Vale Posts Strongest Q2 Iron Ore Output Since 2018

Overview

• Vale reported Q2 2026 iron ore production of about 84.2–84.3 million tonnes, the company’s highest second‑quarter output since 2018, in figures released on Tuesday and Wednesday.
• Sales rose roughly 3% to about 79.7 million tonnes in Q2 as the company sold both current output and inventories built earlier.
• Average realized prices climbed sharply in Q2 with iron fines at about US$95/t, copper at US$14,062/t and nickel at US$18,061/t, supporting revenue even though volume growth was modest.
• Pellet production fell about 7% after Vale temporarily suspended pellet plants in Oman for part of the quarter because of regional conflict and related logistics, and Canadian maintenance trimmed some nickel flows.
• Vale posted H1 2026 iron production of 153.9 million tonnes and scheduled full Q2 financial results for July 30 with an investor call on July 31 that will give the next material update on earnings and guidance.