to 59 million-61 million tons from the previously projected 57 million-59 million tons, "driven by operational excellence at our bauxite business, especially at Amrun," and aluminum output gained 6% to 860,000 tons, with full-year guidance remaining at 3.25 million-3.45 million tons.

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