Iron Ore Port Inventory and Port Pick-up Volume on September 4, 2026

As of September 4, SMM’s latest statistics show that iron ore inventory across 35 main ports in China totaled 143.91 million mt, down 1.7 million mt MoM, with overall inventory trending lower and daily average port pick-up volume edging up 55,000 mt to 3.145 million mt.

Iron ore port inventory rose this week, mainly because port arrivals rebounded overall while demand remained weak—hot metal production of steel mill blast furnaces continued to decline, purchase willingness for iron ore concentrates weakened, and port pick-up volume fell in tandem, highlighting inventory accumulation pressure under a loose supply-demand balance. Looking ahead to next week, port arrivals are expected to decline on a phased basis; meanwhile, some steel mills plan to resume production, hot metal production may briefly tick up, and port pick-up volume may edge up accordingly. However, downstream finished steel demand still faces uncertainty, and if restocking remains limited, port inventory may still face the possibility of accumulating again.

Inventory may still face the possibility of accumulating again.