The expert named the most common metal raw materials in the world

Iron ore, characterized by a high level of availability and ease of industrial extraction, is considered the most common metal raw material. This was announced on May 7 by Antonina Levashenko, head of the Laboratory for the Analysis of Best International Practices at the Gaidar Institute.

"The most common metal raw material in the world is iron ore (and alloys from it, for example, cast iron). <...> This resource is found in the bowels of a third of the world's countries," she said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

According to Rosnedra data for 2025, the world's iron ore resources are located in 68 countries, their number is estimated at almost 815.5 billion tons. The majority of ore deposits are located in Australia (18.4%), Russia (14.5%), China (10.5%), Brazil (6.1%) and India (4.3%). Levashenko noted that in total, this is twice as much as bauxite for the production of aluminum, which is in second place in terms of prevalence.

According to the expert, iron ore is mainly used in metallurgy and construction. Iron is also found in the food industry in the form of a powder that absorbs oxygen in the packaging, thereby increasing the shelf life of products. She added that the cost of ore is very low due to the prevalence of raw materials: the price is only $107.7 per ton.

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Where are they used and what does it mean for the economy

On May 3, Levashenko reported that lead is the cheapest metal traded on world markets, with its value barely reaching $2,000 per ton. The decrease in cost is due to falling demand in key consumption sectors such as battery manufacturing and the automotive industry. In these industries, lead is actively replaced by nickel and lithium.